HappyTummy              

A few weeks ago I went out to Los Angeles to visit family and friends. Whenever I travel, I always make sure to hit up local restaurants or food stores, and on this trip, I was lucky enough to have spent some time at the most exquisite chocolate shop. Compartes Chocolatier is a little boutique tucked away on a rather quiet street in Brentwood. It’s so unassuming, you’d almost miss it if you weren’t looking closely.

Jonathan Grahm is the genius behind Compartes. At just 24 and with no previous professional culinary training, he’s already at the top of his craft. On a whim a few years ago, he created a lovely concoction of roasted, caramelized nuts enrobed in chocolate, which he aptly named Love Nuts. They sold out immediately. Since then, he’s made it his full-time job to create bite-sized chocolate masterpieces that everyone—including me!—has gone ga-ga over. Not only are they deliciously addictive, they’re incredibly beautiful.

What’s really cool about Compartes is that everything is hand made. Jonathan comes up with the most amazing flavor combinations, he searches for the best ingredients, he creates the chocolates himself, he hand-paints the intricate patterns, he packages them. If you didn’t know any better, you’d assume the chocolates were factory-made, but no—his “factory” is a tiny back room where the magic happens. It’s amazing what he can do in such a tiny space!

When I looked in the display case, it was so hard to choose which flavors I wanted to try—the selection is overwhelming! I ended up buying a piece each of the Mango + Saffron, Lavender Marshmallow, Cup of Coffee, Strawberry Balsamic and Blackberry + Sage… and they were delicious. Other exotic combos he’s created include Raspberry + Rose, Sichimi 7 Spice, Kaffir Lime + Lemongrass, Cardamom + Coconut, Olive Oil + Rosemary, Spicy Mango, Umeboshi Plum + Vanilla + Rum, Honey + Quince + Lemon, Thai Pandan… the list goes on and on.

Oh yeah, the other scrumptious goodies he creates? Glacéed fruits dipped in chocolate. These were my favorite of all his chocolate creations, with fruits including apricot, pineapple, pears, dates and prunes enrobed in milk and dark chocolates. Yum!

He also makes lovely Artisan Chocolate Bars, chock full of fruit and other bits. Doesn’t Orange Peel + Pink Peppercorn and Candied Lemon + Himalayan Sea Salt sound fantastic?

Needless to say, I was completely stuffed after nibbling on his lovely creations. If you’re in the Los Angeles area, you should drop in and try a chocolate or two!