Pursuit of perfection drives star pastry chef

Norman Love has long had an affection for the food business, going back to his first teenage job: selling soft pretzels out of a stand in suburban Philadelphia.

His family moved to South Florida when he was a teenager. Love worked for a bakery and an old-time ice cream shop/diner, Swensen’s, among other places. At one bakery in Miami, he worked for free in the mornings, just to learn from the pastry chef. Then he went to his paid gig at the place later in the day. “I always loved to work,” says Love. “I’ve always been self-motivated and been willing to sacrifice to get better.”

That mantra lives on at Norman Love Confections. The business started out as a small shop in Fort Myers, where Love made ultra-premium artisan chocolates by hand, selling them wholesale. He launched the business as a way to spend more time with family, giving up a position with the Ritz-Carlton, where, as a corporate pastry chef, he helped open hotels worldwide.