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When nothing but artisan chocolate will do, here’s who to turn to in Baton Rouge


Even though I am a lifelong chocoholic, I was spoiled when Steve Lawrence came to town in 2007. The professional chocolatier and owner of The Chocolate Maker’s Studio produces handmade chocolate candies that are artistic, elegant, sometimes whimsical and always divine. During his time in Baton Rouge, Lawrence sold chocolates at the Red Stick Farmers Market and from his home studio.

When he moved to Austin in 2011, my love of chocolate, of course, lived on. But buying such divine locally made chocolate has since inspired me to seek out other Baton Rouge chocolate-makers.

Creating snappy chocolate shells and molds filled with buttercream or ganache is both art and science, a game of balancing time and temperature and controlling the interactions of the ingredients. Even mass-produced candies like Godiva or Lindt must take these elements into consideration.

When it comes to small-batch chocolates handmade in interesting molds, there are several local makers worthy of love from us chocoholics.


Strand’s Café

Lilita Blanchard studied chocolate-making in Sydney and Honolulu before coming to Strand’s Café, her family’s European-style patisserie. Today, her menu of candies changes quarterly according to what fresh Louisiana ingredients she can include. One of her summer specialties was a filling of native figs flavored with cardamom inside a dark chocolate shell. She has also crafted a Red Stick candy as an ode to Baton Rouge. The tiny, contemporary-shaped, molded chocolate bar has a reddish exterior and a dense chocolate filling. Her handmade chocolates are available from Strand’s display cases during restaurant hours. Find Strand’s Cafe on Facebook.

Zocalisa Fine Chocolates

Owners Jeff and Alissa Dickey began their business after learning about chocolate making in Costa Rica. They opened a retail candy and gelato shop, now closed, but Jeff continues to create Zocalisa chocolates in a space in the LSU AgCenter Food Incubator. He experiments with new ideas at home and has developed a Louisiana collection with items like pecan caramel with dark and light striations on a nut-shaped chocolate shell and Cajun Cayenne, which combines ginger and cayenne pepper. Zocalisa’s chocolates are available in five-piece gift boxes at Red Stick Spice Company or on Zocalisa’s website. zocalisa.com

Simple Joe Café and Confectionary

Sean Braswell grew up watching his mother craft chocolates. So when he and his wife, Heather Woerner, opened Simple Joe, he decided to include his own candy among the offerings. He crafts them on Mondays (when the restaurant is closed), so that the kitchen’s heat and humidity can be well controlled. Braswell concocts truffles with flavored buttercream fillings in raspberry, vanilla, chocolate and hazelnut—and whatever other variety of bonbons he is inspired to create.
simplejoecafeandconfectionary.com


This article was originally published in the November 2017 issue of 225 Magazine.