INTERMEDIATE The Art of Seasonal Pâtisserie
PASTRY COURSES

The Art of Seasonal Pâtisserie

June 8-10, 2027 - 3 days

Mary George

Executive Pastry Chef

@chefmarygeorge

Brooklyn, NY

$ 1620 $ 1134
30% discount off all classes for north american cercle v members
Interested in participating in the class

Have questions ? Email ecolebrooklyn[at]valrhona[dot]com

Class Level: INTERMEDIATE

Discover a contemporary approach to pâtisserie rooted in seasonality, ingredient integrity, and refined technique. In this hands-on class, Chef Mary George shares her personal approach to creating modern boutique pastries that celebrate ingredients at their peak while reflecting today's evolving pastry landscape. Drawing inspiration from seasonal produce and industry trends, participants will explore how thoughtful simplicity, technical precision, and attention to detail can elevate singular ingredients into memorable pastry creations.

Throughout the course, chefs will develop a collection of develop a collection of refined tarts, complemented by a signature entremet, that showcase ingredients in their optimum state through carefully balanced textures, flavors, and presentations. Pulling techniques and creative methodologies from modern fine dining, Chef Mary George will demonstrate how an ingredient's qualities can guide every stage of the creative process, from concept development to final execution. Emphasis will be placed on recipe development, problem-solving, and the intention to enhance rather than overshadow through contemporary minimalism.

Participants will leave with a deeper understanding of how to translate seasonality into creative, commercially relevant pâtisserie, while building a framework for innovation that can be adapted across restaurant, boutique pastry, and contemporary dessert programs.

This class is intended for professional pastry chefs and culinary professionals with prior pastry experience.

Chef's Perspective

This class is about celebrating seasonality through a modern pastry lens- transforming ingredients at their peak into refined contemporary creations, with intention, technique and creativity.

Objectives:

  • Identify and work with ingredients at their optimum state to maximize flavor and expression
  • Apply techniques and creative approaches inspired by modern fine dining to tarts, and boutique pastry formats
  • Develop problem-solving strategies for recipe creation, refinement, and seasonal adaptation
  • Create tarts and desserts that highlight ingredient purity and integrity, exploring different forms, techniques, and interpretations
  • Build thoughtful flavor and texture combinations through an ingredient-driven approach
  • Adapt concepts and techniques for restaurant, boutique pastry shop, and contemporary retail environments

Recipe Examples

  • Strawberry market tart - Jasmine cream, brown sugar sable, strawberry confiture, fraise des bois 
  • Vanilla 100% - Tahitian and Madagascar vanilla beans, almond biscuit 
  • Summer corn tart - Polenta sable, corn custard, wild blueberries

Typical Daily Schedule

8:30 AM - 9:00 AM
Homemade breakfast and locally roasted coffee

9:00 AM - 12:30 PM
Hands-on class

Around 12:30 PM - 1:30 PM
Catered Lunch break

1:30 PM - 5:00 PM
Hands-on class

Day 1 Only | 5:30 PM - 6:30 PM
Happy Hour Gathering with fellow participants and the L'École Valrhona Brooklyn team

Class schedule is intended as a general guideline and may vary depending on the chef instructor, class theme, and pace of the group.
Some classes may extend beyond the scheduled end time to ensure all techniques and course content are fully covered. For this reason, we recommend avoiding return travel arrangements that require you to leave promptly at 5:00 PM. Please keep this flexibility in mind when planning your trip.

A Truly Hands-On Experience

To ensure a personalized learning environment, classes are limited to 12 participants maximum, with 3 participants per workstation.

This intimate class size allows every student to actively participate, engage directly with the chef instructor, ask questions throughout the course, and gain meaningful hands-on experience with every technique demonstrated.

Mary George is the Executive Pastry Chef at Le Cafe Louis Vuitton in NYC, the brand’s first culinary experience in the United States launched in partnership with STARR Restaurants.

Prior to joining Le Cafe in November 2024, George was the Executive Pastry Sous Chef at Daniel, Daniel Boulud’s two star Michelin restaurant on New York City’s Upper East Side. While at Daniel, George led the pastry team across daily production, service and special events, and produced the restaurant's chocolate and sugar showpieces. She also led the daily production of the pastry program for Tiffany and Co Blue Box Café.

