ALL-DAY DELICACIES

Patisserie Chef Dimitris Chronopoulos was back in Qatar to develop new sweet specialities for Novecento at InterContinental Doha Beach & Spa. FACT took the chance to find out more about the man behind these delicious delicacies.

Of all the areas in the kitchen, what made you choose patisserie as your speciality?
To be honest, my relationship with the art of pastry making was not a love at first sight, but love at first ‘bite’. What I mean is that, in the beginning I decided to get involved in it because it was an up-and-coming business field at that time. Yet, during my studies of it, there were some excellent professionals, some of my tutors, who revealed and unwrapped in front of my eyes the magic of this art. Since then, I have been in love with it and cannot imagine myself doing anything else for a living. Nothing can beat the beauty of this art.

From pie-crust to choux, what is your secret to getting perfect results every time?
Creating a prime and sophisticated piece of confectionary, either for a pastry shop or a high-end restaurant, is quite a complicated procedure. In other words, besides having the know-how, which comes through unending training, one should be patient and creative, work hard, stay stuck in the techniques and methodology, try to always stay updated with the new trends and practices, select the top-quality ingredients defying the cost, have aestheticism, be able to successfully combine different textures, colours and flavours, not be afraid to experiment with new things and ideas, have a good team, be adaptive and take initiatives et cetera.

What are the three most important items to have in your kitchen at all times?
It’s quite difficult to narrow them down to just three. However, I can tell you that a digital thermometer as well as a digital scale for high accuracy are considered to be extremely vital tools for pastry chefs. Also, of course, a mixer is always highly required.

If you had to choose one of your desserts to have as your last meal, what would it be?
As you can understand is quite difficult for a ‘father’ to choose one of his brainchildren. All of them have their own beautifully different uniqueness. Also, I am a little dreamer, that’s why I keep dreaming that I will make much more sophisticated and delicious creations in the future. Yet, what I can tell you for sure is that the dessert that I would have as my last meal would not be without chocolate. I love chocolate! So, my Crème Brule Chocolate would definitely be one of my choices, simple but divine at the same time.

Please tell us about the new menu items you have created for Novecento and how were they developed?
To begin with, my cooperation with Novecento and the InterContinental Doha Beach & Spa is a great pleasure and honour to me. It is an amazing meeting place which can live up to the expectations of even the most demanding customers. From the luxurious and elegant, yet friendly and intimate, environment by the sea and the helpful staff to the delicacies served at this all-day restaurant; all can offer a pleasant experience to the guests. That’s why, the creation of the menu was a very challenging procedure. I wanted it to reflect the whole philosophy and unique identity of Novecento, and I hope that we did it. Using top-quality ingredients, modern techniques, based mainly on the French pastry making, local, Greek and French influences and imaginative combinations of flavours and textures, we created a wide range of confectioneries you can enjoy all day long. ✤