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Last spring, with the historic Pike Place Market all but silent, this relatively recent arrival was still humming, producing some of the city's best chocolate, something you don't say lightly in a town like Seattle. Erin Andrews started out just over a decade ago, moving into the market's long-awaited extension in 2017; Indi's direct trade, single-origin bars ought to have your attention. Damaris Ronkanen sources sustainably harvested white cacao from Tabasco state — at the heart of a region with roughly 4,000 uninterrupted years of growing experience — for her intriguing 70% Mexico bars. Ronkanen's Mexican drinking chocolate and cacao-infused Cafe de Olla blend were inspired by childhood visits with family in Puebla. The berry-farming Straub family stumbled into chocolate roughly a decade ago, and never found their way out.
John Kelly Chocolates
From mostly-shuttered market halls to back street workshops, more than a few of America's chocolatiers found themselves busier than ever. Should we be surprised to learn that so many of us found chocolate a comfort, during such a challenging time? Then again, history does repeat itself — after all, it was the Great Depression that gave us so much of the candy we grew up with. An astonishing number of the names we know best today, from Snickers to Three Musketeers to Sugar Babies, came on the market during that time and stayed put. Valerie Confections is not only Los Angeles's premier chocolatier and dessert-maker, it's also recognized as one of the nation's top confectioners. Since 2004, the company has made hand-crafted chocolates, petits fours, cakes, chocolate-covered toffee, preserves, baked goods, and more from only the best all-natural ingredients.
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One taste is all you need to understand the difference between pure dark chocolate and your typical American chocolate bar; the first is practically a health food, the other a milky-sweet indulgence. Denise Castronovo, who moved into chocolate-making when the last recession left her with plenty of downtime from her consulting business, is one in a growing group of top-level makers successfully fusing the two ideas, creating a high-cocoa content milk chocolate, known in the industry as dark milk. Castronovo's is made with the finest, sometimes very rare, Latin American cacao. With a selection of over 300 different chocolates—all of them handcrafted in Belgium and flown to this small Brentwood shop—Lady Chocolatt caters, above all else, to the diehard traditional European chocolate aficionado.
Chocolate Bars
A Taste of the Chocolate Room - - World-Architects
A Taste of the Chocolate Room -.
Posted: Mon, 11 Dec 2023 08:00:00 GMT [source]
Over nearly a quarter century, Michael and Jacky Recchiuti have grown one of the country's finest chocolate shops from farmers market pop-up to renowned producer of some of the most elegant truffles being made this side of the Atlantic. Their Black Box collection — 16 pieces, in delicate flavors like bergamot tea and tarragon grapefruit — is the perfect gift for somebody (very, very) special. Probably this was their go-to chocolate store in Los Angeles, due to their pristine reputation. This shop has been around since 1942, gifting the city with glamorously packaged truffles, marshmallows, caramels, nuts, toffees and chocolates.
Homemade Peanut Butter Eggs
President Obama's love of the smoked sea salt caramels is by now well-documented. Inspired by a new generation of makers changing the face of chocolate, woodworkers Adam Dick and Dustin Taylor brought the revolution home to remote Humboldt County back in 2010, quickly making a name for themselves with top-quality single origin, two-ingredient bars. Their black fig bar is something of an industry legend by now, and the drinking chocolate is top-notch. For Debi Vincent and Javier Abad, the journey began in Venezuela, both in chocolate-making and in married life.
LOS ANGELES BASED BOUTIQUE CHOCOLATERIE
How this Park Avenue Café Provides a Sweet Escape - the32789
How this Park Avenue Café Provides a Sweet Escape.
Posted: Tue, 17 Oct 2023 07:00:00 GMT [source]
Compartés chocolatiers are exquisitely skilled in creating visually captivating chocolates that taste divine. A Compartés corporate chocolate gift box is the most sophisticated and delicious branded chocolate gift. Trusted by the world's most renowned brands, explore our custom chocolates, branded chocolate gift boxes, chocolate corporate gifts and volume discounts for holiday gifting, client gifts, chocolate gift baskets, events and more. Producing some of the most visually-appealing chocolate bars in the country right now — there's a reason they're packaged in clear wrappers — this bite-sized outfit shows that you don't need to be all things to all people in order to be successful at chocolate or to win a slew of awards. Just a handful of flavors are offered, from delicate caramel and fennel pollen to the kids-of-all-ages-friendly Texas pecan brittle.
Fruition Chocolates (Shokan, New York)
A decade and a half later, this fair trade-pioneering company's Mexican-style chocolate discs — 100% organic — are some of the finest around, making for a memorable drinking chocolate experience. I've gotten them for myself and to cheer up a grieving friend and they always make life better. Experience Valerie Confections in-person at our flagship bakery and chocolate shop in Glendale, as well as our cafe, Valerie Echo Park.