Prior to her time at Daniel, George served as a chocolatier at Adora Handmade Chocolates as well as a sous chef for a private winery estate in Australia’s Southern Highlands. During her earlier years in the pastry industry George worked under the mentorship of Australian chefs, Vincent Gadan, Guillaume Brahimi, Peter Gilmore and Adriano Zumbo. George grew up in Sydney, New South Wales and was introduced to her love of baking at the age of 13 when she became interested in both pastry and abstract art. She combined these two passions, along with inspiration from culinary magazines and television programs, and began reinterpreting art into pastry creations.

George attended culinary school at the esteemed Le Cordon Bleu and soon after, competed in the WorldSkills International Competition. Following mentorships with Andre Sandison and FrenchAustralian MOF Patissier Herve Poutin, George continued competing and was ranked as the #1 Pastry Chef in Australia and Top 10 Internationally in Patisserie and Confectionary through the WorldSkills Competition. Through this experience, George trained in Michelin starred restaurants in the South of France, as well as Global pastry competitions in Asia.

Mary’s culinary philosophy is rooted in sourcing the finest ingredients and seasonal produce and allowing their natural flavors to take the spotlight. She continues to draw inspiration from art and personal childhood experiences in order to recreate flavors into visually striking and delectable creations. She approaches each dessert by selecting a hero element and exploring it through multiple technical expressions layering texture, temperature, and structure to reveal its full character. Through disciplined technique and artistic restraint, she allows each ingredient to speak with clarity and intention.

Passionate about mentorship, George is committed to cultivating the next generation of pastry professionals. She believes in fostering technical excellence, curiosity, and respect for craft, building not only refined desserts, but enduring passion for the industry.

Public Transportation
Subway: High St/ York St – A, C, F

Parking
Park Kwik - 45 Main Street (Dumbo)
Front & York Garage (LAZ Parking / Front & York) - 135 York St

Hotel Recommendation
Hotel recommendations can be provided by our team upon request.

L'École Valrhona Brooklyn exists to bring professionals together through education, collaboration, and the sharing of expertise. To keep our programs accessible while maintaining the highest quality standards, class fees are only designed to cover the costs of delivering each course. As a result, many expenses are incurred before the class begins, including ingredients, printed materials, meals, etc. For this reason, the following cancellation policy applies:

  • If you cancel 45 days or more prior to the first day of class, you will be completely refunded.
  • If you cancel within 45 days you will receive a 50% refund.
  • We are unable to offer refunds for cancellations made within 8 business days of the class start date. 
    If you are unable to attend, registration may be transferred to another chef from the same organization at no additional cost, provided we are notified in advance.

We do our best to avoid canceling or rescheduling classes, however, please be aware that classes are subject to change due to conflicts, instructor illness, travel issues, etc. We will contact you immediately in case of any date changes or course cancellations. In the case a class is rescheduled or canceled we will offer you a full refund.

As Valrhona is not responsible for your travels we recommend booking refundable forms of transportation and accommodations, so if an unforeseen change occurs you will not be charged. 

What's Included In Your Class Experience?

  • Comprehensive recipe booklet featuring all recipes, and course materials
  • Official L'École Valrhona diploma upon completion of the course
  • Daily homemade breakfast prepared by our team, including some L'École favorites such as Carmen's famous granola and house-made brioche & viennoiseries
  • Catered lunches each day from select local Brooklyn businesses
  • Happy Hour gathering after the first day of class to connect with fellow chefs & L'École Valrhona team
  • L'École Valrhona apron to take home
  • Dedicated WhatsApp group to connect with classmates before, during, and after the course
  • Group photo and individual photo opportunity with the chef instructor
  • Farewell Champagne toast and tasting buffet at the conclusion of the course
  • Curated surprise gift bag
  • Networking opportunity: learn alongside chefs, pastry professionals, chocolatiers, and business owners from across the country
  • Use of L'École Valrhona's professional equipment, tools, and facilities
Dress Code

For food safety and kitchen comfort, please come prepared with the following:

  • Your own chef jacket
  • Professional kitchen attire
  • Socks and Closed-toe, non-slip shoes
  • Long hair must be tied back & Fingernails should be kept short and clean
  • One L'École Valrhona apron will be provided upon arrival for use during class and yours to keep afterward

Our kitchen can be cool. We recommend bringing an extra layer.

We're Looking Forward to Welcoming You at L'Ecole Valrhona Brooklyn

Have questions about a class, registration, travel planning, skill level, etc.? Our team is here to help.