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| Fran’s
Chocolates |
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Fran’s Chocolates is
a Seattle institution. Owner Fran Bigelow and her son Dylan continuously
win awards for their chocolate creations. Beautiful packaging reflects
the quality and craftsmanship of the chocolates inside. |
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What motivated you to open a chocolate business? |
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I was fortunate to be introduced
to the magic of chocolate in France more than thirty years ago and
the smell and flavor changed my life. |
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Fran's Chocolates'
butter caramels are hand-dipped in dark chocolate and sprinkled with
Brittany gray sea salt. Sweet and salty has been a favorite
since my childhood when my Dad bought chocolate-covered Spanish peanuts
as a treat. |
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Did you have any formal training in chocolate making? |
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This interest in chocolate
continued and led me to San Francisco’s California Culinary
Academy, where I apprenticed with a Swiss Pastry chef in 1976. On
returning to Seattle in 1980, I set about creating the company. Fran’s
Chocolates debuted in 1982 featuring specialty desserts focused on
chocolate and a single chocolate truffle that became the foundation
for my complete line of chocolate confections. |
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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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My goal was to create a European
style chocolate shop and to make artisan chocolates that bring out
the flavor of chocolate, thus creating a pure chocolate experience.
“Chocolate is the hero and all the other ingredients are there
to support and highlight its taste. I am looking for flavor over sweetness,
allowing the complex characteristics of the finest chocolate to envelop
your palate and create a perfectly balanced taste.” |
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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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My objective has always been
to provide the ultimate taste experience by cooking with only the
finest ingredients in small batches, using no preservatives or artificial
additives. This commitment to quality remains the guiding philosophy
for the company today |
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What
is your personal favorite out of all the products you make and why? |
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My personal favorite is the
bittersweet truffle. For me this is the perfect chocolate: A thin,
crisp chocolate coating that snaps as you bite into it, yielding to
a meltingly smooth deep chocolate center that dissolves on your tongue,
lingers and leaves you with the pure taste of chocolate. |
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