Salon du Chocolat 🍫 et Patisserie 2025

 Tuesday was opening night of SALON DU CHOCOLAT 🍫!

A grand event that always makes winter more bearable 🤸‍♂️

Salon du Chocolat 2

 

I returned to the Salon du chocolat this morning (9:55 at opening time).

Mainly because I ate 😋 all the samples I collected to give my copyshop guy from opening night.

Salon du Chocolat - Paris

 

Well, the Salon du Chocolat was fun 🍫

Of course I didn’t resist any chocolate 🍫 offerings until at least an hour in.

Salon du Chocolat, Oct 28 - Nov 1, 2023

 

At Friday night’s opening of the 2023 Salon du Chocolat I made a bee-line for Maison Pralus.

There are always ready snacks of their famous cake, Le Praluline. An incredible brioche made with pink praliné chips (sugared almonds). It is a classic Lyonnaise dessert  first made by August Pralus in 1955. 

Chocolate is good for you, Salon du Chocolat

 

I went back to the Salon du Chocolat on Monday to see what I had missed opening night like this giant sculpture by Francois Daubinet. Is it really made of chocolate? The Answer: OUI from M. Daubinet 👏

There were many chocolate sculptures. Animals are always a favorite. So far no one had taken a bite.  

Salon du Chocolat - Chateau Vaux le Vicomte 2014

As if 5 days of the annual Paris Salon du Chocolat wasn't enough. The following weekend beginning of November along comes the chocolate salon at chateau Vaux le Vicomte near Melun.

Naturally I couldn't disappoint you by missing it could I?

And bear said he'd like to attend. 

The weather was sunny and lovely and not the least bit chilly.

Because of Remembrance Day on Tuesday, the chocolate salon was extended to 4 days. It's just a 35 minute train ride from Gare de Lyon and a quick hop on the chateaubus. Please add this to your extensive lists of Don't Misses PBers.

After all former owner of the chateau, Comte Nicolas Fouquet would be very disappointed if you didn't partake. I wonder what he'd think of the salon but then he adored giving grand soirées so he'd probably be first in line for the hot chocolate. If you'd like to see the chateau in its glorious hey day rent the costume film VATEL with Gerard Depardieu. Very grand indeed.

Sadaharu Aoki was on hand making his fabulous chocolate macaron/green tea cakes. I got 2 to eat later...Haha

There were a slew of top chefs in the grand ballroom and as always an outrageous chocolate sculpture. OK several outrageous chocolate sculptures.

Bear had to get up close to study Vaux le Vicomte's symbolic squirrels in chocolate.

Jean-Charles Rochoux was there as always with his mother. I, with the best of intentions, bought a little box of his heavenly chocolate ganache truffles for my concierge. Which...ahem...I just wolfed down. Fortunately his tiny shop is nearby in the 6th so I can easily replace them.

Bear loves Mazet's almond dragees. It was all I could do to keep his paws out of the generous tasting bowls of candy.

We both are crazy for Arnaud Larher's macarons. I got citron and mandarin macarons.

I'm finding more and more things to love from Sadaharu Aoki like these not-so sweet rusk 'macarons' he makes. Perfect for tea time. I think I need a replacement soon. Uh oh

Here's the list of excellent chefs taking part at the chateau (most show up every year). Fewer than the big Paris salon but oh so much more manageable. Just as the chateau is a mini version of Versailles designed by the same architect, Louis le Vaux, landscaper, Le Notre and interior decorator, Charles Le Brun. A wonderful day outing for the family or singles. Starting 29 of November the chateau will put on it's annual Noël fete. I hope to make it this year.

Of course there are some chocolate gowns to ooogle..

Can there ever be too many chefs stirring the pot when it's a pot of hot chocolate? A nearby pastry school, Antoine Careme always does demos and classes for the little ones at the salon. This is when I'd like to drink Alice's potion and shrink down to pint size. Kids have a ball in France. Not that I'm complaining at all.
*Here's a tip I've finally figured out after visiting many of these salons.
Buy what they are making onsite, like Aoki's Tokyo macaron Yaki or the hot chocolate. These items are freshly made and usually reasonably priced for feeding the masses.
You simply can't go wrong.
Hope to see you there next year PBers!

Salon du Temptation

They say if you draw the food you crave you will forget about craving it.

In fact drawing your favorite foods can be a mood booster. Drawing pizza makes you feel 28% happier. Who knew?

At the SALON DU CHOCOLAT I wish they would hand out sketch pads and pencils at the door to help us control our cravings. Walter Mischel talks about the15-minute marshmallow test he gave kids years ago. He has a book coming out on self control shortly. The chocolate salon is kind of 3-4 hour 'marshmallow test'. You are bombarded with temptation right and left.

