Chocolats
du CaliBressan Bringing Holiday Cheer
Jean-Michel
Carre and wife Jill-Marie, owners of Chocolats du Cali
Bressan, opened their doors in Santa Barbara, California in
1996. Jean-Michel's original designs and sensational chocolate
recipes quickly earned him recognition as the finest French
chocolatier of the American Riviera. His sweet sensation designs
are considered works of art by his devoted customers, and the
quality of his chocolate is exceptional.
In past years I have delighted in serving as a judge for the
annual TasteTV Chocolate Salon, where savoring and selecting
the best chocolatiers in a variety of categories became a very
tasty but serious responsibility. Today, it is satisfying to
know my neighbors and friends in Santa Barbara are blessed to
have an extraordinary chocolate maker right in their own back
yard.
Jean-Michel & Jill-Marie Carre
Jean-Michel
was born and raised in France, where he acquired his Chocolate
skills at the Ecole Nationale Supérieure de la Pâtisserie.
French fine chocolate making is a well known art in cities like
Paris and Vienna, but today local Santa Barbara residents, and
visitors alike, are privileged to enjoy fine chocolate gourmand
surprises all year long.
The
impressive corporate designs Jean-Michel creates for business
clients are recognized, and savored by everyone. A gift box
of chocolates from Chocolats du Cali Bressan is recognized by
those in the know as a gift of extremely fine chocolate, and
it is a gift that is always highly appreciated. These corporate
little sweets are often served by event planners at area client
sponsored events, and seen as the perfect finishing touch to
a luncheon or dinner. During the Christmas holidays Jean Michel
labors creating his signature Christmas Tree design, a colorful
and delicious chocolate arrangement to grace any holiday business
or family event.
Chocolate Avocado Truffle
Locals
know and love Jean-Michel's special event designs, including
the Chocolate and Avocado Truffles he serves at the Annual Avocado
Festival each year, as well as his signature French Bisous,
red lips made with dark and milk ganache with tangerine, which
is a favorite all year round, but especially on Valentine's
Day. Others include the Buddha Beauty, a truffle amulet filled
with soft salted caramel that comes with instructions to lick
his belly for good luck. His career path has included 30 years
in the kitchens of restaurants in France, Switzerland and the
U.K., and his success is surely the result of his passion for
making fine artistic chocolates.
Their
chocolate kitchen is located in the Chocolats du Cali Bressan
in Carpinteria, and is a wonderland of sweet delights, where
Jean-Michel experiments daily with unique ingredients to fill
special client requests. The salon on State Street and Figueroa
in Santa Barbara is a magical venue, featuring cases filled
with a bevy of his unique creations, where they now serve home-made
hot chocolate, gelato along with beautiful personally designed
chocolate gift boxes.
Wine & Chocolate
Pairing
wine with chocolate is a natural inclination, and can be a delightful
marriage if you understand the basics. Below are few tips from
a few authorities on this sweet combination to help make your
season bright. "Wine and chocolate can go together, but
you need to match sweetness with sweetness, so avoid trying
to pair a dry red wine (like Cabernet Sauvignon or Pinot Noir)
with chocolate, and instead look to some great dessert wines,
like Vintage Port and Madeira from Portugal, or sweeter versions
of sherry from Spain. These wines bring a natural sweetness,
balanced by fresh acidity, to help keep up with the sweetness
of the chocolate you're enjoying, while also cleaning off your
palate so you're ready for the next bite!"-Thomas Pastuszak.
White chocolate and ice wine is another great pairing. There
are also a few domestic red dessert wines like late harvest
zinfandel and black muscat that are delicious accompaniments."-Jamie
Kaloustian.
Dark
chocolate with wine is a natural pairing, and some
say the full robust reds like Shiraz and Cabernet Sauvignon
have similar flavor profiles to exotic chocolates with notes
of red berry, oak and even tobacco at times. The distinct tasting
experience of an extra fine chocolate with a glass of Sweet
Spot Cabernet is appreciated by many, and Brander Cuvee Natalie
2014 or Korbel Sweet Rose are lovely options with chocolate.
Clos du Bois Shiraz 2012, Francis Ford Coppola Diamond Collection
Syrah-Shiraz 2014 or Ficklin Vintage Port also come highly recommended
to enjoy with sweet chocolate endings.
Travel
writer Rick Steves is said to be a devotee of Jean-Michel's
chocolates, and during the Cannes Film Festival the chocolate
making dynamic duo delivered gift baskets to stars in attendance
that included Jennifer Garner, Julian Moore, Jessica Albs, Jered
Leto, Halle Berry, Drew Barrymore, Cameron Diaz, Jennifer Lopez,
Justin Timberlake, and Cherlize Theron. "We were happy
to gift baskets to A-list celebrity clients during major events,"
said Jean-Michel.
For
many customers a gift box of Chocolats du Cali Bressan carries
the same distinctive recognition as a "little blue box"
from Tiffany, and will be equally appreciated by every recipient
this holiday season or for any special occasion. Members of
the J'adore Chocolate Club are able to receive five holiday
shipments of chocolate each year between October through March,
and a gift membership is also a thoughtful gift for your holiday
gift recipients.
Chocolats
du CaliBressan's La Arcada location is 1114 State Street, #2,
the Carpinteria venue is located at 4193 Carpinteria Avenue,
Suite 4. Visit: www.chocolateducalibressan.com
for hours of operation and additional details.
By Bonnie Carroll
About Bonnie Carroll
Bonnie Carroll has been a food/travel/lifestyle writer since
1983. She is the founder & publisher of Bonnie Carroll's
Life Bites News - www.lifebitesnews.com,
does travel and food reporting on KZSB1290 radio, and contributes
to a variety of national and international travel/lifestyle
publications. Her first children's book C.C. Charles was published
in 2002 and she is currently working on a second book. Contact
her at Contact her at writebc@aol.com.