Sweet candy dresses!
Candy Industry takes you up close to the fashion show at the French Pastry’s School For the Love of Chocolate event in Chicago, held Feb. 25. The black tie charity event attracted a sold-out crowd of about 1,500 people.
NONE
Rebecca Ortiz, host of Chicago Connection on the radio station B96, wears a dress made completely of chocolate, as well as chocolate butterflies in her hair. Chef designer, Pedro Gomez, is Executive Chef of Callihan Catering.
NONE
Jackie LeMarche, (left) wears a dress made with Beans donated by Jelly Belly, while Teodora Kuzmanovic, wears a dress made from vanilla beans donated by Nielsen-Massey Vanillas as well as an ostrich feather headdress. Chef designer Norm Miller is the owner of Normy's Confection Connection in Dayton, Ohio.
NONE
Chef designer Norm Miller is the owner of Normy's Confection Connection in Dayton, Ohio.
NONE
Model Sonja Lund wears a dress made 100% from Julius Meinl products including coffee, packaging, and a coffee cup fascinator. The chef designer is Javier Trujillo, Pastry Chef at Kaufman's Deli and Bakery.
NONE
Model Jordan Hutton, a pastry cook from Vanille Patisserie, wears a dress made entirely of Vanille's famous macaroons. All three chef designers Sophia Evanoff, Leslie Shaw, and Stacy Waldrop are graduates of The French Pastry School.
NONE
Model Twins Tegan (left), wears a dress with Gumpaste flowers and Royal Icing Piping Accents, while Amanda Gebert (right), wears a dress airbrushed with edible food colors and accents in piped royal icing. Chef Designer David Castillo is the Pastry Chef at LaBriola
NONE
Model Kathy Meyer wears a dress made of chocolate molded around a paper mache skirt. Designer Elizabeth Dew is a current student of L'Art de la Patisserie at The French Pastry School and graduate of After School Matters.
NONE
Model Elizabeth Zagone, warehouse manager of Zagone Studios, Chicago's premiere mask makers, wears a dress made of "pressed" sugar candy, old-fashioned sugar candies, and luster dust. Made by designer Don Zajac of Harborside International Golf Course.
NONE
Model Chelle Leskovitch wears a dress made with modeling chocolate, chocolate fondant and luster dust along with a mask. Designed by Nicole Bujewski, owner and pastry chef of LeFlour Bakery as well as a graduate of The French Pastry School, and Imelda Mojica, a pastry cook at LeFlour.
NONE
Model Chelle Leskovitch wears a dress made with modeling chocolate, chocolate fondant and luster dust along with a mask. Designed by Nicole Bujewski, owner and pastry chef of LeFlour Bakery as well as a graduate of The French Pastry School, and Imelda Mojica, a pastry cook at LeFlour.
NONE
Model Brianna Strong wears a re-interpretation of the sugar dress that won chef designer Andy Chlebana the Food Network Challenge in 2011. The dress is made from pulled sugar and pastillage. Chlebana is an instructor at Joliet Junior College.
NONE
Model Morgan Dakarian wears a peacock-inspired dress made of chocolate sprayed with cocoa butter and luster dust with gumpaste feathers. Chef designer Michael Wascher is the pastry chef at Jewell Events Catering, and had help from his assistant, Erin Mira who is a French Pastry Show graduate and intern. Jewell employees worked as a team to create the dress.
NONE
Model Morgan Dakarian dons peacock-inspired shoes to match her dress, which was made of chocolate sprayed with cocoa butter and luster dust with gumpaste feathers. Chef designer Michael Wascher is the pastry chef at Jewell Events Catering, and had help from his assistant, Erin Mira who is a French Pastry Show graduate and intern. Jewell employees worked as a team to create the dress.
NONE
Model Mindy Viamontes (who also was one of the designers) wears a dress made from coffee filters, coffee beans and grounds, recycled coffee bags died with Kool-Aid and accented with macaroons from The French Pastry School. Viamontes, David Steele, Nick Perry, and Kaitlin Streyle from Muller + Muller Architects designed the dress -- Muller + Muller designed the offices of The French Pastry School of Chicago.
NONE
Model Julie Krug wears a dress made of chocolate and luster dust designed by Laura Parsons, pastry chef of Westmoreland Country Club and graduate of The French Pastry School.
NONE
Model Betsy Bruns, from American Airlines, wears a dress made from gum paste, pastillage, isomalt, chocolate, and cotton candy. Chef designer Manny Guzman is pastry chef at Pierreâ's Bakery, and was assisted by Erin Mira, a French Pastry School graduate and intern.
NONE
Left to Right: Mai Martinez, Betsy Bruns, and Shufen Zhao
Model Mai Martinez (left), anchor of CBS News, wears a dress made of a variety of materials including chocolate and chocolate candy wrappers. Designer Cheryl Brookhauzen, pastry chef of Marriott Downtown Chicago, has participated with For the Love of Chocolate for 7 years.
Model Betsy Bruns (center), from American Airlines, wears a dress made from gum paste, pastillage, isomalt, chocolate, and cotton candy. Chef designer Manny Guzman is pastry chef at Pierre's Bakery, and was assisted by Erin Mira, a French Pastry School graduate and intern.
Model Shufen Zhao (right), director of international programs at the Chicagoland Chamber of Commerce, wears a dress made of silpats and flexipans from DeMarle at Home. Chef designers Jimmy and Julie MacMillan work at JM Pure Pastry, Jimmy is also pastry chef of University Club of Chicago.
NONE
NONE
Model Rochelle Vayo Adkinson, host of CLTV's "Bring it Home," wears a dress made of demerera sugar and sugar bags completely repurposed and recycled, with chocolate accessories. Chef designer Brady Braden is the pastry chef and owner of B True Bakery and graduate of The French Pastry School.
NONE
Model Rochelle Vayo Adkinson, host of CLTV's "Bring it Home," wears a dress made of demerera sugar and sugar bags completely repurposed and recycled, with chocolate accessories. Chef designer Brady Braden is the pastry chef and owner of B True Bakery and graduate of The French Pastry School.
NONE
Model Kelly Weiss, chef designer Jessica Weiss's sister, wears a dress inspired by flowering vines and made of sugar, gum paste, fondant, fruit leather, rice paper, bun pan liners and plastic wrap. Jessica Weiss is pastry chef of Union League Club of Chicago
NONE
Model Brittney Payton, host of Chicago's Best and daughter of football legend, Walter Payton, wears a dress made of pastillage, royal icing and casted sugar. The feathers on the skirt are handmade and hand painted pastillage, the necklace and mask are pastillage, royal icing and casted sugar. Designer Scott Green is pastry chef instructor at The French Pastry School and 2011 National Pastry Champion. He received assistance from Alejandra Mamud, Heather Houston and Emily French.
NONE
Model Abigail Wodrich, 7, is honorary chair person of For the Love of Chocolate, and is dressed as Princess Lollipop in a dress made of lollipops and other materials. All funds raised at the original For the Love of Chocolate in 2006 went to assist the family of Abby who was 16 weeks old and in dire need of a kidney transplant, defray the medical costs of the transplant surgery and lifelong prescriptions. This year, Abigail will be six years post transplant.