Chocolate Fleury likeness weighs 120 pounds, on display at Vegas hotel

Now entering the Stanley Cup Playoffs, at 120-pounds of sweet deliciousness, is Vegas Golden Knights goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury.

The Bellagio Hotel in Las Vegas got into the postseason spirit with a giant sculpture of Fleury's likeness made of 90 pounds of milk, dark and white chocolate, 20 pounds of rice cereal treats, 10 pounds of fondant, a few pounds of sugar dough and some Styrofoam for support.
Assistant executive pastry chef Yamilet Hillers and chocolatier Jerome Jacob collaborated on the project. It took them more than a week of planning before they could start construction on a the 5-foot tall structure that's on an 8-foot tall platform in the Bellagio's recently opened patisserie. The whole process took about five weeks.

"There were a few challenges as far as the height, where the piece is displayed and how to get it up there," Hillers told NHL.com. "Then the other challenge was the stance of the goalie with his legs bent because we didn't want him to be just standing there. We wanted him to look how Fleury would look."

The Styrofoam support helped stabilize the structure and make it a little lighter than if the whole thing had been made out of chocolate. The sugar dough was used to create the stitching and logo details. The chocolate mask, a replica of Fleury's helmet, took Hillers 12 hours to make, and was hand painted with edible colors.

Once the piece was completed, it took three people to hoist it onto the platform. Though they've made other ambitious sculptures, like a polar bear and a fully edible oiler truck, Fleury is getting more attention than they anticipated.
"It's been great," Hiller said. "We thought we were just building a piece for the patisserie. It's a bit overwhelming, the response we've gotten. We had no idea. We do different things all the time. It's flattering and cool for Jerome and I and the rest of our team. It's been neat."
There's no word on whether anyone will actually get to eat the towering confection, but it'll stay up for a while.
Said Hillers: "Hopefully until we win the Cup."