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Dominique & Cindy Duby
Where Chocolate Meets Art and Science
For Dominique and Cindy Duby, chocolate has never been simply an ingredient. Throughout their careers, the British Columbia-based pastry chefs and chocolatiers have explored what happens when culinary craftsmanship, science and visual art come together.
The couple became internationally recognized through competitions, publishing and their innovative Wild Sweets chocolate atelier. Their work frequently challenged conventional ideas about flavour, texture and presentation, helping establish them as distinctive voices in Canada’s contemporary chocolate and pastry scene.
Pushing the Boundaries of Canadian Chocolate
The Dubys have represented Canada in prestigious international culinary competitions across Europe, Asia and North America. They represented and later led Pastry Team Canada at the World Pastry Cup in Lyon, France, where the team ranked among the world’s Top 10. Their careers have also brought multiple gold and silver medals at international culinary competitions.
Rather than separating creativity from technical research, the pair built a philosophy around using both. That approach would become particularly important in the development of Wild Sweets.
Exploring Chocolate Through Science
For more than 15 years, the Dubys collaborated with the University of British Columbia while investigating new approaches to sweet foods. Their work incorporated ideas from molecular gastronomy and food science to examine flavour, texture and the behaviour of ingredients.
Wild Sweets eventually expanded into cocoa bean-to-bar chocolate making, giving the couple greater control over how cacao could be transformed from raw material into a finished chocolate experience.
Their creations earned numerous honours. From 2013 to 2020, Wild Sweets received recognition among the Best Chocolatiers & Confectioners in America from the International Chocolate Salon.
Turning Chocolate into Culinary Art
The Dubys’ creativity has never been confined to the kitchen. Food styling, photography, sculpture and design became extensions of their culinary work.
Their exploration of food as an artistic medium eventually reached the gallery. In 2018, their work was featured in a food-art installation at the Richmond Art Gallery, combining photography, food science and sculptural techniques.
They have also translated their ideas to the printed page. Among their five cookbooks are Wild Sweets: Exotic Dessert and Wine Pairings and Wild Sweets Chocolate. Both received international recognition at the Gourmand World Cookbook Awards.
A New Chapter Beyond Wild Sweets
The Wild Sweets retail and production chapter came to an end in 2024, but the Dubys’ experimentation did not.
Today, Dominique and Cindy continue bringing together culinary technique and scientific research through their Nutritional Gastronomy Lab. Their current work explores ways to rethink pastries and desserts through food science while maintaining the flavour and craftsmanship expected of fine pastry.
It is a natural evolution for two chefs whose careers have consistently been built around experimentation. From international pastry competitions and innovative chocolates to food photography and scientific research, Dominique and Cindy Duby have helped expand the possibilities of Canadian chocolate and pastry.
Featured in the premiere Canada Edition of Chocolate Affairs Magazine.
