Creative chef makes chocolatey change

FROM the green grasses of Colac to the mountains of Thailand, Kaylon Smith’s journey from apprentice chef to chocolatier has been unexpected.

As a 16-year-old, Smith started his apprenticeship at The Gordon while honing his trade at the Grand Pacific Hotel in Lorne.

Over time, he moved to Erskine House, and then the Austral Hotel in Colac, cutting his teeth the old-fashioned way in a career in the kitchen.

“You work hard as an apprentice. In the nineties, 85-hour weeks were a real slog, but it did instil a great work ethic in me. Years on, I am still working hard, but it’s a different kind of hard when you work for yourself,” he said.

“As part of my commercial cookery course, I had to complete a grand dinner with an Asian influence, so I built an 11-kilogram chocolate Buddha. I was so impressed with what you could create with chocolate that I sought out further courses with The Gordon.

“I continued to take short courses at The Gordon, building my skills.”

What he found most captivating was the art of sugar work, with guidance from renowned teacher Brendan Hill, before continuing onto a Certificate IV in Patisserie.

“I refined my chocolate work and had truly cemented a new passion stemming from a fascination with the flavour of red tulip chocolates,” Smith said.

After working in Canada as a chef for five years, Smith was looking for something different. That venture ended in Sampatong, a small village near Chang Mai in the north of Thailand.

“It was hot, humid, and nothing like the Rockies. I had studied a lot about the history of Thailand and food in the region, which drew me to the cacao plant.

“Through trial and error, I made my first bar. There were definitely a few trials and errors trying to make chocolate in a tropical climate!” he said.

The Gordon patisserie teacher and chocolatier Brendan Hill emphasised that chocolate is difficult to make, no matter where you are.

“Keeping chocolate from separating is hard. You have to find the right balance of ingressions to get the right consistency,” Hill said.

“It takes years of experience to get the texture and flavour to that perfect balance.”

High Concentrations is Smith’s new business venture in Thailand, featuring beautifully presented bar chocolate, and a unique tea from the cacao husk.

“Opened in 2021 and looking to process 3000-kilograms of chocolate each year, High Concentrations is an open-to-the-public cacao and chocolate processing service,” he said.

“Chocolate has three basic ingredients; cacao, cacao butter, and sugar. The chocolate I make is bean-to-bar. It’s slightly acidic with an undertone of ripe red berries.”

A career in cookery or patisserie can take you anywhere in the world. Find out more about studying cookery and patisserie at The Gordon’s upcoming information sessions on Tuesday, 11 October at 5pm at the Geelong City Campus, or head to thegordon.edu.au.

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