PMCA welcomes confectionery industry professionals for Premium Chocolate Centers course

The course combined classroom and hands-on training.

Joe Sofia, Cargill Cocoa & Chocolate; Brian Donaghy, Tomric Systems, Inc.; Mark Heim, retired, R. Mark Heim Confectionery Consulting; Randy Hofberger, R&D Candy Consultants; and Tom Elsinghorst, president, Tomric Systems, Inc. Courtesy of: PMCA

In keeping with its primary goal of helping confectioners manufacture better products through education and information, PMCA offers a series of specialized training courses. Each course combines classroom and hands-on training. The courses are held at the facilities of a confectionery manufacturer or an approved university facility and are conducted by well-qualified facilitators.

First-time in-person course host Tomric Systems, Inc. recently welcomed 23 industry professionals to its facility for a Premium Chocolate Centers course. Attendees representing a variety of companies participated in the course, held June 20–23 in Buffalo, NY.

Four experienced instructors provided a mix of classroom and practical training related to fondants and cremes, ganache, meltaways, and caramels for chocolate centers. Each attendee received a course book, electronic copies of course materials, and a PMCA goody bag filled with donated items from member companies. Attendees took home lots of their own product as well as that made by fellow attendees, including flavors such as matcha green tea, peanut butter and jelly, yogurt lemon, cherry kirsch, and chai.

Attendees earning a certificate of completion included:

Lani Bensheimer, Creo Chocolate
Prachana Chuklin, Jelly Belly Candy Company
Mark Czerczak, Confectionery Arts International
Evangeline Fadrigalan, Concord Foods, LLC
Joel Gratt, YMC Sweets LLC
Glenn Grout, True Dairy Specialty Ingredients
Brandon Jahner, Foresight Food Research
Damarise Jimenez, The Hershey Company
Hailey Karroum, The Hershey Company
Jeanne Lomison, Buffalo, NY
Christina Meyn, Jelly Belly Candy Company
Hannah O’Brien, Stuffed Puffs LLC
Keariel Peasley, Bixby & Co.
Evan Prochniak, Zitner’s Fine Confections
Kevin Ronan, Ronan’s Artisan Chocolate
Christie Rowland, Jelly Belly Candy Company
David Rowland, Jelly Belly Candy Company
Laura Schembri, Jelly Belly Candy Company
Kathryn Southworth, Bixby & Co.
Erin Sterling, pladis Global
Kevin Straub, Creo Chocolate
Thomas Westerfer, pladis Global
Amanda Zadroga-Cantada, ADM

PMCA is grateful to the individuals and companies that graciously donated instructors, ingredients, products, or other items to the success of the course as follows:

Instructors: