I am a constant treasure hunter for passion. I love it when I find it in anything and everything around me. It can be as cheesy as passion felt through an 80s love ballad, or as profound as passion expressed with a paint brush. It's seen in the beautiful dishes that arrive in front of me at restaurants and felt most with overseas phonecalls with family. However, over the years passion has played a massive role in what I write about on FFG. I have met so many people that have truly found their passion in life and have turned their passion into incredible careers. I make it a habit of writing about those particular people as much as possible. Their passion is not only an inspiration for others to chase their dreams, but also, usually, the impetus for great results. Yesterday, I had the true privilege of meeting the man who is the heart and soul of incredible chocolate. Ladies and gentleman, batten down the hatches, as Pierre Marcolini has landed in London.
Now, if you happen to be sitting there scratching your head and wondering why you haven't heard of this sweet sensational genius, it may have something to do with the fact that he is a highly guarded secret amongst the chocolate snobs of the world (apparently even Kylie Minogue is a die hard fan). You won't find a theme park celebrating this man, nor will you find his goods littering supermarket shelves. No, Pierre Marcolini is truly the haute couture of chocolate and his goods are prized possessions amongst the sweet-toothed connoisseurs of the world. And now, here I am, meeting the man and tasting the chocolate for the first time. And yes, it's worth every penny and every ounce of effort to get to the Marylebone High Street store, where Pierre is waiting for me and where my eyes will be opened to the artistry of chocolate.
Pierre Marcolini is passion. His passion for what he does, what he creates, and the pleasure he brings the people who enjoy his product seem to be unparalleled. And here I thought I had the market cornered when it came to a love of all things chocolate. Pierre visits every location where his chocolate beans are grown and continually travels the world to find the best in raw cocoa. He then roasts the beans himself and overseas the entire production of the chocolate on site in Brussels. He shuns the fast growing hybrid cocoa beans for the best of the best, no matter the price. In fact, he insures he keeps the best cocoa beans in production by paying over market price for every bag. And when the goods arrive in Brussels, Pierre works his magic in pairing the beans to create a flavour that is completely unique to the brand. Of course the fun doesn't stop there. The chocolate itself is a taste sensation, but the way in which Pierre Marcolini pairs his chocolate with other complimentary ingredients is truly a work of otherworldly inspiration. I'll just say you'll find yourself in quite the pickle attempting to narrow down your chocolate selection in store. There's even an odd to Earl Grey. Yeah, I'll let you discover that for yourself.
And just to compliment things even further, the Marylebone High Street Pierre Marcolini store not only sells chocolate, it also sells beautiful melt-in-your-mouth macarons and eclairs (baked on site and already selling out daily). If you haven't had enough of this sweet sensation, there's also hot chocolate to sip while enjoying the sunshine on the high street. Visit, enjoy, indulge and thank all things sweet for the arrival of a new taste celebration in London.
Read more from the brand and order online here: http://ift.tt/1G9pL2s
And, as always, here's a look at my own experience with the brand, from limited edition chocolate to fresh eclairs.
FFG worked in collaboration with Pierre Marcolini.
