Food
Holy Cacao: The Best Artisanal Chocolate Around The World
Chocolate IntroThere’s chocolate, and then there’s chocolate: One is a quick, sweet fix, the other a sensory experience that picks you up, and, every now and then, leaves you speechless. We travelled the world to find craft chocolatiers who are passionate about giving you that perfect chocolate moment. From their use of the finest cacao to their playful experimentations creating intricate flavour combinations, these bars, bonbons, truffles, pralines and more are a feast for the senses.
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Food
Holy Cacao: The Best Artisanal Chocolate Around The World.
Que Bo!Que Bo!, Mexico City – Chocolatier and TV-personality José Ramón Castillo gets his inspiration for his ‘evolutionary Mexican chocolate’ from everyday life, and so it happens that you can sample ‘al pastor’ bonbons (yes, from tacos al pastor) in one of his 4 modern boutiques in Mexico City. Or how about mescal, plantains, tamarind, mango with chili or even grasshopper bonbons? Following his Mayan and Aztec ancestors, Castillo uses a single 100% Mexican source of cacao, combining this artfully with other native ingredients. Colours are bright and shapes are whimsical, from lipstick-shaped bonbons to piñata chocolates. quebo.com.mx [IdV]
1/19
Food
Holy Cacao: The Best Artisanal Chocolate Around The World.
VosgesVosges Haut-Chocolat, Chicago and New York City – The chocolate bars and truffles at Vosges Haut-Chocolat carry the tagline “Travel the World through Chocolate”, and they do indeed offer a sensory world trip through ingredients like curry and coconut, wasabi and ginger, or guajillo and chipotle chili. They’re the brainchild of Katrina Markoff, who uses her global journeys as inspiration. The exotic flavour combinations, carefully sourced ingredients and lush packaging have made Vosges wildly popular: The chocolates sell like hotcakes in their boutiques and other points of sale across the US. vosgeschocolate.com [IdV]
2/19
Food
Holy Cacao: The Best Artisanal Chocolate Around The World.
GerbaudChocolats Gerbaud, Brussels – Lauren Gerbaud is a purist. He uses excellent single origin chocolate to create his own signature blend, and not only do his creations lack additives, but you also won’t find added sugar, butter or alcohol. What, you say, a sugarless chocolate shop? Yes, because according to the chocolatier, sugar is too addictive. He would rather play with tart, peppery or salty flavours, and let you savour the true taste of chocolate. Asian influences are noticeable in a lot of his creations, with the use of yuzu, ginger or kumquat – unsurprisingly, as Gerbaud used to live in China. Even the logo is Chinese-inspired. chocolatsgerbaud.be [IdV]
3/19
Food
Holy Cacao: The Best Artisanal Chocolate Around The World.
MeltMelt, London – Both of Melt’s Notting Hill boutiques have an open plan kitchen where chocolatiers make bars and bonbons right in front of you. Enjoy the spectacle with a cup of rich hot chocolate or a few bonbons, and your sensory feast is complete. Melt is named after a unique quality of chocolate: It’s the only food that melts at body temperature, and you should indeed let these chocolates melt in your mouth slowly to get the full experience. Customer favourites include the Salted Feuillantine (milk chocolate with flakes of Maldon Sea Salt), the Coconut Dark Square, and the White Chocolate Raspberry and Mint Bonbon. Melt sources its chocolate from sustainable, fair trade producers. If you’re curious to learn more, you can ask the staff about all things chocolate, or take part in one of their chocolate courses. meltchocolates.com [IdV]
4/19
Food
Holy Cacao: The Best Artisanal Chocolate Around The World.
CompartésCompartés, Los Angeles – Compartés has been around since 1950, but young chocolate genie Jonathan Grahm recently revived it into one of the hottest LA brands. Grahm takes the city and its surroundings as his inspiration: art, surfing, sunshine, fashion and glamour all fused into visually stunning edible delights. There are handcrafted bars, such as the California Dreaming Dark Chocolate Brownie Bar, as well as tequila and lime or kona coffee-flavoured truffles – all with that same iconic bright design. When you visit the Brentwood or Melrose Place boutiques, it’s not unlikely to run into a few celebrities who are dropping by for their sweet fix. compartes.com [IdV]
5/19
Food
Holy Cacao: The Best Artisanal Chocolate Around The World.
Sweet LollapaloozaSweet Lollapalooza, Edmonton (Canada) – Sure, you could give up chocolate, but you’re not a quitter. And why would you want to when there are chocolatiers like Sweet Lollapalooza in Edmonton, Alberta creating exquisite confections that simply demand to be celebrated? Noted for their commitment to handcrafted bonbons, some taking as long as three days to create, Sweet Lollapalooza has a uniquely original approach to chocolate-making. The foundation of their chocolate is the Pure Nacional cacao bean from Peru. Many of these rare beans are white, instead of the more typical purple, and deliver a distinctly less acidic, milder and more mellow flavour. Multiple international awards testify to the quality of head chocolatier Brett Roy’s work, but why not judge for yourself if you’re ever in the neighbourhood?sweetlollapalooza.com [Photo: Jimmy Jeong] [JLT]
6/19
Food
Holy Cacao: The Best Artisanal Chocolate Around The World.
