FROM the green grasses of Colac to the mountains of Thailand, Kaylon Smith\u2019s journey from apprentice chef to chocolatier has been unexpected.<\/p>\n
As a 16-year-old, Smith started his apprenticeship at The Gordon while honing his trade at the Grand Pacific Hotel in Lorne.<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou 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\u2019s a different kind of hard when you work for yourself,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
\u201cAs 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.<\/p>\n
\u201cI continued to take short courses at The Gordon, building my skills.\u201d<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
\u201cI refined my chocolate work and had truly cemented a new passion stemming from a fascination with the flavour of red tulip chocolates,\u201d Smith said.<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt 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.<\/p>\n
\u201cThrough trial and error, I made my first bar. There were definitely a few trials and errors trying to make chocolate in a tropical climate!\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
The Gordon patisserie teacher and chocolatier Brendan Hill emphasised that chocolate is difficult to make, no matter where you are.<\/p>\n
\u201cKeeping chocolate from separating is hard. You have to find the right balance of ingressions to get the right consistency,\u201d Hill said.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt takes years of experience to get the texture and flavour to that perfect balance.\u201d<\/p>\n
High Concentrations is Smith\u2019s new business venture in Thailand, featuring beautifully presented bar chocolate, and a unique tea from the cacao husk.<\/p>\n
\u201cOpened 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,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
\u201cChocolate has three basic ingredients; cacao, cacao butter, and sugar. The chocolate I make is bean-to-bar. It\u2019s slightly acidic with an undertone of ripe red berries.\u201d<\/p>\n