We are all reduced to 5 years old and smart vendors know that.

This sign is for adults.

I stood and flirted with this tropical baba concoction from Laurent Duchene for easily 5-10 minutes. Then I sent this picture to Jill Colonna and she went and ate it for me. Too kind.

I wish more tasty items had glass bell jars protecting them.

One of Mischel's techniques is distracting yourself by singing songs or looking elsewhere. Carl Marletti's tartelette citron is resistible when surrounded by the distraction chocolate aromas.

Clever pastry chef Sadaharu Aoki always has macarons baking onsite at the show. You can buy big ones hot off the griddle for under 5€. He appeals to all your senses. Irresistible.

Some pastry chefs like Hugo and Victor create something special each year like this faux sweet hotdog under 5€. Raspberries and mango instead of catchup and mustard.

I remember eating these Belgian crispy waffles last year and can't resist this year. Memory comes into play in the game of temptation. It was from the same vender too. She had complimented me on buying the waffle plain with no extras.

Last year and the year before I ate Arnaud Lahrer's wonderful caramelly Kouign-Amann. This year I practiced some resistance and walked away. Not easy.

My waistline since I've moved to Paris now looks like this. M.I.A.(gone missing).

Meanwhile the toasting almonds churn in sugar at Mazet Confiseur's stand. We look on and salivate. Choices, choices.

Pralus, as usual is baking his special praline bread on site. It smells and tastes divine.

You used to be able to buy a half. Now they sell only the whole loaf, so it's easier to resist.

The jam people have figured it out unlike many others at the show.

Taste to your hearts content. No limit on the number of spoons.

A long bank of jam jars. A flavor for everyone. I bought their hazelnut spread.
As Oscar Wilde said, "The only way to get rid of temptation(tentation) is to yield to it... I can resist everything but temptation."
What's your irresistible temptation? Do tell all. 

For some this is lunch or research. A chance to fine tune the taste buds. 

Speaking of choices, I've now got an archive of 6 past Paris sketch letters you can now buy all at one time as a gift or give to someone else yourself one at a time.

Salon Du Chocolat 2014

My haul from last night's opening soirée at the SALON DU CHOCOLAT. I was focused on small chocolate souvenir cards to stuff the Paris Sketch Letters with more than edibles. Impulse did finally get the better of me but my neighbors will be happy when they open their front doors this morning. Some people are not safe around caramel chocolate wafers. Guess who?

The chocolate salon is celebrating it's 20th birthday. It's reach is now world wide with chocolate celebrations across the globe. This global chocolate dress says it all. I'm going back today to sketch the chocolate creations.

Cémoi of the wonderful marshmallow chocolate bears had this old but quite elegant poster on display.

Once the chocolate fashion show gets going everyone crowds round hoping for a look. The perfect time for me to go off shooting the stands.

There is a big homage of photos to M. Chocolat, ROBERT LINXE who made Paris the chocolate center of the world with his MAISON DU CHOCOLAT years ago. I remember when he came to the James Beard House and gave us a tasting and demo eons ago. Linxe remains the mentor and role model to France's chocolatiers without doubt. La creme du la creme.

His Maison has always had wonderfully elegant design. The show this year seemed filled with elegant design. Perfect so close to Paris Fashion Week.

Of course I'm a big fan of the design and chocolates of Frederick Cassel Fontainebleau.

This year like last, he used my drawings as a backdrop for his chocolates.

His limited edition feve honoring Bonaparte are ready if you plan ahead for your January galette du roi.

On to the chocolate, stacks and stacks of it in every imaginable flavor.

Molten chocolate never ceases to fascinate. Ah...the smell of it.

There will always be chocolate fountains and the temptation to pass a finger under...don't you dare.

Here's huge pear that did pass under the chocolate wave. I must go back and search for this.

Football fields of exquisite chocolates. These are from Dalloyau and I can attest they are excellent after 4 samples. The passion fruit in milk chocolate especially.

Of course it's purely an interest in abstract shapes that attracts me. Cube, sphere, Cezanne would have been happy.

Praliné spheres encircling a dark chocolate tree from Michel Cluizel with LED lights. Eat your tree. No waste. No mess.

On to the buche du Noel. Here the chocolate log is taken to ultimate simplicity with wit and elegance by master chocolatier Jean-Paul Hévin.

A more playful version from Hévin.

I felt like this guy when I left at 10:30 pm. The clocks moved back last weekend and I still haven't adjusted.

Should you go to the Salon du Chocolat  if you're in Paris? 

I say YES!

There are many more things besides chocolate if you don't love the bean. The elegant, inspiring presentation alone is a good reason to go. Chocolate chefs are artists so expect eye candy of the highest order. If you need more proof check out my other pictures on Flickr.