Alain Ducasse is often called the Godfather of French cuisine and for good reason. The multi Michelin-starred chef has opened restaurants across the globe, run a well-liked cooking school in authored several cookbooks and become a brand unto himself in his illustrious 25+ year career. That he has moved on to open Paris’s first bean to bar chocolate manufacture speaks to his unflagging ambition and ever-widening reach.

While Paris has no shortage of renowned chocolatiers, none produce their chocolate from scratch given the complexity of the process which requires expensive, highly specialized machines and the savoir-faire to operate them. And that’s saying nothing of the keen sense for sourcing the beans which is equally as important.

The idea for the venture emerged from a conversation with Ducasse’s head corporate pastry chef, Nicolas Berger. Unwilling to settle for yet another chocolate shop in a saturated market, he insisted on working with Berger from the very beginning, to focus on releasing the distinct nuances of each bean to produce an intense product that speaks to the most discerning of chocolate lovers.
If you can’t make it to Paris anytime soon to visit La Manufacture, take a look at the video below* for an enchanting glimpse into the savoir-faire of Ducasse’s modern-day chocolate factory.
*If reading this in your email, click to be taken to the web version and watch the video. 

Chocolat Alain Ducasse
La Manufacture
40 rue de la Roquette, 75011
http://www.lechocolat-alainducasse.com