Chocolate lectures, masterclasses and tastings.
SARA JAYNE-STANES OBE - Chief Executive of the of the Royal Academy of Culinary Arts and Adopt a School; food writer, author of Chocolate- the Definitive Guide, and Chocolate - Discovering Exploring Enjoying.
Sara spent many years as a chocolatier and remains an ardent chocolate evangelist. She is currently chairman of the Academy of Chocolatewhich was launched in 2005 to encourage chocolate lovers to ‘look beyond the label’.
Sara is passionate about the provenance of ingredients, origins, varieties, breeds, organics and sustainability (etc); and particularly chocolate. Chocolate – the Definitive Guide was published in hardback in 1999 and revised in paperback in 2005; and Chocolate Discovering Exploring Enjoying was published 2005.
With a foreword by Michel Roux OBE, it is the story of three and a half thousands years of cocoa to chocolate, from pod to palate; its history, geography, social and religious traditions, its nutritional values, tastings, wine parings, dos and don’ts and recipes.
As a food writer and truffle maker, Sara is passionate about provenance of ingredients, origins, varieties, breeds, organics, etc and particularly CHOCOLATE. Her book entitled 'Chocolate - the Definitive Guide'*, published by Grub Street has just been reprinted in paperback. With a foreword by Michel Roux, it is the story of three and a half thousand years of cocoa to chocolate, from pod to palate: its history, geography, social and religious applications, its nutritional values, tastings, wines pairings, 'dos and don'ts and recipes.
*'Chocolate - the Definitive Guide' won the Guild of Food Writers’ Jeremy Round Award in 2000; was nominated for the 2000 Andre Simon Awards; winner of Best Book in the English language in the 2000 World Cookbook Fair Awards in Perigeux; and was nominated for a ‘Ladle’ in the 2001 Australian Jacob’s Creek Media Awards. Sara is updating and revising a third updated edition.
Her second book Chocolate - Discovering Exploring Enjoying was published in 2005 and won the best book in its category in the World Food Awards in 2006.
She has also written numerous articles on chocolate; and contributed to both radio and television programmes
Together with Chantal Coady OBE, Martin Christy, Chloe Doutre Roussel, William Curley MCA and Sarah Jane Evans MW and inspired by Kate Johns, in 2005, Sara launched the Academy of Chocolate created to broaden the knowledge and perspective of chocolate versus confectionery. Activities cover (now) annual Chocolate Awards that attracts entries from, across the globe; events and masterclasses and a biennial Conference.
She also has a special interest in food and cooking, children’s food education, wine, reading, France, Italy and Latin America, gardening and dining with friends. Sara lives in a Victorian house in Clapham, SW London with her Wine Merchant husband Richard, and their Battersea rescue dog Montezuma..
Note:
The Royal Academy of Culinary Arts iis Britain’s leading membership association of head chefs and restaurant managers and associate suppliers whose principal aims include raising the standards of food, cooking and service through education and training. The Academy hosts awards, chefs apprenticeships and Adopt a School that teaches primary school children about food and nutrition in a holistic sense from farm to plate through the senses and basic cookery skills.