Chef
Jacque Torres
- Discipline
- Chef
- Based in
- New York City, New York, United States
i. Biography
Coming Up
Pastry discipline at Le Cirque gave Jacque Torres an early platform in the trade: as executive pastry chef there, the work sat inside a house known for exacting standards, where technique and presentation had to hold together under pressure. That experience helped set the terms for a career that would come to center on chocolate, and in 2000 Torres became chef of Jacques Torres Chocolate Haven in New York City.
Where They Are Now
Chocolate remains the working language at Jacques Torres Chocolate Haven, where Jacque Torres has served as chef since 2000. The range here runs from familiar forms to more playful ones, with chocolate chip cookies listed among the specialties and the broader menu built around the control of sheen, snap, sweetness, and texture. It is a practice rooted in repetition and precision, with chocolate treated as a material to be shaped rather than merely presented.
Signature
Jacque's signature dishes include frozen hot chocolate, chocolate chip cookie, and hot chocolate. Together, they show a chocolate program that moves across temperature and format without leaving the category’s core demands behind. Frozen hot chocolate leans into chill and density; hot chocolate stays with warmth and depth; the chocolate chip cookie brings the work back to a standard form that still depends on execution. In Torres’s case, the signature is less about novelty than about range within a single ingredient.
Profile updated July 2026
FAQ
Asked of Jacque
Where did Jacque Torres work before?
Jacque Torres's earlier career included Le Cirque.
What recognition has Jacque Torres received?
James Beard Award.