MarcoliniPierre Marcolini, Brussels – The Belgian capital is home to many of the world’s finest chocolatiers, proof positive that while money can’t buy love – not even in a city with all the romantic charm of Brussels – it can buy chocolate. The chocolate empire of haut chocolatier Pierre Marcolini was established here, and today he has 14 boutiques in Belgium together with many more sprinkled across the world, from Paris to London and farther afield. The secret of Marcolini’s success is an unstinting commitment to creativity, happily experimenting with unusual and even rare ingredients, and in doing so expanding the possibilities of what fine chocolate can be. eu.marcolini.com [JLT]
7/19
Food
Holy Cacao: The Best Artisanal Chocolate Around The World.
Paul A. YoungPaul A. Young, London – Self-styled flavour alchemist Paul A. Young first made his name as head pastry chef at Marco Pierre White’s landmark London restaurants Quo Vadis and Criterion. It was the call of chocolate, however, that inspired him to open his own shop a decade ago in the Islington area. The move was surely the right one for this visionary artisan chocolatier, who is today acclaimed not just at home, but around the world. Now with three shops in the British capital, it’s no wonder that locals and tourists alike seek out his creations to sample their groundbreaking flavour combinations. paulayoung.co.uk [JLT]
8/19
Food
Holy Cacao: The Best Artisanal Chocolate Around The World.
ChocolopolisChocolopolis, Seattle – Chocolopolis is a great starting point for anyone who wants to explore the world of chocolate – quite literally, because this Seattle store boasts a collection of craft chocolate from 23 countries of origin, made by producers from 30 different countries. Plus, you can ask owner and ‘chief chocophile’ Lauren Adler just about anything you ever wanted to know about chocolate. She and her team also offer chocolate tasting classes that are much like guided wine tastings, focusing on flavour profile and complexity, as well as quality of texture. And if all that isn’t enough, there’s an extensive menu of drinking chocolate, truffles and award-winning bonbons made in-house. If you’re in the area, drop by for one of the free chocolate happy hours where you can sample chocolate based on a weekly theme. chocolopolis.com [IdV]
9/19
Food
Holy Cacao: The Best Artisanal Chocolate Around The World.
Chocolat du JourChocolat Du Jour, São Paulo – In her native Brazil, Claudia Landmann couldn’t find the same quality chocolates she picked up in huge quantities during her European trips, a fact which motivated her to take a patisserie course in Belgium and start making her own. Initially, she made her truffles just for friends and family, but when requests started flooding in, she opened the first Chocolat Du Jour boutique in São Paulo in 1987. The pioneer brand has since expanded, today producing a whole range of chocolate products from cachaça-flavoured truffles to paçoca (a Brazilian candy) bonbons, thin chocolate slices, chocolate-covered dried fruits, drinking chocolate and chocolate fondue, all made from Cacau Pratigi, Brazilian Certified Cacao. chocolatdujour.com.br [IdV]
10/19
Food
Holy Cacao: The Best Artisanal Chocolate Around The World.
Es KoyamaEs Koyama, Sanda City (Japan) – When you hear of Susumu Koyama, similarities with Willy Wonka come to mind: The renowned pastry chef created a 5,000 sqm pastry paradise on a hill in Sanda City, which includes a pastry shop, bakery, chocolate shop called “Rozilla” and a “Future Factory” for kids, where a sign says, “No Trespassing For Adults.” But really, Koyama’s artful creations speak to the enthusiastic child in all of us. In his latest collection, ‘Chocology’, he plays with fermented and matured ingredients from Japan, creating bonbons such as Shoyu Soy Sauce Nouveau (cacao, nikiri soy sauce and Pedro Ximénez sherry), Japanese Pickled Radish and Phoenix Peach Blossom Oolong Tea and Mango. In the hands of award-winning chef Koyama, it works. es-koyama.com/global [IdV]
11/19
Food
Holy Cacao: The Best Artisanal Chocolate Around The World.
CacaoCacao, Melbourne – Award-winning pastry chefs Tim Clark and Laurent Meric have been teasing the taste buds of chocoholics and macaron maniacs for over 13 years, never stopping to rest on their laurels. A visit to their Highpoint boutique offers a tantalising taste of what they’re capable of: macarons as flavourful as they are vibrant, as well as complex chocolates like Miso Caramel (milk chocolate ganache with sweet maple and miso caramel) or Black Pearl (soft caramel with milk chocolate and Murray River salt), plus their sought-after signature hot chocolate. cacao.com.au [JK]
12/19
Food
Holy Cacao: The Best Artisanal Chocolate Around The World.
