The School Of Chocolate Pastry That Surprised Amaury Guichon - Exclusive

"School of Chocolate" star Amaury Guichon genuinely likes all of his students. "Off-camera, they did exchange recipes and help each other out based on what they knew, which made me so happy," he revealed to Mashed in an exclusive interview. The world-famous pastry chef and chocolatier does not doubt that all of his eight contestants had the talent necessary to triumph, even when they failed. "I think they all had great ideas," he reflected. "When you see them not succeed, I think it's because of the time constraints, and not for a lack of ... skills."

Behind the scenes, Guichon worked to make sure his students had all the equipment they could possibly need. "I made the sets with all necessary equipment for them to succeed," he told Mashed. But cameras and time constraints added a level of difficulty that often led to disappointment. Take, for example, Tyricia's failed attempt at a rolling pin pastry and Amanda's less-than-perfect chocolate pot pastry on Episode 1. Both women, Guichon revealed, redid their original creations off-camera, and succeeded with flying colors.

Given the extreme pressure that comes with any kind of baking competition, it is perhaps a surprise that we saw so many knockouts on "School of Chocolate." You may have been blown away by Juan's meticulously perfect pastries, or Daniel's chocolate showpiece stunners. Guichon, however, was stunned by another student's mastery of flavor profiles. 

Amaury Guichon still remembers a certain fruit-based pastry that Cedrick presented to him. Fast forward to "School of Chocolate" Episode 7, "Give Me Some Sugar," otherwise known as the last pastry challenge of the competition. "I can recall Cedrick's inflated pear, with the wine and pear," Guichon recalled to Mashed. "This was surprising and extremely good. I did not expect that because I know how tricky it is to balance wine into desserts, even more so when it's red wine." 

Cedrick may not have won "School of Chocolate," but he's certainly putting his newly sharpened skills to good use. Browse through his Instagram and you'll find beautifully boxed pastry cherries, along with one rather startling admission. The pupil — who struggled with the chocolate showpiece challenges in the beginning — confessed via a photo of an abstract chocolate, hazelnut, and honey creation via The Gram that "maybe I do like chocolate." Guichon, it seems, won a convert.   

You can watch more of Cedrick's journey by tuning into Netflix's "School of Chocolate." Follow Amaury Guichon on Instagram for the latest updates on his pastry and chocolate masterpieces.