35 Quotes by Jacques Torres

You really have to be a good entertainer, or the show won't work. For me, it was all about having fun with the audience, which meant that I could usually forget that the camera was there. It was kind of like being in the classroom.

Chocolate cornflakes are a hit. Mixing chocolate with cornflakes to make dollops of candy with that crunch and saltiness just has a magic to it. People watch you do it and think, 'Oh it's so easy,' and then they taste it and say, 'I want to do this.' It's recipes like this that are very successful on TV, because they're so simple.

On TV, I really try to go back to the basics and break down a recipe until it's very easy.

I decided on a chocolate business. I love the history of chocolate and making it and the fact that people of any gender, age, and race enjoy it. I found a space in Brooklyn that had not been used in 30 years. Then I talked to an investor who wanted more than 50 percent of the business.

My chocolate is special because it's real. My pistachios are from Italy, and the almonds are from Spain. We make our own marzipan. If I sell a product that says 'raspberry,' it's real raspberry. My plan was to make the best product possible and be the least expensive of the best chocolate makers. That's still our position.

Christmas is the biggest holiday in numbers - in terms of gross amounts - because you have one and a half to two months.

I personally like different chocolates. I like milk chocolate during the day and, during the evening, I like something a little bit stronger with more personality, so maybe a 70-percent or 75-percent bar that's hopefully made with good beans so it's not acidic or bitter.

I'm blessed to do what I love to do every day.