Chef Chistophe Grilo: An International Culinary Star at 26 Talks Chocolate

Christophe Grilo recently joined InterContinental Hong Kong as Executive Pastry Chef at SPOON by Alain Ducasse. Recognized early as a culinary star, Chef Christophe has cooked at some of the best restaurants in Europe and North America

By Patricia D. Sherman

Trained in the conventions of classic French cuisine, yet much admired for his fresh ideas and innovative spirit, Chef Christophe brings a sophisticated, holistic approach to his pastry creations. He recently discussed chocolate with ChocolateAtlas.com. 

CA: What is your chocolate philosophy?
GRILO: Not too sweet, not too strong. The taste should be like a cloud, very light, like one image.

CA: What is your favorite kind of chocolate to work with and to eat?
GRILO: Dark chocolate. 64% is my favorite percentage to work with because it’s not too bitter and it has a lot of flavors with a taste of red berries. This is my favorite to eat also.

CA: What is your signature chocolate dessert recipe?
GRILO: Chocolate Fondant with Lemon Zest Praline and Vanilla Ice Cream

CA: What are your first chocolate memories?
GRILO: My mother used to make a special chocolate milk drink for us. She would boil regular milk with dark chocolate for 5 minutes, mixing the chocolate slowly with the milk.  Then after it cooled, it would be put in the fridge overnight. In the morning, we had a delicious chocolate milkshake with the best part on the top. There was a soft crust of chocolate on top and a creamy chocolate drink below.

CA: Besides desserts, do you use chocolate in other recipes?
GRILO: Chocolate sauce with balsamic vinegar served with squab or venison is delicious.

CA: Most unusual thing you have ever made or seen out of chocolate
GRILO: Chocolate sculptures. The most unusual chocolate sculpture I ever saw was at a Flamingo Festival in the South of France.  It was a 300 kilo bull made of chocolate!

More About Chef Christophe Grilo 

Chef Christophe’s culinary journey began in his hometown of Champigny Sur Marne in France. As a child he became enamored with the sweet art form of patisserie. The love affair started with his inherent passion for consuming pastries, but quickly turned into a fascination with creating them. 

“When I was young, I always preferred desserts to any other food. Then I found it thrilling to figure out how to bake delicious cakes and pastries!”  He quickly became the official cake chef for his family’s birthday parties; and “Voila!” he had begun training for his future career without even knowing it.

At the age of 16 he entered the culinary school of Sucy-En-Brie where he graduated at the head of his class. Following mandatory French army service, during which he served as a cook for the lucky troops in Paris, he began tackling positions in some of France’s top restaurants. 

In 1997 he became pastry chef at Le Belvedere restaurant on the island of Corsica. Here locally renowned chef Bernard Bach helped Christophe to refine his techniques and allowed him to gain experience in the off-season at other 1-Michelin star restaurants, including Le Choisel in Amboise, La Balandre in Cahors and Maitre Cuisinier, Christian Etienne’s namesake restaurant in Avignon.  “This really opened my eyes to the endless possibilities desserts can have,” says Christophe. 

In 1999, he moved to another of Bach’s restaurants, the 1-star Le Puy-St. Jacques in Toulouse, where, as head pastry chef, he experimented with different styles of patisseries.

Anxious to spread his wings, with the blessing of his mentor Bach, he moved to Montpellier to Le Jardin des Sens, one of only about twenty restaurants to have the prestigious 3-Michelin star rating. Here he worked with renowned chef/owners Jacques and Laurent Pourcel.

“While I always knew the importance of every ingredient of a pastry, Jacques and Laurent Pourcel taught me how to create an all-around sensual dish. They stressed that every sense should be engaged. The sum of the aroma, the aesthetics, the texture and the flavors should equal a truly wonderful experience,” says Chef Christophe.

The Pourcel brothers made Christophe not only the head pastry chef at Le Jardin des Sens, but also let him oversee the patisserie departments at their other ventures, including La Maison Blanche in Paris and the smaller local Sandwicherie Sens in Montpellier.  Christophe also oversaw the opening of their Sans et Saveurs in Tokyo.

The Pourcels sent Christophe to food fairs around the world--from Shanghai, where he wooed potential investors, to Capri, where he participated in the prestigious biannual Extravanganza Mediteranea.  He also participated in food fairs in Lebanon and Japan.

Chef Christophe then decided to conquer the United States. In 2004 he moved to Los Angeles to work for L’Orangerie. Owner Gerard Ferry says, “From his pedigree to his passion for his profession and skill in creating beautiful and equally delicious desserts, Christophe was an asset to my restaurant from the start.”

In mid-2005, world renowned Chef Alain Ducasse recruited Christophe to join the Alain Ducasse Group and move to Hong Kong to take over as Executive Pastry Chef of his internationally acclaimed SPOON by Alain Ducasse at InterContinental Hong Kong.

“In the year and a half since its opening, SPOON by Alain Ducasse has gained international recognition as one of the world’s top contemporary restaurants. We are thrilled to welcome Christophe and know that his talent, passion and creativity will take the restaurant’s already acclaimed cuisine to new heights,” says hotel Managing Director Jean-Jacques Reibel.

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