THE CHOCOLATIERS
Here, you’ll find dark, milk and white chocolate; classic fillings like praline, chocolate ganache and liqueur; and less conventional Western flavors like cardamom, violet, rose and chili. Customers can build their own ballotin boxes or opt for one of their pre-made assorted boxes—all of them packaged with flair. If you’ve got a bit more time on your hands, Lady Chocolatt’s café also offers decadent cups of hot chocolate and crispy Belgian waffles. While this list focuses rather narrowly on the finest American chocolate bars, because they are something so richly deserving of celebration, there are more high-quality bonbon and truffle makers out there right now than most of us will be able to sample in one lifetime.
Whether you’re shopping for a gourmet holiday gift (always a delicious Valentine’s Day go-to) or just hoping to score a sweet treat of your own, these L.A. Chocolate shops will be there to facilitate a sweet, dopamine-spiking reprieve from modern life. And, you know, with the future of cacao uncertain amid the worsening climate crisis, an indulgent box of high-quality gourmet chocolate may soon be a rarity, so enjoy cacao-based sweets while you still can.
Think of this Williamsburg shop and cafe like an Apple Store, except the product line being showcased, ever so proudly, is cacao grown in the Dominican Republic. Operated by one of the country's largest cacao growers and exporters, the chocolate made here is about as direct trade as you will find. Subtle notes of apple cider, maple syrup, and rye whiskey give the obsessively sourced, delicately flavored bars at this family outfit on a historic New England farm a distinct sense of place. Tom and Monica Rogan started out in the trade just a little over five years ago, but have already managed to comfortably secure a place for themselves right near the head of the pack. Dan and Jael Rattigan learned at least two things from their years living on an abandoned cacao farm in coastal Costa Rica — one, they weren't beach people. After more than a decade in business, their single-origin bars are some of the nicest — pure, but lush — in the South.
But the biggest pop culture story centers around Lucille Ball, who was inspired to write her famous “I Love Lucy” chocolate factory episode after spotting the conveyor belt in the back room factory (which is still used, along with the original tools and pots). It would be a crime not to stop by the most iconic Los Angeles chocolate shop and discover what traditional, artisanal candy is all about. From a reinvigorated gem to the oldest shop in town, these are the best chocolate stores in L.A. If you forget, warm the butter in the microwave for 7 to 10 seconds, until it’s slightly softened, being careful not to melt it. Here at Compartés, we are constantly innovating with chocolate, pushing the boundaries of culinary art with our expertly crafted seasonal releases, exclusive corporate gifts, and limited-edition collections.
As leaders in the gourmet chocolate industry, Compartés is dedicated to delivering exceptional chocolate flavors and experiences, making us a top choice for those in search of the best chocolate gifts. American chocolate has improved by leaps and bounds, but most domestic makers have yet to attempt the level of aesthetic taken for granted in cities like Paris and Barcelona, where the shop experience is typically fussed over as much as the product. Chocolatier Christine Sull Sarioz comes from a background in the fine and decorative arts; with designer husband Goktug, she has created one of the country's most astonishing boutiques, filled with equally beautiful (and exquisitely packaged) chocolate. Seasonal citrus bars in flavors like Meyer lemon and blood orange are almost too pretty to tear apart. Some of the most elegant chocolate bars in the country right now come from Bryan and Dahlia Graham's relatively modest operation in the rustic Catskill Mountains. From beautifully minimal single-origins (a citrus-tart Madagascar Sambirano) to a series of exceptional dark milks (Peru Marańon, in particular), each bar is as rich and smooth as the last.
Well before the current reinvention trend began, Katrina Markoff was pushing at the boundaries of American chocolate, packing bars full of bacon, sea salt, or chili peppers. Decades later, the offerings from Vosges are imaginative as ever and equally sustainable — the company operates from a Platinum LEED-certified facility in Chicago, and recently planted its first crop of cacao in Belize. Back in 2010, Ben Rasmussen turned his Northern Virginia basement into a chocolate laboratory, transitioning relatively quickly from enthusiast to one of the best bean-to-bar makers in the DMV. Impeccably-sourced two-ingredient bars are the main offering from this diminutive operation, but Rasmussen has lately been tinkering with the notion of a better kind of milk chocolate, with considerable success.
Café offerings include coffee drinks, plus a very special iced black sesame hot chocolate, and a chocolate and coffee pairing that includes two bon bons. LetterPress ChocolateDavid and Corey Menkes began making chocolate in their apartment under the cottage industry law. Now their small-batch chocolate company, LetterPress is run from a small Beverlywood storefront (2835 S. Robertson Blvd, Los Angeles 90034) that also serves as its factory, where they literally do it all—from beans-to-bar.
Adam Krantz's chile mango, hibiscus caramel, and mesquite-smoked whiskey-infused bonbons practically leap out at you with their sense of place. As Southern Arizona's most accomplished chocolatier, Krantz has proven himself wonderfully versatile, garnering impressive notices for nicely-packaged bars as well, including one from Madagascar's Sambirano Valley, a particularly sought-after source. With a strong focus on cacao grown in Brazil — co-founder Sarah Hartman is Brazilian by birth — this bean-to-bar maker has become a standout in the nation's capital, emphasizing direct trade with their growers and partnering with organizations that work tirelessly to protect and restore the rainforest. Time and again across the country, the story repeated itself, during the last year and counting.
