Alain Chartier

37 years old, the pride of the toque and a great professionalism: Alain Chartier is among the flagships of transalpine ice-making. His curriculum hides no surprises if it weren’t for the climax of acknowledgments. He started from a standard education, with the usual studies of pastry-making, chocolate and ice making. But the last subject arouses great enthusiasm in him more than all the others: it will give him fame and honors. A careful specialization follows, going from gastronomy to scientific technicalities, without losing the sense of the centrality of taste, final target of every research work.

His professional blessing occurs in the year 2000, when he obtains the longed for diploma of Meilleur Ouvrier de France (MOF). The contest, which has brought out the best of artisanship, industry and services since 1927, rewards him as the best glacier of the country. And the President of the Republic in person gives him the coveted parchment, the greatest acknowledgment for a French artisan. We can compare it to an academic title, and this is why those who obtain it are defined “graduate”.

However, satisfactions haven’t come to an end because in 2003 Alain and his team become ice-making world champions in Turin, on the occasion of the first edition of the event.
All this without neglecting the daily commitment in the experimentation laboratory of Vannes, in Brittany: here, in 2004 Alain Chartier and Vincent Guerlais (he too pastry and chocolate chef), childhood friends, opened their cyclamen-colored sweet shop in Place des Lices. On the counters, differently flavored macarons, iced entremets in the shape of egg or stick to plunge back to childhood, chocolates and jellies. Apart from this commitment, today Alain is also engaged in his ice-making teaching activity at the Valrhona school, without neglecting chocolate: the one signed Chartier is a masterpiece of creativity, technique and beauty, be it iced or not.