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  • In my job, my scientific background is extremely important.

  • You want to push envelope.

  • You want to be innovative.

  • You want to really like create beautiful foods.

  • But you need to be able to do it consistently.

  • So, you need to really build those prediction novels that say okay, yeah, I'm pretty sure that this is going to work.

  • And if it doesn't, you need to be able to react fairly quickly.

  • And know why.

  • The scientific background is "the why."

  • My name is Thierry Muret, and I'm the executive chef for Godiva.

  • I have been working for Godiva since May 8, 1988.

  • So, 31 years.

  • Whatever you read about not doing in interviews, I did.

  • Right, everything.

  • People ask me, "what do you think about this candy and Godiva?"

  • I said "pffft, don't like it."

  • You know.

  • Everything wrong.

  • Then after the interview, they say, "okay, can you start Monday?"

  • I think that it's... I was genuine.

  • You know, and I had the vision actually of what I would like to do in R&D, and that's what they were looking for.

  • I'm a master chocolatier, if you want me to work for you, here is what I take.

  • So, I guess they liked it.

  • Can I have one?

  • Yes, you may.

  • You're the chef.

  • Don't copycat.

  • Create your own style.

  • That's, for me, the most critical thing.

  • Create your own style of preparing food.

  • Inspiration is, you know, it can come from anywhere.

  • It can come from a good book.

  • It can come from just walking the streets of the city.

  • You're pretty much in the palettes of the reds, red and purple.

  • So, I was born in Belgium.

  • I did my high school in Brussels, and then I went to the university where I actually studied chemistry, industrial chemistry.

  • And my last year, I took specialization, which is crystallography.

  • Then I was going to go for a second degree, which was chemical engineering.

  • And at that point, my sister called me, and said, "hey bro," you know, this in the '80s.

  • "Belgium chocolate is becoming very visible here."

  • "I want to open a business."

  • "Are you interested?"

  • I said, "sure, but I don't know anything about chocolate."

  • She said, "well, go find out."

  • So, I decided to go to an apprenticeship.

  • To really like, learn the trade.

  • Cooking is definitely a science.

  • You need to know what you're doing, but then it becomes an instinct.

  • This is what we call the Bible.

  • Ah, come on out.

  • And the Bible is, it's just like a dictionary.

  • A composition of the molecule, the melting point.

  • It's just tables after tables after tables.

  • I think the attraction for me being a science major was pretty big because, you know, when you work for a company like Godiva, you need to really have a good understanding of how things work, you know, how the product is going to react.

  • What color did we see a lot in the flower district, right?

  • First orange, reds, browns, yellows.

  • You know, all these fall colors, very warm tones.

  • But then we saw spikes of citruses and pepper.

  • And when you eat this piece, you will actually have the same walk as we did on the city.

  • I still love to play with chocolate.

  • It's such a sensual material and difficult.

  • My God, if you rush chocolate it's going to bite you back.

  • We're almost there.

  • I think that one thing that is very, very important to give as advice for the young chefs.

  • Never lose your passion.

  • Continue to cook.

  • Continue to just have fun.

  • You cannot make happy food if you're not happy yourself.

  • So, be passionate: study, read, challenge yourself, stay in tune with what's going on around you.

  • Ta-da!

  • A day in the city.

In my job, my scientific background is extremely important.

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