Chocolate chef Natascha Schwarzer lives the cocoa dream

As a manager of Zurich's Chocolate Academy, Swiss-Canadian chocolate chef Natascha Schwarzer is living her dream of teaching and working with chocolate.

The bubbly 32-year-old pastry chef says: "As a child, I always wanted to be a primary school teacher. But I fell in love with the beauty and creativity of working with chocolate and decided to pursue it as a career."

She is in Singapore for the annual Chefs With Altitude dining event at Swissotel The Stamford, where she whipped up her dainty creations for a chocolate high tea and Sunday brunch at Equinox Restaurant.

Ms Schwarzer, who is single, has also worked in Australia, under the Swiss chocolate brand Lindt & Sprungli. She was also head pastry chef at Balzac, one of Australia's leading restaurants, before returning to Switzerland and joining confectionary giant Carma as technical advisor.