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.