Cool Hunting

Patrice Chapon trained and worked as a pastry chef and as an ice cream maker (to Queen Elizabeth nonetheless) before finding his true calling as a master chocolatier, which he has been doing for the last twenty years from his workshop in Paris.

A sampling of some of his dark chocolate bars demonstrates his skill. The chocolate is dark but not too bitter. The added elements are not too big or too small and balance the flavors and textures of the chocolate. The Noir Mendiants (mixed nuts) and the Noir aux Éclats de Café (crushed coffee beans) bars get top marks from the CH team.

Available online from Patrice Chapon for €3.50, at his shops in Paris, and hopefully at a gourmet store near you. In NYC, try the chocolate shop at Bergdorf Goodman.