Born and raised in Huntsville, Alabama educated at the Culinary Institute of America, and dedicated to using only high-quality American-produced chocolate, Shotts redefines the field of artisanal chocolate and raises the bar for confection making in the United States.
Shotts 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, he 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, he returned to Europe to work alongside two prestigious world pastry champions.
Shotts began dreaming of making his own line of gourmet chocolate bonbons while working as the pastry chef at La Cote Basque in New York City, where he began experimenting with chocolate, flavor, and texture combinations. His colorful, multi-faceted, and intensely flavored gourmet chocolate candies were offered to the restaurant's patrons as a delightful treat at the end of their meal.
Shotts continued to create and perfect these luxury chocolate candies and truffles, while adding more unusual flavors to his chocolate repertoire, when he moved on to re-open the legendary Russian Tea Room as the Executive Pastry Chef. Shortly thereafter, Shotts joined the Guittard Chocolate Company as their Corporate Pastry Chef. Working with their technical experts, he helped formulate and create the E. Guittard brand of couverture chocolates. In the fall of 2001, Shotts decided the time was right to launch his own line of artisanal chocolate bonbons, and Garrison Confections, Inc., was born (Garrison is his middle name).
In the fall of 2001, Shotts and his wife, Tina Wright, opened Garrison Confections. Grounded in his American roots, and informed by his classical European training, Shotts 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, he also created the Chocolate Loft, a pastry school for industry professionals that offers intensive training through exclusive workshops with internationally acclaimed masters.
Achievements
| • | Named one of Pastry Art & Design’s Ten Best Pastry Chefs in America in 2000 and 2002 |
| • | Recognized as a Top Ten Artisanal Chocolatier by USA Today |
| • | Captured the silver medal at the 2000 and 2001 National Pastry Team Championships at Beaver Creek. |
