Save Room For Dessert With Jansen Chan Of ICC

While it may seem surprising that chef Jansen Chan is a trained architect, when you see the precision put into his pastries, it seems like a natural fit. Not long after chef Chan switched from designing buildings to designing desserts, he was working for Alain Ducasse in Las Vegas, then New York. His first position as executive pastry chef was at the Michelin-starred Oceana. After six years there, he was approached by the International Culinary Center to run their pastry, cake, and bread programs, where he has been ever since.

There's a scientific aspect to the way he approaches his craft, which comes from his history as an architect. The order and structure of pastry made it a natural transition for chef Chan. 

Chef Chan finds inspiration for his desserts in "the natural flavors of seasonal ingredients, especially when they are paired together," and then by "looking at traditional compositions to see why they succeed and then altering them in an interesting, fresh way."

Click through our slideshow to see chef Chan working on his creations in an ICC classroom.

Jane Bruce is the Photo Editor at The Daily Meal. Follow her on Twitter @janeebruce.