Barry Callebaut, a manufacturer of high-quality cocoa and chocolate, can add one more distinction to its impressive portfolio: official chocolate partner with Kendall College’s School of Culinary Arts.

“We are thrilled to be a partner with Kendall College,” says Vinod George, trade marketing manager for Barry Callebaut USA, LLC. “We saw an opportunity to collaborate with Kendall’s culinary arts program by helping to educate its students with our chocolate expertise. We look forward to seeing this relationship grow stronger, and are excited about the realm of possibilities.”

One mouth-watering way in which this “alliance in chocolate” will manifest itself on campus is on the desserts menu. All chocolate desserts served in the college’s Zagat-rated white-tablecloth restaurant, The Dining Room, will be made with Barry Callebaut product.

According to Dean Christopher Koetke, CEC, CCE, Kendall College will also capitalize on the company’s cadre of artisans and specialists as guest lecturers and trainers in chocolate work.

“It’s important to expose students to the high level of expertise that only companies such as Barry Callebaut can offer,” he says.

Kendall faculty and alumni will further benefit by the nearby Barry Callebaut Chocolate Academy, a state-of-the-art, 8,500-square-foot training center offering a diverse range of seminars, demonstrations, theoretical courses and practical workshops. Around the globe, Barry Callebaut Chocolate Academies serve as teaching and training centers for artisans and professionals who want to improve their working skills in chocolate and learn about new trends, techniques and recipes.

Besides the U.S. facility based in Chicago, Chocolate Academies operate in Belgium, China, France, India, Poland, Russia, Singapore, Switzerland, and The Netherlands.

Courses at Barry Callebaut’s Chicago Chocolate Academy are eligible for continuing-education credit through the American Culinary Federation and the Research Chefs Association.