Around this time 10 years ago, I was deep into the “37 chocolates” challenge. Over the course of 5 months, I reviewed 37 chocolate bars made in the US in honor of my 37th birthday on Halloween 2015.

I didn’t know it then, but this endeavor would change my life and career.

At the time, I’d just left a corporate job and had no idea what my next professional move would be. All I knew is I loved food, writing, and building community. I’d witnessed the burgeoning of the bean-to-bar movement and was curious about cacao origins. I remember going to Philter Coffee in Kennett Square and wondering what “Belize” or “Madagascar” meant in terms of flavor.

“If I eat the whole shelf,” I thought, “I’ll find out”.

And that’s exactly what I did.

Before I knew it, I was scouting the chocolate shelves of specialty food stores. When I ran out of sources locally, I started buying chocolate online.  didn’t fall in love with craft chocolate right away. In fact, it wasn’t until the 8th review (Acalli’s milk & nibs bar) that I knew I’d remain in this world forever.

It’s hard to summarize the following decade in one neat paragraph. All I can say is I now have a chocolate tasting & education business called 37 Chocolates.

This endeavor made my life richer, bigger, and oh-so delicious.

Running a chocolate business opened the doors of some of the coolest places around, from cacao farms in Colombia to chocolate festivals in Dallas, DC, and San Francisco. It connected me to the wine and beer industries and allowed me to make the most wonderful friends.

Chocolate also got me through the doors of prestigious country clubs and allowed me to serve the president of an NFL team and the executive leadership of the ACLU.

It took a wild amount of work, patience, and persistence to get there. I had to have the faith that I was on the right path, despite staring at the financial evidence I may have been mistaken at times. But in the hardest days, I’ve always asked myself: “OK, what’s the alternative?” I never found an answer, so I kept going.

10 years ago, I chose to follow my curiosity. I stopped looking for someone to see some hidden talent in me and started mining for it myself. And that’s when the magic happened. Here’s to another magical, chocolate-filled decade.

I like to stress my chocolate.

I’ll taste it on an empty stomach and after an espresso, early in the morning, and late in the evening, after a heavy meal, and right after a glass of wine.

Wait, doesn’t that go against every advice on how to taste?

Yup, and if you’re a colleague of mine, please resist the temptation to unfriend me.

Sure, in an ideal world, you’ll want to taste chocolate in a quiet, well-lit room, with no noise or strong smells. You’ll wait a couple of hours after a meal, then cleanse your palate between bites. This is fine for a chocolate industry professional, but for most people, this sounds like a chore.

When a client hires me for a private or virtual tasting, I have little control over the circumstances.

Some attendees will bring a mug of tea or coffee to the event.
Others will have finished a heavy meal.
One renegade will have finished the chocolate the day before the event and bring their notes to the tasting (true story).

In other words, people will do what they want hashtag #shocker.

When I realized that, I flipped the script on my tastings: I stopped expecting people to “do things right” and started adapting to their circumstances.

This is what that looks like:

When considering chocolate for my kits, I pick distinct bars with notes so different from each other than you could taste the difference even after finishing a bowl of curry.

Is the first bite dark and bold and fudgy? Great, then the second will be light and fruity.
Are we tasting a single-origin dark chocolate? Cool, then we’ll end with a milk chocolate.

When I choose chocolate for a client, I have one goal: to convey the amazingness of craft chocolate, no palate cleansing required.

On October 2, 2023, Jean-Paul Hévin was awarded the title of Best Pastry Chocolatier in the World for 2023-2024.

Fast forward to November 17, 2024 and this legendary craftsman was a guest at our latest ticketed Zoom tasting.

Jean-Paul Hévin has been creating some of the finest chocolates in France since 1988. Until last weekend, I had no connection to him. So, how did this legend of pastry agree to join a Zoom tasting hosted by yours truly?

I’m glad you asked.

Last June, I fell in love with Jean-Paul Hévin’s 70% Yaoundé bar. I brought 20 of them back to the US and saved then for a ticketed tasting. 

Wouldn’t it be fun, I thought, to have Jean-Paul Hévin be part of the tasting? 

A few weeks ago, I explained the concept of these tastings to their social media manager through an Instagram DM. She asked me to send an email, which I did, but when I didn’t hear back, I followed up with a second, more compelling email. 

Finally, the reply came: Monsieur Hévin said oui!

But wait — this story gets even better.

