Will Work For Chocolate

des chocolats de Chloe
Originally uploaded by michelle1975.

In only a few years, Les Chocolats de Chloé has established itself as one of the best chocolateries in town. The small shop on Roy has steadily built a devoted clientele, one wooed as much by its charm as by its excellent range of chocolates and other treats. It’s really no secret why Les Chocolats de Chloé has been such a hit. First off, no matter how many Easter eggs there are to make, or how many jars of caramel there are to fill, the proprietess, Chloé, and her staff will always take a minute to answer your questions. Then there’s the open kitchen concept which invites people to watch the chocolate-making process without feeling that they are secretly peering into some kind of forbidden world on their tip-toes (am I the only one who’s had this experience?). Finally, and most importantly, having spent the last two weekends working there as part of my stage, I can say with confidence that they take great pains to ensure their chocolates are top of the line: both in ingredients and method. The chocolate they use is Valrhona, which is easily my favourite. All of the flavours they use to infuse the chocolate come from natural sources—there are no extracts here. Even the rum used in the rum and raisin chocolate is St. James brand, not a gelled liquor or, God forbid, rum flavouring.

It was great to work with everyone there. Even though the kitchen is small, I never felt like I was in the way. They took the time to explain every step to me, and let me try it for myself, whatever the outcome (what can I say?: sometimes your hands are just too warm to work with chocolate). Always patient and gracious, I owe them for having taken me under their wings. And yes, I know how they get the caramel inside their caramel bar...

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