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Michael Recchiuti

By August 1, 2019June 10th, 2021Featured Chefs

Name:

Michael Recchiuti

Professional Website:

Recchiuti.com

What are some of your favorite Pacific Gourmet products?:

This is a difficult question, since Recchiuti has been ordering from Pacific Gourmet for over 23+ years. Our product use has been all over the map regarding favorites. Pacific Gourmet’s product knowledge, sourcing of unique, high-quality pastry and savory ingredients from around the globe has offered Recchiuti a path of creativity to experiment and explore new and innovative concepts.

Why do you enjoy working with Pacific Gourmet?:

They are passionate, knowledgeable, and provide impeccable customer service with unique sourcing. Pacific Gourmet is always ahead of the curve with ingredients and service.

Do you have a recipe to share with the PG community?

Sesame Tuiles

Yield: 48 cookies/.5 quarts

Ounces Grams Ingredient
2.5 71 Sesame
2.5 71 Super Fine Sugar
1.75 50 A.P. Flour
pinch .75 Salt
1.5 43 Butter
2.23 76 Egg Whites

Method:
• Toast Sesame till they reach a deep amber color, set aside
• Combine; Sesame, Sugar, Flour and Salt in a bowl, set aside.
• Soften butter to a lotion consistency
• Add egg whites to dry using a spatula till smooth.
• Beat in butter just till incorporated. Bake off or allow batter to stand overnight in fridge

Bio:

Michael Recchiuti, a self-made chocolatier, has been experimenting in the kitchen all his life. A Philadelphia native, Michael got his start baking Italian wedding cakes alongside his grandmother as a boy, then creating plated desserts as a young man at the renowned restaurant Le Bec Fin, and even training with Alain Tricou (Maxim’s, Déjà Vu) for three years in sugar and chocolate.

Drawn to San Francisco in 1987 by an exciting culinary, music, and arts scene, Michael found new inspiration in the year-round availability of fresh, local ingredients and international influences. Especially fascinated by the way traditionally savory flavors took on new dimensions and depth when combined with chocolate, his now famous chocolate flavors Tarragon Grapefruit, Lemon Verbena, and Star Anise & Pink Peppercorn were among his first “experiments.” An ongoing fascination along with a nostalgic nod to the tastes of his youth continue to inspire his more recent creations, like Peppermint Thins, Peanut Butter Pucks, and Vanilla Bean Marshmallows.

In 1997, after years in the test kitchen, Michael founded Recchiuti Confections with his wife Jacky, based upon the philosophy that “once someone is introduced to truly exquisite chocolate, they will be won over instantly and forever.” Known for using traditional European techniques and equipment; and for hand-selecting every ingredient, Michael sources local California farmers’ markets for bundles of fresh herbs and fruits to create signature infusions and blends single origin chocolates together to create complex and unique tasting experiences.
Taste and technique only tell part of Michael’s story. A life filled with art, music, and lots of friends has influenced the look of his chocolates, which act as a show-and-tell of his favorite things. Over the years collections have showcased artwork from Creativity Explored, a San Francisco non-profit close to the Recchiuti’s heart, while others have been adorned with Japanese block prints, tiny love letters to his Hawaiian wife, Jacky.

In 2005 Michael’s book Chocolate Obsession (Stewart, Tabori & Chang), co-authored with renowned pastry expert Fran Gage, was released to wide acclaim. The book was a finalist at the 2006 James Beard Awards and won high honors for photography and design at the 2006 International Association of Culinary Professionals annual conference.

Currently, Michael keeps busy with Recchiuti’s two locations, the Ferry Building Marketplace and Recchiuti at theLab, always finding new ways to make the chocolate consuming public happy, and obsessed