When I shared the exciting news with my friend Abdel Aziz El Baïz of L’Artisan du Chocolat, he connected me with Aristide Tchoumtchoua, the president of the Cameroonian cooperative that supplies the very cacao beans used in the Jean-Paul Hévin bars we tasted.

And so, last Sunday, attendees of our Paris-inspired ticketed Zoom tasting interacted with not only the face behind their chocolate, but also the very source of their cacao. Naturally, Abdel, the ultimate connector, joined us as well.

As if that wasn’t enough, we had one more guest: Nicolas Rozier-Chabert, co-founder of the Parisian bean-to-bar company Plaq. He logged in from a taxi and later a hotel, en route to France’s first stuffed cabbage competition in Limoges (you can’t make that up). Here’s a photo of him and his wife Sandra, proudly holding a cabbage.

The feedback on the event was amazing. Here are screenshots of the testimonials I received after the tasting.

I’m grateful to everyone who participated in this magical event. It took four years to get to there, and without your support, I wouldn’t have the opportunity to welcome such inspiring guests.

Join us on Sunday, January 19, 2025, at 1 PM ET for a virtual chocolate tasting celebrating Latin American cacao.

Your tasting kit will feature some of the most beautiful bars in the 37 Chocolates collection, including Castronovo’s delicate Puerto Rican bar. We already have two confirmed guests for this event — and I’m hoping to add more!

This would be a thoughtful holiday gift for the chocolate lover in your life. Tickets are $137 per US household and the presentation will be recorded.I hope to see you then.

When I host a corporate tasting, I have a minute to explain the difference between the fine chocolate in front of the attendees and the bars in the candy aisle of a grocery store. Here’s what I say.

Imagine spending a lifetime thinking of beef as nothing but fast food burger material. You’ve eaten burgers between meetings, in your car or at your desk. You swallow the last bite while watching a YouTube video.

Then, one day, you discover steak. Eating a steak, you realize, isn’t like wolfing down a burger.

You arrange it on a nice plate and use real silverware.

You put some jazz music in the background.

You pour some wine and feel time stretch. Perhaps you even invite some friends.

In fact, you don’t eat that steak, you savor it.

Tasting fine chocolate for the first time us like discovering a steak after a lifetime of eating burgers. Enjoying it requires us to think of our consumption style differently.

Chocolate, I’ve learned, deserves our respect. We can do that is by learning its history and making it the center of gatherings. Do you agree? Leave a comment and let me know.

“Do you still feel the chocolate magic?”

I was catching up with my friend and colleague Shobitha when she asked me that question.

“Yes,” I immediately said.

Although a lot has changed since the 37 Chocolates challenge, I keep discovering show-stopping bars that help me renew my vows with that magical food. Most recently, I found Paris to be an exciting place for chocolate. Whether that’s a new bean-to-bar maker or a change in ownership at a well-established company, the City of Lights is filled with chocolate surprises.

In this post, which is the third installment of The Craft Chocolate-Lover’s Guide to Paris series, I’ll share the highlights of my 2023 visit. These spots will appeal to fine chocolate lovers who enjoy a high percentage dark chocolate bar as much as well-crafted confection. Bookmark this post for your next trip and remember to revisit Part 1 and Part 2. I’ll soon compile them in a single PDF file with tips to make the most of your trip – sign up for the newsletter to be notified of its release.

Chocolat Chapon

Originally Buckingham Palace’s dedicated ice cream maker, Patrice Chapon established Chocolat Chapon in 1986 in Chelles, a suburb of Paris. Similar to renowned French brands like Bonnat, Cluizel, or Pralus, the company specializes in bean-to-bar chocolate production, sourcing cacao beans from various origins and crafting them into chocolate.

Chapon remained somewhat under the radar in the French chocolate scene until the company unveiled its “bar à mousse” (chocolate mousse bar) at the Salon du Chocolat in 2006. It was instant success. Chocolate mousse is the most popular French dessert (every French person, myself included, has made the recipe on the back of a Nestlé baking bar), so the concept captured the media attention, catapulting Chapon into the spotlight.

During my visit to the Rue du Bac shop last June, I indulged in a cup of mousse made with 100% Venezuelan chocolate, with just 40g of sugar added to the entire batch. It was, hands down, the most delicious mousse I’ve ever tasted – simultaneously dense and fluffy, bursting with rich chocolate flavor. I scraped every drop from my cone-shaped paper cup.

