Tag Archive for: international chocolate awards

LA Women in Chocolate Honored at the Los Angeles Chocolate Salon

 

At the Annual Los Angeles Chocolate Salon this Fall, several Women in Chocolate were honored by the INTERNATIONAL CHOCOLATE SALON for their contributions to the world of chocolate and chocolate culture. The International Chocolate Salon was founded in 2007 by TasteTV and TCB Cafe Publishing and Media, and is one of the premier international bodies celebrating and honoring artisan and premium chocolates and confections.

Pictured here: (front row, left to right) Marti Chocolatt, Food Market Gypsy, The Chocolate Project, (back row, left to right)  Raphio Chocolate, Amella Caramels, Valenza Chocolatier, author Carole Bloom, Hnina Gourmet, Bar Cacao.

THE CHOCOLATIERS AWARD recipients are selected based on either having received numerous chocolate salon awards over the years, or having made a significant impact in the world of taste and chocolate, particularly in the Los Angeles area. It also spotlights the growing number of women entrepreneurs, chocolatiers, confectioners, and pastry chefs that the Los Angeles Area and Southern California has supported.

The following are the announced recipients of the awards.


THE CHOCOLATIERS AWARD

LOS ANGELES Women in Chocolate: CHOCOLATIERS AWARD

  1.  Tonet Tibay, Marti Chocolatt
  2. Amy Jo Pedone, Valenza Chocolatier
  3. Amara Barroeta, Amara Chocolate
  4. Elena Kiamilev, Amella Caramels
  5. Michelle Crochet, Droga Chocolates
  6. Valerie Gordon, Valerie Confections
  7. Susie Norris, Food Market Gypsy
  8. Carol Bloom, Cookbook Author
  9. Ruth Kennison, Bonaparte Chocolate
  10. Vanessa Morgenstern-Kenan, Hnina Gourmet
  11. Danielle Laubach, Zenbunni Chocolatiers
  12. Joana Whittingham, Fera’wyn’s Artisan Chocolates
  13. Samantha McGinnis, Cowboy Toffee
  14. Elisia Otavi-Makmur, Raphio Chocolate
  15. Diane Kron Chocolatier
  16. Patricia Tsai, ChocoVivo
  17. Christine Sarioz, Milla Chocolates

In addition, the following have been named for Honorable Mention

  1. Jessica Ferraro, Bar Cacao
  2. Elyce Zahn, CocoTutti Chocolates
  3. Etty Benhamou, Le Mervetty

Best Chocolatiers and Confectioners in America Announced

Award Winner Delysia Chocolatier reveals new Chocolate Culinary Center in Austin

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Multiple Chocolate Salon award winner Delysia Chocolatier is opening a new Chocolate Culinary Center in Austin. This is good news for the good people of Texas, as well as those who sample Delysia chocolates at various events, retailers, and via the mail.

Per their announcement:

Celebrated premium artisan chocolate manufacturer Delysia Chocolatier has announced plans to open a state of the art chocolate culinary center this November. Located in North Austin, Texas, the 2000 square foot Delysia Chocolate Culinary Center will serve as both the base of operations for the award-winning chocolatier and as a community gathering space that will host educational classes, chocolate pairing events, pop up dinners and more.

More than two years in the making, the technologically advanced Delysia Chocolate Culinary Center is the first complex of its kind in the State of Texas. The ultra-modern edifice showcases an impressive 23 x 32 foot kitchen, exquisitely equipped with stainless steel Bosch appliances, leading edge tempering machines, island and expandable seating, as well as a special chocolate cooling room and conditioned space, guaranteeing perfect crystallization. The center also includes a 16 x 12.5 foot conference room decked out with a 65” LED Smart TV with Theater 3D and floor-to-ceiling glass doors and walls. Upon entering the Chocolate Culinary Center, guests are greeted in a luxurious lobby that features an intricately-branded design that includes Italian hand-blown glass lighting fixtures, a commercial grade audio system and wireless smartphone charging stations. Strategically coordinated natural lighting highlights the stunning craftsmanship and forward-thinking scope of the culinary center’s artistic architecture, adding to the high tech headquarters’ alluring charm.

At the Delysia Chocolate Culinary Center, chocolate lovers will be able to experience firsthand the process of making chocolate, learn where their chocolate originates from and receive education on its health benefits. The center will become an educational hub where the people of Austin and its surrounding communities can gather with friends and families to enjoy a peerless, positive chocolate “experience”. In short, the Delysia Chocolate Culinary Center is a modern day chocolate factory.

“Six years ago, when I launched Delysia Chocolatier, it was a very small endeavor. A hobby,” states founder and chocolatier, chef Nicole Patel. “I never imagined that we would one day own our very own facility, nor that we would have the support to grow to such a size. After two years of hard work, headaches and setbacks, I am proud to announce that we have finished work on our chocolate culinary center. It is my sincere pleasure to open the doors to Austin’s first chocolate culinary center and to introduce to a larger market, the wonderful and sustainably crafted chocolates that we produce.”

Simultaneously, Delysia Chocolatier has been named one of the Best Chocolatiers and Confectioners in America by the International Chocolate Salon Awards. Delysia was one of only ten chocolatiers to receive the six-star rating and is the only Texas-based chocolate company to land the perfect appraisement. This Best Chocolatiers & Confectioners award recognizes the artisan company’s achievements in the Bridal category (Gold medals for solid chocolate cowboy boots, chocolate invitations, and two-piece custom salted caramel and orange truffle favor boxes); Bars competition (Silver medals for Salt Lick Dry Rub bark and Pecan Cayenne bark); and Top Truffle Artistry (Gold medal for the Jalapeño Tequila truffle). The International Chocolate Salon entrants, presented by TasteTV and Chocolate Television, were judged during Salons in San Francisco, Los Angeles, Seattle and also standalone Chocolate Salon Award Competitions. This is Delysia’s second consecutive year being named to the International Chocolate Salon’s prestigious list.

REVIEWS

“In just five short years, Delysia Chocolatier has become Austin’s premier artisan chocolate maker. There is no mass production at Delysia: Each artisan truffle is handmade personally by the chocolatier herself.” – AUSTIN WOMAN

  “Delysia Chocolatier is a tiny confectioner in Austin, TX…the chocolate is sweet and good.” – WINE SPECTATOR

  “Nicole Patel didn’t set out to become a chocolatier, but when the Texas A&M-trained engineer was laid off from her job with a local tech firm, her hobby of making chocolate truffles slowly presented itself as a possible career change…now, Patel’s chic line of custom sweets is available online and at select retailers, restaurants, and Texas winery gift shops in Austin and the Hill Country.” – AUSTIN CHRONICLE

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Chocolate Award Winner The Chocolate Fetish on ABC News

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Many chocolatiers and confectioners have gained new fame and fortune from the awards they have garnered in the International Chocolate Salon’s recently announced Artisan Chocolate Awards.

Award Winner The Chocolate Fetish was recently interviewed about their laurels by ABC television.