STEVEN HODGE

Judge, “Great Chocolate Showdown”

Steven Hodge is a judge on The CW’s new baking competition series “Great Chocolate Showdown.” Hodge is the owner of Temper Chocolate & Pastry in Vancouver. Although his mother instilled in him a love of freshly baked pies and cookies from a young age through her bakery, his love for pastry and chocolate came later in life.

Hodge had his start in the kitchen at 21 when he attended the California School of Culinary Arts, where a chef warned him about how difficult pastry is to master, so Hodge challenged himself to learn. From there, his love affair with pastry began.

After culinary school, Hodge stayed in California and apprenticed at Wolfgang Puck Catering and Porto’s Bakery. From there he moved to Vancouver and worked as the executive pastry chef for the Glowbal Group. He then trained with Dominic Jerry at Sugar Art in Stevenston, BC where he received an education on how to create with sugar and chocolate. Hodge also worked in London, England, where he spent three years as a pastry chef at Le Caprice, followed by The Wolseley and, finally, the three Michelin Star Restaurant, Royal Hospital Road with Gordon Ramsay.

After working overseas, he returned home to Vancouver where he worked alongside renowned pastry chef Thomas Haas before opening his own shop, Temper Chocolate & Pastry in 2013, achieving a career goal of owning his own business and utilizing his classic French training to make his own creations. The challenge of finding new flavors and creating new confections remains one of Hodge’s favorite parts about being a pastry chef. That said, his favorite item to make is still a classic croissant!

Temper Chocolate & Pastry has been recognized by Food Network, Vancouver Magazine, and Chatelaine for excellence in pastry and chocolate making.

June 2023