With spring just around the corner, so is Jour du Macaron! On Wednesday, March 20 macaron lovers in Paris and throughout France are invited to indulge in the tasty treat while supporting a worthy cause. Here’s how it works: participating pâtisseries are offering visitors free macarons on March 20. In turn, the stores will be accepting [...]

The Awards du Chocolat for 2012 were presented on Friday, November 2 in Paris at the annual Salon du Chocolat, which wrapped up on Sunday, November 4. Organised by Club des Croqueurs de Chocolat, L’Express Styles and Salon du Chocolat, the annual awards are given to the best chocolatiers in France.

For Easter 2012, Parisian chocolatier Jean-Paul Hévin is presenting some unusual specimens from his cabinet of chocolate curiosities. For starters, there’s Oeuf curieux, a chocolate egg hatching out of its shell; La Chouette, a “wooden” chocolate owl of sorts; and Oeuf de tortue, a chocolate “turtle egg.” There’s also Poule drôle de zèbre, a chocolate hen with [...]

The 7th annual edition of Jour du Macaron takes place on Tuesday March 20, 2012. This popular event, a celebration of the sweet and delicate double-sided macaron, is one that is eagerly anticipated by macaron lovers each year. The way it works is deliciously simple. Visitors to Pierre Hermé, Sadaharu Aoki, Laurent Duchêne, Jean-Paul Hévin, [...]

“Be my valentine,” is the message from Parisian chocolatier Jean-Paul Hévin, who has created some romantic chocolate treats that say just that. The delicious line-up of Valentine’s Day confections from the master chocolatier features single-origin chocolate from Costa Rica and the Caribbean, caramel, grapefruit, lime, spices and other wonderful flavours. The goodies on offer include [...]

Hernán Cortés first introduced chocolate to Europeans in 1528 when he returned to Spain from Mexico with samples of cacao beans, cultivated by the Aztecs for thousands of years and used in a ceremonial drink known as xocolatl. Not accustomed to the bitter flavour of cacao, the Spanish created their own version of the Aztecs’ traditional [...]

Chocolatier and pastry chef Jean-Paul Hévin is one of Paris’s most famous chocolate artisans. His flagship chocolate shop in Paris on the upscale rue Saint-Honoré (1st arr.) is a sleek modern space filled with exquisite chocolate creations and pastries. Monsieur Hévin is notably famous for his chocolate Eiffel Towers, chocolate cigars and fashionable chocolate stiletto [...]

The annual Awards du Chocolat were held yesterday afternoon in Paris at the Salon du Chocolat, which runs until Monday, October 24, 2011. Organised by Club des Croqueurs de Chocolat, L’Express Styles and Salon du Chocolat, the annual awards are given to the best chocolatiers in France. The best chocolatiers for 2011 were named as [...]

The catastrophic earthquake and tsunami that devastated Japan last March, leaving nearly 24,000 dead or missing and 400,000 displaced from their homes, shocked and saddened the world. For Japanese pastry chefs and chocolatiers working in Paris and other French cities, it was especially difficult to see the terrible images while being so far from home. [...]

Macaron lovers in Paris and elsewhere will want to mark their calendars: Sunday, March 20 is “Jour du Macaron” (Macaron Day) in France – an annual celebration of the delicate meringue-based confections that come in a rainbow of colours and fillings. Pierre Hermé, who launched this event in 2005, will be offering free macarons in [...]

In keeping with his bold and unconventional style, Parisian chocolatier Patrick Roger has created some audacious chocolate treats to mark Valentine’s Day — chocolate breasts! The cheeky confections consist of a creamy salted caramel mousse filling covered with a thin layer of dark chocolate dusted with cocoa powder. Master chocolatier Roger came up with the [...]

The Club des Croqueurs de Chocolat has named France’s top 155 chocolatiers for 2010. At the top of this year’s list, and winners of the prestigious Award du Chocolat, are Jean-Paul Hévin, Pierre Hermé, Fabrice Gillote, Jacques Genin, Anne-Françoise Benoit, Gilles Cresno, Jean-Emile Schmitt, Pascal Le Gac, Patrick Roger, Vincent Guerlais, François Pralus and Richard [...]

It’s one of the most popular gastronomic events in Paris. The city’s annual Salon du Chocolat is set to take place next month to the delight of tens of thousands of chocolate lovers of all ages. From 28 October to 1 November 2010, the world’s biggest chocolate festival will bring together chocolate exhibitors and those [...]

From Friday, April 2 to Sunday, May 16, 2010, ten tables splendidly decorated by 20 of France’s top chocolatiers will be on display at the Château de Breteuil, located in the Yvelines department, just outside of Paris. Traditional symbols of Easter such as chocolate eggs, rabbits, bells and hens will be featured alongside some more [...]

The Club des Croqueurs de Chocolat has issued its annual ranking of the top 100 chocolatiers in France. At the top of the list this year are: Fabrice Gillotte (Dijon), Vincent Guerlais (Nantes), Jean-Paul Hévin (Paris), Pierre Hermé (Paris), Pâtisserie Lac (Nice), Pascal le Gac (Saint-Germain-en-Laye), La Maison du Chocolat (Paris), Pariès (Saint-Jean-de-Luz), and François [...]