The Truth About Thiago Silva From School Of Chocolate
Warning: If you have a sweet tooth, you should not watch Netflix's new series, "School of Chocolate," at least not when you're hungry. The confectionary show, which came out November 26, stars celebrity chocolatier Amaury Guichon as he mentors eight up-and-coming pastry chefs.
In every episode, the contestants compete in individual and team challenges to create tantalizing pastries and eye-popping sculptures made out of chocolate. While no one gets eliminated, they're still competing for the title of best pastry chef, along with a $50,000 prize and the opportunity to teach a class at Amaury's prestigious pastry school in Las Vegas (via Delish).
One of this season's contestants is Thiago Silva. The 36-year-old chef — who was named People Magazine's "14 Sexiest Chefs in America" in 2015 — is a father of two who was born in Brazil, raised in Queens, and now lives in Massachusetts (via Chef Thiago Silva). It isn't his first time appearing on television: He's previously won Food Network's "Chopped" and "Dessert Games" and has been a judge on Netflix's "Sugar Rush," among others (via Patch). Here's what else you didn't know about Thiago, and the surprising truth about his culinary background.
Thiago doesn't have any formal training or education
While the majority of the other chefs on "School of Chocolate" have attended culinary school, Thiago Silva has zero formal education or training in the culinary arts. According to the self-taught chef, it was his love of food and cooking as a child that inspired him to pursue his career.
"I had always had a passion for food, I knew at a very young age that I would end up in the food business," he explained in an interview with Formidable Men Magazine. "I fell in love with the infinite possibilities of what you can do with simple beautiful ingredients like eggs, chocolate, sugar, butter, flours, and how many applications they can be transformed into."
Instead of going to school, Thiago learned from experience, training under Chef Alfred Stephen at Olives in New York City and later stepping into the role of Executive Pastry Chef at Abe & Arthur (via Chef Thiago Silva). He has since become a highly renowned pastry chef, with a client list that includes the likes of Derek Jeter, Sofia Vergara, John Legend, and Brooke Shields, per Patch. Next up on his list? Opening his own dessert shop, Salt Patisserie, in Newton, Massachusetts sometime in early 2022.