Connie Yuen KitKat Chocolatory Interview

A Chocolatey Career

On Monday night, exquisite Ruby chocolate made its debut on MasterChef Australia during the 'Pressure Test', set by iconic British chef, Nigella Lawson.

Nigella challenged contestants to recreate her Ruby Chocolate Cheesecake against the clock – a dessert which truly showcased the world's only new chocolate variety to be revealed in 80 years.

Launched in Australia earlier this month, Ruby chocolate is now available exclusively at KitKat Chocolatory in two limited release creations – KitKat Chocolatory Sublime Ruby and handcrafted KitKat Chocolatory Black Label Ruby.

The fourth type of natural chocolate, after milk, dark and white, Ruby features a beautiful all-natural pink hue, unique berry flavour and luscious, smooth texture.

Revealed by Barry Callebaut, one of the world's largest cocoa producers, Ruby's stunning colour is a result of an innovative production process which unlocks the distinctive flavour and colour tone naturally present in the beans.

KitKat Chocolatory Head Chocolatier, Connie Yuen, said Ruby represents an exceptional discovery in the sweet world.

"Ruby has been an absolute hit here in Australia, with KitKat Chocolatory Black Label Ruby selling out in the first week. This success follows phenomenal responses from chocolate lovers in Japan, Korea and the UK.

"Since opening our doors, we've delighted thousands of guests with our unique creations and we continue to do so with our delectable Ruby offerings – perfect for even the greatest chocolate aficionados," she said.

KitKat Chocolatory Sublime Ruby offers a crisp batch baked wafer finger covered with premium Ruby chocolate, while KitKat Chocolatory Black Label Ruby is carefully crafted in store. The eight-finger bar is smothered in Ruby chocolate and topped with sweet dried strawberries, raspberries and caramelised meringue - perfect for sharing.

KitKat Chocolatory Sublime Ruby (RRP $5) and KitKat Chocolatory Black Label Ruby (RRP $20) are available exclusively at KitKat Chocolatory in Melbourne Central, and via Click & Collect at shop.kitkat.com.au

KitKat Chocolatory: is a Melbourne-based boutique which delivers a premium shopping experience for guests, allowing them to design their own customised KitKat bars and access an exclusive range of special edition creations and hand-crafted gifts.

Interview with Connie Yuen, Head Chocolatier at KitKat Chocolatory

Connie Yuen is the Head Chocolatier at Australia's first permanent KitKat Chocolatory, located in Melbourne. She studied Patisserie at the William Angliss Institute and worked as an Assistant Pastry Chef at the Grant Hyatt Melbourne and at the RACV Club's Le Petit Gateau prior to leading the KitKat Studio in 2015 – an eight-week pop-up, celebrating KitKat's 80th birthday. Connie now heads up a team of 12 chocolatiers at the premium KitKat Chocolatory boutique.


Question: What inspired your passion for chocolate?

Connie Yuen: Growing up my parents were both involved in the food industry – my father working as a confectioner, and her mother as a cook. It was natural for me to follow in my father's footsteps - I soon developed a real appetite for working with chocolate.


Question: What's a typical day like for you as Head Chocolatier at KitKat Chocolatory?

Connie Yuen: No two days are ever the same. Chocolate is not the easiest ingredient to work with, so patience is definitely a virtue in this line of work. You also need to be prepared to work hard for your dreams and to bring the passion every day in order to see those rewarding results. My journey to becoming the Head Chocolatier at KitKat Chocolatory has certainly proved this!


Question: What has been your career highlight, to date?

Connie Yuen: Playing with KitKat all day is definitely the best thing about the job! I get the opportunity to be creative with a range of interesting ingredients and flavour combinations. Most recently I was given the amazing opportunity to work with Ruby chocolate - the world's only new chocolate variety to be revealed in 80 years. Being one of the first chocolatiers in the globe to experiment with Ruby was definitely a career highlight!


Question: What steps did you take in your career to end up surrounded by chocolate, every day?

Connie Yuen: I'd been working in an office job for eight years and was ready for a career change, so I enrolled in a patisserie course at the William Angliss Institute. I was just finishing my course when I spotted the Nestlé role at KitKat Chocolatory, and the rest is history!


Question: What is ruby chocolate?

Connie Yuen: After milk, dark and white, Ruby is the fourth natural chocolate variety, which comes with its own unique taste and texture. We are extremely proud to have Ruby chocolate available exclusively at KitKat Chocolatory.
Our iconic batch baked KitKat wafers form the perfect base to complement Ruby's naturally occurring unique berry flavour and luscious, smooth texture. We crafted KitKat Chocolatory Black Label Ruby, featuring sweet dried strawberries, raspberries and caramelised meringue. Delicious!


Question: Where do you find inspiration when creating exciting new KitKat flavours?

Connie Yuen: Connecting with chocolate lovers to discover which ingredients they'd like to see in new creations is at the heart of innovation for KitKat Chocolatory. Being located in Melbourne, the food capital of Australia, myself and my team are also constantly inspired by the flavours and ingredients us.

We like to create a flavour of the week, which has been inspired by the most popular inclusion combinations that our guests have chosen. Our -Chocolatier's Choice' is pre-prepared and ready for those time-poor guests who want to pop in and collect within the hour, with personalised packaging for the ultimate gift.


Question: What are your personal favourite chocolate combinations?

Connie Yuen: Having tried lots of flavour combinations, it's too hard to pick just one. There are over 1,600 potential flavour variations but currently, the most popular flavours are definitely freeze-dried raspberries and strawberries, cookie and chocolate fudge.


Question: What's next for at the KitKat Chocolatory?

Connie Yuen: KitKat Chocolatory offers guests the unique opportunity to create their ultimate break as part of its premium -Create Your Break' shopping experience. Chocolate lovers can design their very own, customised eight finger KitKat, from a choice of 16 ingredients, which is presented in a personalised gift box with a choice of 45 designs. We are constantly mixing up our offering and introducing new ingredients – watch this space.


Interview by Brooke Hunter