SUMMER 2022 - LIMITED EDITION
TASTE OF SUMMER COLLECTION
twenty-four bonbons, six unique seasonal flavors
Taste of Summer Collection
our seasonal collection of truffles
SIX NOSTAGLIC SUMMER FLAVORS
S'mores
Inspired by Head Chocolatier Ashley Ugarte's enduring memories of summer BBQs and camping trips, the S'more bonbon harmonizes each component of this essential warm-weather treat. Ashley starts by cold-smoking a velvety 70% chocolate ganache under a glass dome, using an aromatic blend of apple, pecan, and cherry woods. Then, with a blowtorch, Ashley hand-toasts our house-made vanilla-bean marshmallow as it is whipped, capturing the distinctive flavor of campfire roasting. A praline layer made from crushed gluten-free graham crackers and house-made white chocolate provides a final, unmistakable graham-cracker crunch.
Strawberry Rhubard Pie
Every summer in North Salem, NY, Chocolatier Ally and her family enjoy her dad’s favorite strawberry rhubarb pie, baked with fruit from a local orchard, and offered in its country store. In the same spirit, we source fresh farmers’-market organic strawberries to make sweet strawberry caramel (with the seeds included), and fresh rhubarb to craft tangy pâte de fruit, giving this bonbon a homemade essence.
Plum & Honey Parfait
This bonbon is inspired by Confections Sous Chef Dillon’s first taste of a just-picked plum, when he was a child visiting his uncle’s Central Valley orchard. (He was so blown away by the plum’s flavor that he tried planting its seed in his backyard, with no success.) Locally sourced plums are simmered down into tangy, house-made pâte de fruit, then paired with house-made one-ingredient Marshall’s Farm Marin wildflower honey caramel, and hand-crafted whole-Greek-yogurt labneh, bringing sweet, tart, and floral-honey notes to every bite.
Creamsicle
For Confections Sous Chef Paula, fresh orange juice recalls early memories of her childhood in Colombia (whose tropical climate offers a profusion of fruit juices to savor), and brings to mind the abundant citrus groves of California, her current home. Crafted to evoke sun-soaked early weeks of summer, our Creamsicle bonbon combines creamy, house-made vanilla-bean couverture and tangy, refreshing citrus, in homage to the ice-cream-truck classic treat. Fresh orange oil and freshly zested orange peel bring an energizing acidity to this silky-smooth confection.
Peanut Butter & Jelly
Peanut butter and jelly sandwiches (cut diagonally, always) were the fuel of choice for Chocolatier Shelby during her childhood summer-camp adventures in the Santa Cruz mountains. Our Confections team recreates the celebrated duo in a bonbon featuring tart-yet-sweet pâte de fruit made of fresh, farmers' market California raspberries, and house-made peanut praline accented by crunchy, nutty cocoa nibs.
Piña Colada
This bonbon captures the freshness of a piña colada, which takes Chocolatier Scarlet right back to relaxed, breezy beach vacations. Coconut-milk couverture is crafted in-house, then blended into a “ganache” with fresh pineapple, fresh lime zest, coconut purée, and Puerto Rican white rum. For the finishing touch, we pipe a dot of hand-made cherry pâte de fruit right into each ganache center, in a nod to the maraschino cherries often used to garnish piña coladas.
Notes from Ashley
HEAD CHOCOLATIER
Summer takes me back to sunscreen-scented days at the neighborhood pool, outdoor adventures in brutal Texas heat, and backyard carne asadas with family (complete with aguas frescas, bottomless homemade tortillas, and s’mores to finish). For others, summer is a recollection of cross-country roadtrips, solo trips abroad, or reunions back home with family and old friends.
For my own team, thoughts of summer revive long-lost childhood treasures, trips to tropical destinations, days spent at summer camp, and cherished time with family. Dillon recalls the taste of his very first farm-fresh plum, while Paula thinks fondly of her grandfather and his love of vanilla ice cream. Shelby craves her beloved childhood snack, Ally remembers her father’s favorite pie, and Scarlett daydreams of being beach-side with a piña colada.
Regardless of the experience, each summertime moment is safely tucked away in our memories, awaiting the instant that a song, a faint aroma, or a bite of food might recall its existence to the forefront of our minds. Nostalgic feelings of joy are triggered, and suddenly we are lost in our own state of summer reverie.
In this collection, we bring fondly remembered childhood treats to life as exquisite chocolate confections.
Notes from Ashley
HEAD CHOCOLATIER
Head Chocolatier Ashley Ugarte runs our confections program alongside Sous Chefs Dillon Zell and Paula Navarrete, and they produce our Single-Origin Truffle Collection, Seasonal Collections, and Single-Origin Chocolate Nut Spreads by hand. Ashley takes inspiration from her Mexican heritage, the unique cultures surrounding each of our origins, and the abundance of locally grown California produce to create elegant confections that tell a story. Her ultimate mission is to honor and showcase the farmers behind each ingredient, through origin-focused, indulgent "mementos" to savor.
Hand-crafted in San Francisco
Head Chocolatier Ashley Ugarte runs our confections program alongside Sous Chefs Dillon Zell and Paula Navarrete, and they produce our Single-Origin Truffle Collection, Seasonal Collections, and Single-Origin Chocolate Nut Spreads by hand. Ashley takes inspiration from her Mexican heritage, the unique cultures surrounding each of our origins, and the abundance of locally grown California produce to create elegant confections that tell a story. Her ultimate mission is to honor and showcase the farmers behind each ingredient, through origin-focused, indulgent "mementos" to savor.