San Francisco Chocolate Adventure Tour
0 Comments San Francisco Chocolate Adventure Tour: XOX Truffles, Scharffenberger & Recchiuti Among Winners
A Rugged Elegance Inspiration Network Exclusive by Jennifer King Now that I’ve hopefully captured your attention… Last week, I stopped into XOX Truffles to get a big box of Jean-Marc and Casimira Gorce’s creations as a partial wedding gift. As I sipped my XOX latte and waited for the collection of twenty-seven flavors to be put together, I couldn’t help but overhear a conversation between Jean-Marc, as he stood there making his creations, and three women indulging in a taste of his finest. Three times a year, these two sisters and their friend typically rendezvous for a wine tour up in Napa. Nancy Eggert travels from Denver to San Francisco to experience the West Coast’s finer places and products of life. However, on this trip — for a change — she, her sister, Paula Zigant and their friend Catherine chose chocolate-tasting over wine-tasting. The three women were gracious to share their itinerary with me and their comments as inspiration for others who live in this great city, as well as for those traveling to Northern California looking for an alternative adventure in the San Francisco Bay Area. Over the past year, in preparation for coming to America’s most European chocolate mecca, Nancy had compiled her list of Chocolate Adventures after collecting all the best articles from her favorite magazines including: Gourmet, Departures, Food & Wine, Travel & Leisure, Bon Apetit and Town & Country. She had every article with her along with a tasting bag to take back to her sister’s place. At the end of their adventure, the three intended to share a glass of wine and do a taste test of each of their favorite chocolates of the day. First Adventure The ScharffenBerger Factory Tour in Berkeley (free to the public) 914 Heinz Ave. Tours of the 27,000 square foot factory are free to the public. For more details go to: ScharffenBerger.com The Scharffenbergers and Steinbergs use vintage European equipment and artisanal methods to create their “lovingly handcrafted” chocolate from the finest cacao beans.
Berkeley, CA 94710
phone: 510.981.4066 or
email: tours@scharffenberger.com
Reservations are recommended.
Private tour groups cost $35 (limit 30 people)
Buy Products Related To This Story:
| |
List Price:
|
Second Adventure
Recchiuti Confections in The Ferry Building
San Francisco’s Ferry Building is a culinary haven where you’ll find both retail venues for Recchiuti and ScharffenBerger. In addition, you’ll find antique shops, bread & cheese, cafes and small eateries, coffee & tea, cookware & tableware, farm produce, flowers & garden shops, meat, poultry & fish, pastries & ice cream shops, restaurants, specialty grocers and wine & spirits.
If that is enough for you, check out the view of the Bay Bridge!
Third Chocolate Adventure
Fog City News
455 Market Street, Suite 125
San Francisco, CA 94105-2476
415.543.7400
This downtown international newstand, chocolate offers thousands of newspapers and magazines from around the globe, as well as hundreds of chocolate bars.
Lo and behold, at the very moment our Chocolate Adventure Tour Trio arrived at Fog City News, John Scharffenberger, the co-founder of ScharffenBerger Chocolate, happened to be there to greet them.
If you believe there are no coincidences in life, this was a prime example.
Fourth Chocolate Adventure
XOX Truffles Storefront in North BeachXOX Truffles in North Beach.
All three chocolate connoisseurs agreed that, so far, this was their favorite stop. And they weren’t just saying that because Jean-Marc was present.
“XOX Truffles makes it to the top of my list, in great part, simply because of the melt-in-your-mouth delicious tastes,” stated Nancy, Paula and Catherine.
Nancy, a homemade truffle creator herself, was also inspired by Jean-Marc as he stood there making his truffles. She will bring back this inspiration to Denver where she and her husband make truffles every holiday season as gifts for their friends and family.
Jean-Marc mentioned that — thanks to his wife’s six months of persistence — Casimira has enabled customers to now purchase their truffles in gift boxes from Neiman Marcus, from Whole Foods Market and at Andronico’s Market.