IkaIka Chocolate, Tel Aviv – How does a trained marine biologist and former broadcast media sound technician become a world-renowned chocolatier? For Ika Cohen, the path was forged through travel. Exploring the South Pacific, and then later Belgium and France, Cohen acquired a discerning taste for chocolate, as well as a knack for making it. She’s only been running her own gig for 5 years, but in that time she’s racked up an impressive array of international awards for creations like Earl Grey tea-infused chocolates, and Za’atar truffles featuring thyme, oregano, marjoram, sesame seeds and sumac. ikachocolate.com [Photo: Shiran Carmel] [JK]
13/19
Food
Holy Cacao: The Best Artisanal Chocolate Around The World.
L'Atelier Du ChocolatL’Atelier Du Chocolat, Bayonne (France) – The Basque port city of Bayonne is famous for its cured ham, but it has a sweet tooth, too. More than a half a century of chocolate-making expertise is housed in this chocoholic’s dream atelier and boutique, whose “parcours-découverte” tour promises visitors an exploration of the history and secrets of chocolate at an in-house museum, a walk through the factory to see chocolate in the making, and – best of all – a degustation of the atelier’s fine chocolates. atelierduchocolat.fr [JK]
14/19
Food
Holy Cacao: The Best Artisanal Chocolate Around The World.
Highland ChocolatierThe Highland Chocolatier Iain Burnett, Scotland – Iain Burnett, the “Highland Chocolatier”, uses single-origin cocoa from São Tomé in the South Atlantic. Matched with an unblended fresh Scottish cream, Burnett creates award-winning velvet truffles, such as the Velvet Truffle Dark São Tomé and the Velvet Truffle Caramel with a Hint of Liquorice, as well as other outstanding chocolate products. And of course, we’re in Scotland, so there are chocolate boxes specifically selected to have with popular malt whiskies such as Talisker, Glenfiddich or Lagavulin. On his website, Burnett gives some great tips and tasting notes for these pairings. Alternatively, opt for the chocolates filled with aged malt whiskies. Here’s tae ye! highlandchocolatier.com [IdV]
15/19
Food
Holy Cacao: The Best Artisanal Chocolate Around The World.
Christopher ElbowChristopher Elbow, Kansas City and San Francisco – Christopher Elbow trained as a chef with Emeril Lagasse and Jean Joho before returning to his native Kansas City. While working as a pastry chef in a restaurant there, he began experimenting with chocolate making – with success, because he opened his own company soon after. The handmade chocolates look almost too good to eat, and that’s Elbow’s point: He considers chocolate a medium almost like an artist would use paint. When he’s not making chocolate, the chocolatier can be found gazing at architecture, nature, art and sculpture in museums for inspiration. Flavours rotate twice a year, and can include Bananas Foster (bananas and brown sugar flambéed with rum), Butterscotch Bourbon (brown sugar caramel infused with Kentucky bourbon) or Pumpkin Spice Pecan Caramels. elbowchocolates.com [Photo: msiew/Flickr] [IdV]
16/19
Food
Holy Cacao: The Best Artisanal Chocolate Around The World.
CluizelManufacture Cluizel, France – Long before bean-to-bar became a buzzword, family-owned Manufacture Cluizel employed “cacaofèviers”, professionals who have mastered the art of processing carefully sourced cacao beans into paste, and then into dark, milk and white chocolate. The subsequent filling, shaping, coating and decorating happens by equally skilled chocolatiers, resulting in chocolates that are in high demand in their shops in Paris, New York and Bucharest. The manufacturing happens in Damville, Normandy, also home to the ‘Chocolatrium’, an interactive chocolate museum where you can do guided tastings as well. You won’t find any outrageous flavour combinations here, just chocolate in its most artisanal form possible. cluizel.us [Photo: A. Bujak] [IdV]
17/19
Food
Holy Cacao: The Best Artisanal Chocolate Around The World.
MetropolitanMetropolitan Deli, Amsterdam – The shop of craft chocolate pioneer Kees Raat is in the middle of the bustling centre of Amsterdam, and chocolate lovers from all over flock here for the pure bean-to-bar chocolate that goes into his pralines, gelato, candy bars, cacao beer and more. The bonbon flavours are inspired by big cities (hence the name ‘Metropolitan’) and filled with mango, tomato, coffee and more. Perfect when you’re in need of a quick and scrumptious chocolate pick-me-up. metropolitandeli.nl [IdV]
18/19
Food
Holy Cacao: The Best Artisanal Chocolate Around The World.
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