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| Richard
Donnelly Chocolates |
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Richard Donnelly has always
been obsessed with flavor. In a California resort town, in a shop that
isn’t fancy, he produces bars and chocolates that have won accolades
and awards for their imaginative texture and taste. |
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What motivated you to open a chocolate business? |
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When I was a kid, I always
wanted to and thought I would own a business. When I came back from
Europe there was very little good chocolate and few places to work.
So I opened my business. I actually started twice.
The first time I was near Boston and it was a complete failure. There
was no concept of fine chocolate or chocolate that cost more than
supermarket candies. A year or two later, living in California, I reopened
the business. This time the challenges were similar, but I had a long-term
lease that obligated me to stay long enough to develop a business. |
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Richard Donnelly
was one of the first to offer fine chocolate bars—single varietal
or flavored with almond or cardamom. His milk chocolate bars with
a West African cocoa blend are flavored with almond or hazelnut almond
toffee. |
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Did you have any formal training in chocolate making? |
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I took a class at Richemont
in Switzerland, then worked for brief stints at several European chocolate
companies. In the United States I worked at La Nouvelle patisserie
in San Francisco, then opened my own business. I learned mostly by
chocolate making here. It was very different working here, with no
long-term employees and little equipment, than it was working in the European
kitchens. |
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Where
do you get your inspiration for the different flavors and textures
you include in your chocolates? |
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Sometimes we are inspired
by combinations we have tried elsewhere, or ingredients we like. A
lot of ideas for successful products come from employees: they may
be something they personally want or have seen or just think would
taste good. Other times we get requests from customers. We could get
frequent requests for certain products or we could get requests or
special orders for something really interesting. One of our best-selling
products was a frequently repeated request from one customer, who
then placed a special order because we would not do it.
The flavor was spicy pepper. We tested lots of peppers and levels
of spiciness. Now chipotle is one of our best-selling products.
A standard batch has a medium smoky and spice level. Once a year
the customer orders a special batch for his “hot luck”
with a much hotter pepper and twelve times as much pepper.
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If you
had to describe your product line in a couple of sentences, what would
that be? |
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We make fine chocolates, in
small batches, with excellent ingredients. |
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What
is your personal favorite out of all the products you make and why? |
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My favorite chocolate is the
vanilla-infused ganache. My favorite product is the Brownie Mix because
it allows people to make great brownies at home with great chocolate
and a great recipe. |
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