Le Blog

One Year!

And a very first Happy Birthday to Chocolats Passion at 189 Brackett Street!  The year exceeded our wildest expectations.  It started when we found out, very soon after opening, that the W

So much fun with Mendiants!

Our Mendiant mixed box, left to right:  Nougat in dark chocolate; Australian ginger, Marcona almonds in milk chocolate; Strawberry pâte de fruits/Meyer lemon in Dulcey white; and Organic g

We are back!!!

Grandes Vacances, and beyond...

                               Our tempering machines:  207 at left, and Bertha at right. It is finally hot and summery, the best weather for ice cream and a dangerous time for (melting) c

Silver, and Bronze!

Inviting the scrutiny of chocolate professionals and having them pass judgment on our confections is a big step in our growth as artisan chocolatiers.  This year, Darcy and I decided it was

TV love!

                                                   Photo credit Jim Keithley,  Channel 8 News Chocolats Passion has been the very lucky recipient of attention from our local Maine televisio

Eggs, and bunnies, and more eggs...

Our first Spring/Easter season is thankfully over!  While we had a 9-week (seemingly endless) stretch between Valentine day and Easter, it proved to be barely enough time to create all the

6 months!

As of last Tuesday, our little chocolaterie has been open for half a year.  I feel so thankful to all our neighbors who care for our fate and ask ever so earnestly how "we are doing".  And

A year with Darcy

A year ago Darcy and I met at a Valentine party my neighbor was hosting for her women friends.  We chatted about chocolate and her background as a pastry chef. I asked her to come work with

BUSY, BUSY, BUSY!

HOLIDAY SHOP HOURS: From Wednesday December 19, holiday hours will be from noon to 7 PM until Christmas Eve, when we will close at 5PM.  We will re-open on December 28 for our regular re

Six weeks in......

We already feel like part of the fabric of the neighborhood.  I know this is a bit of a grandiose statement to make, but it is real. Most of our customers live within a short walk of the st

So ready!

The chocolaterie build out took a lot of energy on the part of an excellent team, but we are now finally ready for our day in the sun!   We had our first pre-opening tasting yesterday with

189 Brackett Street

Save the date!  On September 12, 2018, at 1 P.M., we open our chocolate creation and boutique space in the heart of Portland's West End. We will be open from 1 P.M. to 7 P.M. every Wednesd

Chocolate travels

Tourism in my world always includes chocolate visits.  When the destination is Paris, the experience is of course exquisite and always creates sensory overload.  There is only time to visit

A huge thank you to the Chocolate Lovers!

The Chocolate Lovers' Fling proved to be everything promised and more.  It raised a great deal of money for SARSSM, particularly with the lively and highly convincing auctioneer skills of

The Chocolate Lovers' Fling

What is better than supporting a great cause?  While swooning over chocolate of course!  For the 32nd year, the Sexual Assault Response Services of Southern Maine (SARSSM) is holding its b

Meet Darcy

Serendipity would have it that I crossed paths with a very talented pastry chef looking to expand her chocolate skills.  Darcy and I met at my lovely neighbor's Valentine party, where I ha

Thank you!

Moving from the big city (Boston) to Portland has meant lots of changes for this little chocolate company, and nothing was more apparent last night at my Pop-Up launch at the Fork Food Lab.

Chocolats Passion & Friends Pop-Up!

We moved to Portland a short four months ago, but it already feels like ages that I have been making chocolates at the Fork Food Lab.  Fork has a vibrant community of exceptional food make

Fun at Fork Food Lab

My darling mother, who helped me create over 900 Hazelnut Citrus chocolates. October 2017, Fork Food Lab. On average, I spend two long days a week at the Fork Food Lab.  Each time I produce

Holiday markets!

Holiday markets hold a special place in my heart:  it was at the SOWA Holiday Market three years ago that I got my start, and to this day I love them.  The collective energy of my fellow v

6 short weeks

To think that a short six weeks ago there wasn't a single chocolate made!  Day one of production was October 23.  It was followed by a military schedule so every one of our core flavors cou

Back to work!

  Only two batches so far, but chocolates are coming!   The Fork Food Lab in Portland is a dream work space full of kindred spirits: everyone is there because they love making food. The wo

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