As you walk down San Francisco’s iconic Fillmore Street – known for musicians, festivals and luxury stores – you’ll find a colorful door frame inviting you into an intimate chocolate shop. L’amourette Chocolat, meaning “little love affair” in French, sells its handmade candies, such as truffles and bonbons, in store along with almost 30 different flavors of chocolate bars for all types of taste buds.
With brightly colored California poppies painted on the walls, you’ll find this bright space selling dozens of different types of handcrafted chocolate bars, variations as vast as Willy Wonka’s chocolate factory but as chic and artisanal as a California dream.
After 12 years of making signature handcrafted bean-to-bar chocolate bars for wholesalers and upscale grocery stores, L’amourette Chocolat’s co-owner and chocolatier, Andre V., opened his first storefront last year showcasing its signature bars as well as by-the-piece bonbons and truffles.
When you walk in, you’ll be greeted by Roxanne, L’amourette Chocolat co-owner and partner to the chocolatier himself, who will help you choose the perfect pieces of their handmade chocolates, in many forms, along with answering any and all questions about their luxury chocolate bars lining the walls. Find rich pieces with flavors including apricot, salted caramel, raspberry and coffee, often ever-changing depending on the season.
Andre and Roxanne started L’amourette Chocolat in 2011 out of their love for chocolate and wanting to bring true joy to others. The purest of intentions to start the company was then put into their work as each ingredient used is hand-picked by the couple.
The bean-to-bar concept is the key artistry element of Andre’s chocolate making. Just as a winemaker carefully plants and tends to their vines, Andre sources all the cacao beans himself from regions such as Venezuela, Grenada and Nicaragua. Each area and each set of beans all with their own flavor profiles. All other ingredients outside of beans, such as cherries, oranges and apricots, are only sourced from the best local California farmers across the state and are chosen each week.
“What makes us unique is that unlike others, we are selling cocoa, not sugar. The purest taste of chocolate,” says Roxanne. “Many people are surprised that such a rich chocolate brand is from San Francisco and not Europe.”
Take it from this taste tester, each piece of chocolate is decadently rich. When stopping by the San Francisco storefront, make sure to try the fruit-forward options of the week, and any truffle you are able to get your hands on before they sell out. As for chocolate bars, try a variety from different regions to compare the different flavor profiles. A personal favorite: Single Origin Colombia Dark Chocolate 85 percent bar.
L’amourette Chocolat chocolate and chocolate bars can be found at stores across the United States in Arizona, Colorado, Connecticut, Idaho, Massachusetts, Montana, New York, Washington and in stores within 22 cities across California.
For more information on L’amourette Chocolat, visit www.lamourettechocolat.com.
2412 Fillmore St.
San Francisco, CA 94115