Some of us are chocolate connoisseurs, and others are chocolate masters! Becoming a chocolate master takes passion and dedication, and lots of training! Dorinda Vance is committed to making the best gourmet handcrafted chocolates possible, so Dorinda went to Costa Mesa recently to learn from the one and only chocolate master Stéphane Tréand!

Chocolate Master Stéphane Tréand

Stéphane Tréand is the ultimate Chocolate Master. He is known around the world as a chocolate craftsman and pastry chef. Tréand even has a ton of awards to prove it! Stéphane Tréand received the Meilleur Ouvrier de France, which is the National Government Award for Best Craftsman in France. The competition for this award in France is often considered the Olympics of Chocolate. What a tasty competition! Tréand lives in Costa Mesa, CA, where he makes delicious chocolate magic at St Pâtisserie Chocolat and also teaches the art of crafting chocolate truffles and pastries to passionate chocolatiers like Dorinda Vance. The pastries at St Pâtisserie Chocolat are definitely worth a road trip. 

Dorinda’s Chocolate Master Training

Dorinda's Chocolates Village at Northstar

Dorinda Vance has had a passion for making chocolate since she was young, which started with her famous Chocolate Covered Cherries. Dorinda learned about the science of chocolate at Ecole Chocolat and the art of making chocolate at Berry Callebaut. Chocolate master must always continue learning new tricks of the trade, so Dorinda spent a weekend earning a certificate of study by training with Stéphane Tréand.

Spending a weekend training with Stéphane Tréand in Costa Mesa was so great because it confirmed that we are using the best chocolate-making processes around. At Dorinda’s Chocolates, we make our handcrafted chocolates using the same techniques as chocolate masters of the highest professional level!

Chocolate Masters Use The Best Ingredients

Valrhona chocolate gourmet

Chocolate masters like Stéphane Tréand and our very own Dorinda Vance know that you have to use quality ingredients to make the best gourmet chocolate treats. At Dorinda’s Chocolates, we use Valrhona Chocolate, which is Fair Trade gourmet chocolate from France. Valrhona Chocolate grows their own cocoa on plantations in Venezuela and the Dominican Republic to make sure their cocoa is of the highest quality.

At Dorinda’s Chocolates, our gourmet handmade chocolates are made without preservatives or paraffin wax to make sure you get the pure gourmet chocolate experience without any junk added. We use the finest ingredients like Valrhona Chocolate to make our hand-dipped and handmade gourmet chocolates, and you can taste the difference.

How Do I Become A Chocolate Master?

It takes years of training to become a chocolate master, but you can still be an expert in your love for chocolate! You can start your journey to becoming a chocoholic by trying good chocolate and knowing what a difference quality ingredients can make for chocolate treats. Try a wide variety of chocolate truffles and more by signing up for our Chocolate of the Month Club here at Dorinda’s Chocolates!

Stop by any of our Dorinda’s Chocolates locations at The Summit Reno, The Village at Northstar Ski Resort, Reno’s Downtown Riverwalk, and Squaw Valley to see what makes our chocolate the gourmet chocolate standard.