The single origin bars I selected were equally outstanding. In fact, the 70% Venezuelan Porcelana ranked among the top three bars I sampled in 2023. While Chapon bars had previously been hit-or-miss for me, I now look forward to trying their 25 single origin varieties, including those from Ecuador, Madagascar, and Bolivia. I’m especially intrigued by the licorice and tonka bean white chocolate bar, which tops my chocolate wish list.

It’ll be interesting to observe Chocolat Chapon’s evolution in the near future. In 2022, François Chapon sold 90% of the company shares to the investment group FrenchFood Capital. The new CEO, Cédric Taravella, has ambitious plans for Chapon, including expanding the number of Parisian shops. As long as the chocolate bars and mousses are as swoon-worthy as last year, I’ll remain a happy customer.

Chocolat Chapon

69 rue du Bac

75007 Paris

Opening hours:

Monday: 2:00 PM – 8:00 PM
Tuesday-Saturday: 9:00 AM – 8:00 PM
Sunday: 9:00 AM – 3:00 PM

L’Artisan du Chocolat

The best chocolate in Paris… may not be in Paris. Wait, what?

A bean-to-bar maker, Abdel El Baïz founded l’Artisan du Chocolat in the Western suburbs of Paris after a stint at La Maison du Chocolat and a cacao-centered trip to Ecuador. In addition to a range of single origin 78% bars, Abdel offers delicious confections like chocolate-covered candied oranges and rochers. Customers consistently line up for the signature “Noisettes de l’Évêque” [the bishop’s hazelnuts], which are a cross between a truffle and a rocher. After trying Abdel’s creations, I feel comfortable saying that L’Artisan du Chocolat tops my 2023 list of bean-to-bar chocolate in France. The 78% Haiti dark chocolate tastes like chocolate pudding with spices. It’s perfect.

You’ll find L’Artisan du Chocolat products in two small towns where most tourists won’t venture, but perhaps you will? The original workshop is the only business in Evecquemont, a village of 750 people known for its château and spotty cell phone reception. The second location is in Triel-sur-Seine, a larger town accessible from Paris by train. The café/shop serves drinks with an unbeatable view on the Seine river.

L’Artisan du Chocolat

23A rue de Chollet

78740 Evecquemont

Opening hours:

Monday, Tuesday: CLOSED
Wednesday: 9:00 AM – 12:00 PM; 2:00 PM – 7:30 PM
Thursday: CLOSED
Friday: 2:00 pm – 7:30 pm
Saturday: 9:00 am – 12:00 pm, 2:00 pm – 7:30 pm
Sunday: 10:00 am – 2:00 pm

Place Philippe Prévost

78510 Triel-sur-Seine

Monday: CLOSED
Tuesday – Saturday: 10:00 am – 2:00 pm; 3-7 pm
Sunday: CLOSED

Debauve et Gallais

Can we talk about Parisian chocolate without talking about one of the oldest chocolate shops in the city? I think not.

Debauve et Gallais was once known for being “the chocolate of the kings” and by “kings” we’re talking Louis XVIII and Charles X, who reigned in the 1800’s, both after the French Revolution and Napoleon I’s rule. This is an era referred to as Restoration.

A former pharmacist, Sulpice Debauve created chocolate pistoles or little chocolate disks that made Marie-Antoinette’s medicine more palatable. In 1800, or 11 years after the French Revolution, Sulpice left his pharmacy behind to open a chocolate shop in Paris. It didn’t take long for Sulpice to crush his business goals and, in just 4 years, he opened 65 “dépôts” aka franchise locations throughout France.

In 1823, soon after getting his first awards, he partnered with his nephew and fellow pharmacist Auguste Gallais. Together, they developed “diet chocolate” made with almond milk, vanilla, and orange blossom. Debauve and his nephew continued growing the company by sticking to quality and innovating. I was stunned to discover they invented Lactoline aka dehydrated chocolate milk before milk powder was a thing.

A true chocolate steward, Auguste Gallais wrote Monographie du cacao in 1827 to spread knowledge about cacao. If you read French, I HIGHLY recommend you get the book which blew me away by its accessible language and relevant content.

Today, Debauve et Gallais has two locations in Paris, where you’ll find the famous pistoles, chocolates, and bars as well as teas. The cherry cordial bonbons are apparently fantastic. Last year, a gentleman came in a rush asking for a box of them. The shopkeepers told him it would take 10 minute to prepare their order, so the customer told his taxi driver to wait a few more minutes. Leave it to French to wait for good food.

