The country has had a recent emergence of artisan chocolate shops around the country. Most of these shops engage in the practice of bean to bar production wherein the chocolatier is involved in all process of the production: from cocoa beans to its final chocolate form. With such an emergence, there is a great deal of places to choose from to obtain these delectable and premium sweets. We take a look at some of them.
Jacques Torres Chocolate
This New York based chocolate shop is owned by Mr. Chocolate himself, Jacques Torres. Renowned pastry chef Jacques Torres first made his mark in Le Cirque and eventually moved on to opening his now successful chocolate empire. He takes great pride in providing fresh and real ingredients in his handcrafted chocolates ensuring that they are all of the premium quality.
Christopher Elbow Artisanal Chocolates
Christopher Elbow previously worked with celebrity chefs like Emeril Lagasse and John Joho. He began perfecting his chocolate making skills while working for the American Restaurant as a pastry chef. Due to a high demand for his handcrafted creations, he started his own brand. His chocolate is most notable for its beautiful designs and colors, some of which are hand-painted.
Vosges Haut-Chocolat
Katrina Markoff owner and chocolatier for Voges describes their creations as experiential chocolate. She uses the chocolate as a medium for telling her story and as such, Voges collections are a reflection of Katrina Markoff's creative process. Both flavors and designs are creative this provides the consumer with a unique experience. Their mission is to provide peace and love through chocolate.
Compartes Chocolatier
This L.A. based chocolate shop describes itself as the hippest and most trendsetting in the nation. Compartes is a favorite amongst Hollywood celebrities. Their chocolate reflects the diversity of the art, design, fashion, style culture in L.A. They proudly source their ingredients from local farmers markets and all their chocolates are made by hand from scratch. They are led by the young visionary Jonathan Grahm.
Theo Chocolate
The Theo Chocolate brand is most notable for their organic and Fair Trade ingredients, and deeply-rooted advocacy in promoting sustainability. Their founder Joe Whinney leads them in their mission to promote social responsibility and sustainability whilst making high-quality chocolate with the use of the purest ingredients. Theo Chocolate encourages people to visit them and take a tour of their Seattle factory where they take great measures to ensure they bring consumers the best chocolate from bean to bar.
Li-Lac Chocolates
Li-Lac Chocolates has been around for a long time. This Manhattan-based chocolate shop has been around since 1923. They still maintain tradition by making chocolate by hand and making chocolate in small batches to ensure the freshness and quality of their product. They still maintain the old recipes from when it first started in 1923 creating a nostalgic experience for patrons.
Mast Brothers
This hip New York based chocolate shop was founded by brothers Rick and Michael Mast. They produce their artisan chocolate bean to bar. Mast Brothers chocolate showcases the regional flavors of the beans used in each bar. Recently, though, the Mast Brothers has been riddled with controversy as claims were made saying that they did not produce their chocolate from bean to bar at its inception. Rick Mast disputes these allegations in their website.
