Print
Vegas’ own Willy Wonka
Wed, Oct 7, 2009 (5:22 p.m.)
Lionel Clement
Photo: Barry Callebaut
Growing up in France, Lionel Clement created elaborate desserts with his mother, and dreamt of doing so on a larger stage. This weekend, the Wynn Hotel’s chief chocolatier will do just that, representing the U.S. in the prestigious World Chocolate Masters competition, back in his home country. “It’s a big deal,” the 30-year-old Clement says. “I’ll be working in front of family and friends and professionals and press from around the world.”
Clement will be joined in Paris by 19 other national champions, for three days of chocolate-making, October 14-16, centered on the theme haute couture, or high fashion. Clement’s planned showpiece calls for 25 pounds of chocolate. He’s been “training” since January.
So does Clement still enjoy eating chocolate? “I’m kind of skinny, so you might think I don’t eat any chocolate,” he laughs. “But I eat a couple of pieces sometimes. I have to check for quality.”
digg
reddit
Newsvine
Fark
E-mail
Discussion:
In an effort to increase the dialogue on our stories, we will be requiring Facebook accounts to leave comments on lasvegasweekly.com stories. We believe that Weekly readers are likely to have Facebook accounts already and more apt to comment on this site with that account rather than have to create an account with us. If, however, you do not have a Facebook account, click here to sign up for one. If you have questions, comments or concerns about this new commenting policy, please let us know.
For any other questions related to commenting on Weekly stories, please read our full policy.