With new CEO Domitille Jollois at its helm, the company is going through a series of exciting changes, starting with a beautiful, fresh rebrand. I can’t wait to sit down with Domitille and learn more about her vision for this institution.

Debauve et Gallais Flagship Store

30 Rue des Saints-Pères

75007 Paris

Opening hours:
Monday through Saturday 9–7 pm
Sunday: CLOSED

Debauve et Gallais Vivienne

33 Rue Vivienne

75002 Paris

Opening hours:
Monday through Friday: 9:30 a.m. – 7:30 p.m.
Saturday: 10:30 a.m. – 7:30 p.m.

Jade Genin

Jade Genin’s confections are my latest Parisian chocolate crush. The daughter of famed chocolatier Jacques Genin, Jade left a successful career as an attorney to start her own chocolate brand in 2022. Located near the Opera, a couple of doors down from pastry superstars Pierre Hermé and Cédric Grolet, the shop stands out with its minimalist, yet opulent aesthetic. Inside, the white walls and golden touch provide the perfect background for the naturally colored confections.

The signature product is the little pyramid which, at half the weight of a regular bonbon, delivers a burst of flavor in each bite. You’ll be surprised that the dark chocolate pyramids are completely vegan (water ganache). The mint one was my favorite, it tastes so pure, so fresh. The pyramids are packed in a gold metal box that you can bring back for a refill. Since the confections are small, you can taste several without overloading your palate. Jade intentionally designed the line that way.

I’m personally a fan of the delicate, gold-dusted rochers and of her work with pistachios (ooh, the spread). Interestingly, the young artisan picked couverture chocolate by Xoco Gourmet which is single varietal and made at origin.

In addition to being a phenomenal chocolatier, she’s also founding member of the Bondir-e association, whose mission is to help foster safer work cultures in professional kitchens.

With her crafts(wo)manship and sense of aesthetic, Jade is a breath of fresh air in the world of Parisian chocolate. You may check her shop out because of her last name, but you’ll come back for her modern, delicious, and very well crafted bites. Mark my words: this is just the beginning for Jade.

PS: You should see the lines at Cédric Grolet’s shop next door. Definitely pre-order online if you don’t want to return to your hotel empty-handed.

Jade Genin

33 Avenue de l’Opéra

75002 Paris

Opening hours :
Monday: CLOSED.
Tuesday-Friday: 11 am-7 pm.
Saturday: 11 am-7:30 pm
Sunday: 11:30 am-6:30 pm

Patrick Roger

If you’re heading to Paris soon, make time to check out one of the 7 Patrick Roger locations in the city. This French chocolatier and sculptor has a devoted following that swears by his chocolates — Patrick Roger sells 4 million pieces each holiday season across the world.

What’s so special about the chocolates? I tasted my way through one of the signature green boxes to find out.

The ganaches stood out with their very smooth texture and strong cacao aromas. The pralinés may have been the best I’ve had thanks to a strong nut content tamed by just a touch sugar. I loved the chocolate-covered orange slices. The signature product is the first chocolate the craftsman sold, a rocher called “Instint” or “Instinct” in English.

Fun fact: I remember finding the box heavy for its size when I left the shop and it took a while to realize why — the entire bottom is covered by a chocolate & nib bar.

What stood out the most from walking into one his sleek, black-colored shops was the creative freedom the French artisan lets himself have. From molding a huge chocolate sumo for the storefront to naming a candy bar S*X, Patrick Roger breaks all the codes of what a high end chocolate shop should be. Perhaps it’s that sense of freedom that keep his customers coming back.

Patrick Roger

7 locations across Paris, plus 2 in the suburbs. Check the Patrick Roger website for all 9 addresses.

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Bonjour 👋 I’m Estelle Tracy, an award-winning food writer and chocolate sommelier in Kennett Square, in the Philadelphia area. Join me on Thursday, March 7, 2024, at 6:30 pm ET on Zoom for an overview of chocolate-making and tasting basics. This tasting is for you if you’ve been following me for a while but have been too intimidated to join an event. Or perhaps you caught me on Fox29 and wondered: is there that much to know about chocolate?

Your ticket includes a tasting kit shipped to your home with USPS Ground Advantage Mail. Please order your ticket by Thursday, February 29, 2024, to allow ample time for delivery. Your kit will include an assortment of milk and dark chocolate samples for 2 people.