January 8, 2006

  • speaking of yum...

    DISCOVER A FOUNTAIN OF YOUTHFUL DELIGHTS

    WITH A CHOCOLATE CASCADE AT BELLAGIO

    Jean-Philippe Pâtisserie introduces a first-of-its-kind free-standing fountain of melted chocolate

    LAS
    VEGAS – From far down Bellagio’s promenade in the luxurious new Spa
    Tower, a mesmerizing figure entices curious guests with visual splendor
    and aromatic wafts: jutting out into the main corridor like the prow of
    a ship is a glass-enclosed, floor-to-ceiling chocolate fountain
    emerging from Jean-Philippe Pâtisserie. Displaying a spectacular series
    of melted chocolate cascades, this first-of-its-kind spectacle is the
    tallest chocolate fountain in the world.

    Designed by
    award-winning Executive Pastry Chef Jean-Philippe Maury and Norwood and
    Antonia Oliver Design Associates, Inc., the fountain took a year and a
    half in planning and design. The result is a genius work of kinetic
    sculpture and a daring feat of engineering. Standing 27-feet tall, the
    masterpiece circulates nearly two tons of melted dark, milk and white
    chocolate at a rate of 120 quarts per minute.

    “I’ve been
    creating sculptures out of chocolate for years, but exploring the
    particular properties of melted chocolate has been fascinating,” said
    Executive Pastry Chef Jean-Philippe Maury. “Each of the three types of
    chocolate behave very differently, and we had to be aware of this in
    the design. It’s been a wonderful challenge!”

    The visual impact
    of the fountain is as compelling as its chocolate is appetizing: six
    spouts in the ceiling initiate the lyrical descent of rich dark,
    velvety milk and glistening white chocolate streams through a maze of
    25 suspended glass vessels. Cast in ½-inch thick, rough-hewn aqua glass
    and held in position by anchoring cables, each vessel was built to
    precise size, shape and design by Montreal artist Michel Mailhot. Some
    oblong, some rounded, each irregular, the vessels hover mobile-like to
    capture and coax the paths of free-falling liquid chocolate.

    Three
    rivers of dark, two of milk and one of white twist and swirl from
    vessel to vessel, flood across then spill down to the next carefully
    positioned receptacle. The colored streams and vessels are staggered,
    creating a mosaic effect in earthy shades of cocoa, gleaming viscous
    surfaces and refracted light. Having finished their acrobatic tumble
    down the tiers of this colossal chandelier, each rivulet funnels into
    hidden melting tanks, recollects and begins the journey once more.

    Surrounding
    all this glory is a protective, multi-faceted cloak of 300-pound glass
    panels that rise in a funnel shape as the fountain expands toward the
    ceiling.

    “We’ve made glass a central design component of both
    the fountain and the Pâtisserie,” said Designer Norwood Oliver. “Glass
    maximizes the visibility of chocolate’s color and the multiple cascades
    as they flow from vessel to vessel. Glass also was an ideal medium to
    take the fountain’s physical presentation to another level -
    sculpture.”

    Built under Oliver and Chef Maury’s guidance by
    Perfect Équipements of Montreal, the fountain’s power plant is an
    elaborate system of pipes, pumps and valves located beneath the floor
    of the Pâtisserie. There, three tanks of chocolate – dark, milk and
    white – melts to 120 degrees Fahrenheit. Six pumps join forces to
    transport the molten delight to the top of the fountain through
    two-inch diameter, stainless-steel pipes hidden within the walls of the
    shop. Surrounding each pipe is an additional three-inch pipe through
    which flows hot oil to keep the chocolate thinned as it journeys up the
    wall to make its entrance. More than 500 feet of these double pipes
    circulate chocolate 24 hours a day. From the tank room below to the
    pipes above, the fountain’s full height is 27-feet, yet only 14-feet is
    visible within the shop.

    “The scope of this team’s vision and
    their expertise are nothing short of genius,” said Randy Morton, vice
    president of hotel operations at Bellagio. “Jean-Philippe Pâtisserie
    will become a sightseeing destination in itself and is a stellar
    addition to Bellagio’s collection of elegant amenities. This
    one-of-a-kind fountain, Chef Maury’s exquisite confections and the
    refined elegance of the décor and packaging all combine to make an
    experience our guests will never forget.”

    the world's TALLEST chocolate fountain!!!!! 
    MMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMM.