chef-name: Norman Love

Norman Love’s fascination with food began during his childhood in Philadelphia, working hours in the kitchen with his mother and grandmother. He always had a desire to create art with food, and of course, chocolate was his favorite ingredient. In high school, he worked at an ice cream parlor. He then honed his talents over the next two years, working and studying in a small pastry shop, in the south of France.

Upon returning to the USA, he worked at the Beverly Hills Hotel in California and then joined the Ritz-Carlton in Naples as the executive pastry chef. It was there Great Chefs taped him for Discovery Channel’s Great Chefs of America. Later, Ritz-Carlton named him to oversee its worldwide corps of pastry chefs and opening pastry kitchens in Boston, Bali and Dubai.

Thirteen years later, in 2002, he left the Ritz-Carlton organization and he and his wife, Mary, founded Norman Love Confections. In 2005 Consumer Reports rated it one of the top three chocolate companies in the country. His son, Ryan, joined the company for three years before going up to Chicago to the French Pastry School, to learn more from Great Chefs Patrice Caillot and Jacquy Pfeiffer. After graduation, he returned to join his father at Norman Love Confections.