Valrhona Essentials: 30 Years of Innovation
Since their inception in 1995, Valrhona Essentials have profoundly influenced the practices of chefs and artisans worldwide by offering a collection of over 120 perfectly balanced pastry recipes. These recipes are designed to adapt to all uses, from chocolaterie to ice cream making, including mousses, creams, biscuits, and much more.
In 2025, on the occasion of their 30th anniversary, Valrhona celebrates this iconic service that embodies transmission, innovation, and pastry excellence.
Driven by the daily work of the chefs at École Valrhona, the Essentials have evolved over the years to meet the new expectations of professionals, combining taste excellence with responsibility. They thus embody a sustainable vision of pastry that is accessible, consistent, and always inspiring.
In 2023, the booklet was revamped by adopting a new "binder" format. It was also updated with 22 recipes reworked through the lens of Reasoned Indulgence, a fresh perspective aimed at improving the nutritional composition of products while preserving their sensory quality. This approach focuses on reducing calories, fats, and sugars, while limiting the number of ingredients to enhance global accessibility, without compromising on taste excellence.
In 2025, thanks to the work of the chefs at École Valrhona, the "Biscuits" chapter was revisited with the same approach. This effort improved textures, flavors, and nutritional values, creating recipes accessible worldwide while ensuring exceptional taste quality. This approach unveiled new working methods that are revolutionizing the world of biscuits, such as making biscuits with water.
This new chapter enriches the Essentials, offering chefs a variety of options to meet the expectations of their clients who seek products that are both delicious and thoughtfully crafted.
Through its École, Valrhona supports sweet gastronomy professionals in their transition towards a more responsible and reasoned sweet gastronomy. The chefs at the École play a key role in testing, adjusting, and enhancing Valrhona products to ensure they fully meet new consumer expectations and current societal challenges.
By celebrating these 30 years and with this new chapter, Valrhona reaffirms its commitment to supporting chefs and their recipes. The Essentials continue to be a source of inspiration for chefs worldwide, proving that innovation can go hand in hand with nutritional responsibility.
