Nationally known chef joins area company

FORT MYERS — Norman Love Confections named Chef Frederic Monti chief operating officer.

Monti, who has worked as a pastry chef for three decades, is known for product innovation, systems design and implementation, education and training, according to a release. At Norman Love, Monti will focus on quality, innovation and growth in culinary operations, hiring, training and staff education.

“Chef Monti is one of the world's most accomplished and respected chefs, bringing extraordinary skill and knowledge to our company,” says Norman Love, who co-founded the company that bears his name with his wife, Mary, in 2001. Love adds that Monti's presence will allow him to focus on brand growth and accelerating production.

A native of France, Monti comes to Norman Love from PreGel America, where he developed the company's Five-Star Chef Pastry Select line of products. Monti has also worked as executive pastry chef at the Greenbrier resort, the Ritz-Carlton Buckhead, in Atlanta, and the Ritz-Carlton Naples, and was pastry chef at the Le Clos de la Violet, a starred Michelin restaurant, in France.

In 2007, as a member of Team Branlard, Monti scored a gold medal at the National Pastry Team Championship, and a year later coached a team to first place at the National Bread and Pastry Team Championship.

He was named one of the Top 10 “Pastry Chefs in America” by Pastry Art & Design magazine in 2003 and 2004, and has been featured on the Food Network.

Fort Myers-based Norman Love is ranked among the top chocolatiers in the U.S., and has won accolades from Forbes.com, The Huffington Post and USA Today, among others.

The company operates chocolate salons in Fort Myers, Estero and Naples, and a gelato salon in Fort Myers.