The advisory board

Andrew Shotts breaks new ground as an all-American chocolatier. Born and raised in Huntsville, Alabama educated at the Culinary Institute of America, and dedicated to using only high-quality American-produced chocolate, Andrew redefines the field of artisanal chocolate and raises the bar for confection making in the United States.

With the encouragement of his family, Andrew earned a coveted spot at the Culinary Institute of America, and graduated at the top of his class in 1990. He then pursued his practical training in Italy, where he worked as the pastry chef at Tuscany’s Michelin-starred hotel, Locanda Dell’Amorosa. Taking advantage of the seasonal produce from the estate’s orchards, Andrew began experimenting with desserts and chocolates that incorporated the freshest handpicked ingredients.

In 1992, Andrew returned to the United States and honed his skills at renowned Manhattan restaurants C.T., Lutece, and Bouterin. Eager to deepen his understanding of Old World technique, Andrew returned to Europe to work alongside two prestigious world pastry champions. Fortified by this experience, Andrew returned to New York to showcase his talent as executive pastry chef at La Côte Basque and the Russian Tea Room, where he developed an ever-changing selection of seasonal chocolates that he served as petit fours.

Guided by his passion for chocolate and the desire to learn the inner-workings of its production, Andrew then became the corporate pastry chef for the San Francisco-based Guittard Chocolate Company, where he helped formulate the E.Guittard line of high-end couverture chocolate.

In the fall of 2001, Andrew and his wife Tina Wright opened Garrison Confections. Grounded in his American roots, and informed by his classical European training, Andrew forges a new path in chocolate making that respects time-tested tradition while recognizing the virtues of America’s seasonal flavors and creative innovation. In conjunction with Guittard, Andrew also created the Chocolate Loft—a pastry school for industry professional that offers intensive training through exclusive workshops with internationally acclaimed masters.

Andrew has accumulated a wealth of prestigious honors for his pastry expertise. He was named one of Pastry Art & Design’s “Ten Best Pastry Chefs in America” in both 2000 and 2002, and was most recently recognized as a “Top Ten Artisanal Chocolatier” by USA Today. Andrew has also demonstrated his pastry skill in professional competition, winning the silver medal at both the 2000 and 2001 National Pastry Team Championships at Beaver Creek.