salon du chocolat - paris

this happened october 17th… but when it comes to chocolate, better later than never, don’t you agree?

imagine: a giant room in paris filled with chocolate vendors and makers.

and imagine: the only thing separating you from that is an hour long train ride and an entry ticket.

so there was no doubt i was going to be there. and i was. and here are all the things i saw (and tasted).

the chocolate samples may have been free, but you needed to fight for them. they don’t come to you – you need to elbow and maneuver your way in so you are close enough to the sample plate. if not, too bad! or like the french say, tant pis!

chocolate bars. rows and stacks and piles of so many different kinds of beautifully packaged chocolate bars. how can does one even begin to make a choice…?

  candied fruits. candied fruits and chocolate. dangerous!

gorgeous blue and yellow calissons. ground almonds mixed with some sort of candied fruit, then layered with icing make up this elegant candy. they are usually about one inch long…

however, for the salon du chocolat, they had a monster-sized one that they were selling chunks of for charity.

stacks. i love layers. heaps of chocolate. layers of flavors. piles of chocolate books. just can’t get over les couches. just seeing piles of such sweetness makes me super happy.

and watching people create is amazing as well. these beauties are from tokyo chocolate. it’s amazing how something so complicated and elaborate looking is actually made so swiftly and easily… but one must think about all the time and dedication spent learning!

sadaharu aoki. how i love you. however, i didn’t buy anything from you because i can easily find you in paris… sorry! salon du chocolat was for things i could not find easily :)

chocolate. chocolate and ribbon. selling stuff is all about presentation and display, i tell you! but i’m sure the chocolate was equally delicious.

and lots of mannequins with chocolate outfits. yum! and gorgeous.

there was even a mini chocolate coating machine. where else can you eat fresh-off-the-conveyer-belt-chocolate…? (besides a chocolate factory, of course)

and it wasn’t just chocolate. it was anything that could be related to chocolate. thus, there were also cakes and chestnuts and pralines and nougats. basically, if it contained sugar, it was there.

chocolate spreads. with the cutest caps ever. dangerous!

macarons. of course you’d find them here! however, samples of these were a tough one to get, expectedly so.

elegant glass viles filled with things that taste good with chocolate, as well as the most seductive black box i’ve ever seen in my entire life.

that’s just the photo. can you imagine the smell of the bundle of vanilla beans from madagascar that overloaded your senses as you walked by?

no chocolate show is complete without a chocolate fountain. and a very deceptive saucisse that was actually chocolate. and a mini version of the palais garnier opera house in paris made entirely of chocolate thanks to dalloyau. and studded with crystals from swarovski.

last but not least, a checkers set made entirely of chocolate. board included. imagine. at the end of the game, you get to devour everything.

spices. and salt. all things that i love with chocolate. in fact, theo’s (sadly, no appearances at the paris salon du chocolat) coconut curry bar hits the spot each time. and anytime i have chocolate with fleur de sel… the chocolate does not last long.

sorry i didn’t take down more notes about all the chocolatiers, their names, their history, their methods, their interesting stories, and their secrets… i was too busy reaching for samples and soaking up just being there. but what that really means is that you must go there yourself one day if you find yourself close to a salon du chocolat! (and there are multiples in the world!)