At their small shop in North Beach, you can experience all twenty-something flavors handmade on-site. These flavors include:
Liquered
Amaretto (Cocoa Powder-Dusted)
Black & White Ball (White Chocolate-Coated)
Cognac (Cocoa Powder-Dusted)
Creme de Framboise/Raspberry (Cocoa Powder-Dusted)
Creme de Menthe (Cocoa Powder-Dusted)
a la Kahlua (Cocoa Powder-Dusted)
Liqueur de Noisette (Hazelnut-Coated)
Rum Coco (Coconut-Coated)
Rum Raisin (Cocoa Powder-Dusted)
Triple Sec (Cocoa Powder-Dusted)
Noisette (Soy/Vegan)
Non-Liquered
Caramel (Cocoa Powder-Dusted)
Casimira’s Favourite (White Chocolate-Coated)
Citron/Lemon (Cocoa Powder-Dusted)
Coconut (Coconut-Coated)
Dark Chocolate (Cocoa Powder-Dusted)
Earl Grey (Cocoa Powder-Dusted)
Framboise/Raspberry (Cocoa Powder-Dusted)
French Roast (Coffee Crunch-Coated)
Noisette (Hazelnut-Coated)
a l’Orange (Cocoa Powder-Dusted)
Peanut Butter (Dark Chocolate Hard Shell-Covered)
Dark Chocolate (Soy/Vegan)
a l’Orange (Soy/Vegan)
After XOX, Nancy, Paula and Catherine had one more stop to go:
Fifth & Final Chocolate Adventure
The French Chocolate Richart boutique at 393 Sutter was Nancy, Paula and Catherine’s final destination on Friday. If you have never been there, you’re not alone. Neither have I. The Parisian boutique opened less than a year ago in San Francisco.
Before returning to Paula’s place for a glass of wine and a tasting of each chocolate they discovered throughout the day, they insisted on stopping at the Haute Couture of Parisian Chocolate.
I caught up with Nancy after their last adventure and learned that they were once again not disappointed, to say the least.
This Art et Chocolate Paris chocolatier who pioneered ornately decorated palets and put them on pedestals offers a daring combinations of tastes.
Nancy said, “While they are as overpriced as in Paris, it was cheaper to come to San Francisco than to buy a ticket to France. Besides, they make a classy gift for my friends back in Colorado who appreciate the finer things in life. Thanks to ScharffenBerger, Recchiuti, Fog City News, XOX Truffles and Richart, I was able to get quite a bit of my Christmas shopping done two months in advance.”
Surprisingly, the legendary Ghirardelli Chocolate Company, the oldest chocolate manufacturer in America which has called San Francisco home since 1852, was not on their list. Nor was Joseph Schmidt.
Perhaps they will make time for both next trip!
Joseph Schmidt Confections
3489 16th Street (at Sanchez)
San Francisco, CA 94114
800.861.8682
415.861.8682
Hours: Mon-Sat 10am-6:30pm PST
Founded in 1983, this small factory in San Francisco’s Mission District is not open to the public. However, the place where they produce over 200,000 irresistible chocolate Easter bunnies and 10 million chocolate truffles a year does have a retail shop and a resident chocolatier (see address and hours above).
Schmidt also has a location at Santana Row in San Jose (408) 244.2553.
Schmidt’s creations are works of art. Their original containers alone are a gift.
Step into 3489 16th Street and you’ll think you entered an art gallery not a chocolate shop.
If Italian chocolate is more your style, make sure you don’t miss Emporio Rulli Gran Caffe for the best latte in town, their chocolate gift collection, as well as their Gianduiotti (melt-in-your-mouth chocolate-hazelnut triangles). Gianduiotti is a craft made in Torino that harkens back to the seventeenth century.
Last but not least, in a small boutique on Union Street, many San Francisco residents recommend Goldleaf Chocolatier. Daily customer, Kathy Tilotson said, “Goldleaf has the most incredible fudge and molded chocolates in San Francisco, made fresh in the store or nearby on the East Bay. All are unique.” Tilotson added, “I go there nearly every day for a small bit of fudge. As a result, I have come to know the owner who uses the best ingredients and promotes high percentage dark chocolate. (She used to own a health store!) A must-stop in Cow Hollow.”
For a list of Rugged Elegance Select Establishments in San Francisco which either make and/or sell fine chocolate, go to:
Under Related Categories choose “Chocolate” for our ever-growing list of profiles which include a number of the above-mentioned establishments’ address, phone number, hours and a link to their web site, if they have one.
Afterall, life is supposed to be sweet.
Speaking of which, this story has whet my appetite for a little taste of chocolate.
See you at Whole Foods or Andronico’s or one of our other Select Establishments!
Inspire & Be Inspired (R).
Here’s to healthy, adventuresome, soulful, and another delicious reason to come to San Francisco living!
