Willam Curley. A journey through luxury chocolate and patisserie

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A Journey Through Luxury Chocolate and Patisserie

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From humble beginnings…
The opportunity to become a chef is not reserved only for those with industry
contact, money or a personal like. Anyone can become a great chef but it takes a
vast amount of commitment, dedication and motivation to do so.
My journey began in my hometown in the east cost of Scotland, the Kingdom of Fife. I
am the son of a docker and my career was already set to follow in my fathers footsteps.
Though the fates did not intend this to be my future. My granny was a great source of
inspiration and still is to this day. As a child I spend weekends with her baking tradition
cakes and confections.
When I left school at 15, I did not direction or a career plan. I was sent to Glenrothes
technical college to chose between woodwork or cooking. I chose the unlikely option of
cooking and from there, with the guidance and support of mentors and teachers I
began my career as a pâtissier.

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After discovering a passion for gastronomy, I began my career with an apprenticeship at Gleneagles
Hotel.
I then went on to spend many years at numerous Michelin-starred establishments with the most
respected chefs and pâtissiers in the business including Pierre Koffmann at La Tante Claire, Raymond
Blanc at Le Manoir aux Quat' Saisons, Marco Pierre White at The Oak Room and Marc Meneau at
L'Esperance in France.
Subsequently I became the youngest ever Chef Pâtissier at The Savoy working under Anton Edelman and
leading a team of 21 pastry chefs.

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The career success led to the opening of the first ‘William Curley’ shop in Richmond in 2004. In November 2009, we
launched the UK’s first dessert bar in central London.
During 2013, I achieved the MCA (Master of Culinary Arts). It is the highest accolade awarded to chefs in the UK. Making
him one of only seven masters in patisserie in Britain.
William Curley is a member of Relais Desserts International, the most prestigious association for patissiers. Pierre
Herme and Alain Roux were his sponsors upon entering into the association.
I was also invited to become a ‘Disciple Of Escoffier’, in recognition of achievements.
We have been awarded ‘The Next Generation Award’, which recognises companies which put something back into the
industry. Training the next generation of chefs has always been an integral part of the business.
William Curley is four times winner of ‘Best British Chocolatier’ by the Academy of Chocolate. We are renowned for
producing the most delicious and inspiring range of handmade chocolates, patisserie and desserts.
I have represented Scotland at international culinary events, winning Gold medals in Chicago and Basle, and at the
Culinary Olympics in Germany in 2004. Other awards include ‘The Craft Guild Pastry Chef of the Year’, ‘The Caterer’s
Acorn Award’, ‘The Academy of Culinary Arts Award of Excellence’ and ‘British Dessert of the Year’. In 2012. We also
created the world’s most expensive chocolate Easter egg for charity and received recognition by the ‘Guinness Book Of
Records’.

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The Business today
The most highly acclaimed
Chocolate and Patisserie Brand in the UK.
Mission Statement:
To continue as one of the most esteemed chocolatier-patissiers in the world. To ensure all customers experience
William’s own passion for patisserie and chocolate. To remain a leading light in the evolving chocolate market
while maintaining the highest quality at all times.
Brand Values:
Quality – Always an uncompromising standard of product and service.
Innovation – At the forefront of British and International trends.
Experience – A journey of the senses for every customer.
Education – Be an ambassador for our industry and educate each
customer in the depth of what we do.
Creativity – Continue to explore new concepts and push the
boundaries of our craft.

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William Curley’s chocolates and patisserie can be found in the food hall of London’s most prestigious
department store, Harrods.
We retail chocolates on our online boutique.
We supply some of the best hotels and restaurants in London.
Including The Corinthia Hotel, Claridges, The Ritz, The Mandarin Oriental, The Intercontinental Park Lane, Le Gavroche

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2019 – The Launch of our new boutique
After much searching and consideration, we finally found a location for the William Curley Flagship boutique.
The new shop is located in Soho, Central London.
To help make this boutique a reality, we launched a crowdfunding campaign to raise the funds.
In total, we raised £85,000.
This allowed the business to remain completely independent, while creating the ultimate chocolate boutique in the heart
of London.

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Creating A Successful Brand
The reputation of William Curley is based upon being the best!
We do not compromise on the quality of ingredients or the skills required to create perfection.
Everything is handmade, and contains no additives, preservatives, artificial flavours or colours.
There are of course pros and cons to producing in this way.
- The lack of preservatives decreases the shelf life of our chocolates, which means we need to create recognition of chocolates as a fresh product.
- Not using additives is much better for our health and therefore is in line with the current market trend for healthier product.
- All flavours are created by using natural infusions and ingredients in their pure form.
- Ultimately, the flavour of what we do is superior when not using additives due to the impact these ingredients have on flavour and texture.
We are very proud of this as so few chocolatiers make this commitment to their products.

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Brand Partnerships
Brand partnerships are important to nurture in a competitive luxury market. Together
with other brands, we share not only a quality product but also customers, clientele,
marketing and events.
William Curley has a long standing relationship with Amedei. Since 2007, William has been the main ambassador for
their chocolate in the United Kingdom.
They are a small Tuscan producer and are regarded as the best in the world. All the cacao used by Amedei is ethically
sourced Criollo and Trinitario beans from Venezuela, Ecuador, Peru, Columbia, the Caribbean and Madagascar. All beans
are fairly traded. They work closely with the cacao farmers and grow the beans using only natural pesticides and
fertilizers.

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Books
I have been lucky enough to work with one of the best publishers in the UK
I have produced three books to date with Jacqui Small Publishing.
The books are now available internationally and have been launched in many different languages and countries
including: France, Germany, Spain, USA, Australia, Russia, Brazil and Estonia.
Couture Chocolate
Our first books was released in 2012. It won ‘Cookery Book Of The Year’ and also ‘The Gourmand World Cookbook’.
‘Couture Chocolate’ is now available in
Patisserie
In 2014, Patisserie was released and immediately published in France by Larousse and in Germany by Dorling
Nostalgic Delights
In 2016, Nostalgic delights was launched. It showcases recipes from throughout history and throughout my career.

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Patisserie
My style of patisserie always maintains a classic foundation.
Ultimately the flavour and texture are the most important elements, then we make it
beautiful in appearance.
Seasonality of ingredients is also a crucial aspect to creating great patisserie.

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Baked Cakes, Biscuits and Macarons
We always try to maintain diversity within the business and offering a range of baked
products enriches our range. Macarons, financiers, loaf cakes, biscuits are all sold within
our flagship boutique.

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All things chocolate!
Chocolate runs through the heart of our business.
Bonbons, truffles, bouchees, nostalgia, bars, slabs, nuts, fruits

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The Future
For the business to achieve continue success, we need to maintain innovation and remain
at the forefront of creativity in the industry.
New ideas and concepts can often come from unexpected places.
Art, natural spaces, sculpture, fashion, travel, restaurants and the people around you
can all be great sources of inspiration.
My favourite aspect of running a business is harnessing inspiration and using to create
new desserts and chocolates.

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Thank you for attending the Masterclass
I hope that each of you has enjoyed the time spent creating patisserie and learning new
techniques.
The new skills and ideas will hopefully inspire your own creativity and encourage you to
take this forward in your own journeys of patisserie and chocolate.