Chocolatier Shares Secrets with Mini Connoisseur
Aspiring Ganache Expert Fan Dips into Jessica Foster Confections
Isida Gruzdeva believes that all sweet dreams and candy indulgences inevitably end with chocolate. That’s why the 4-year-old mini ganache connoisseur, who’s also my daughter, sprung on the chance to get schooled in a new meaning of haut chocolat during an interview in the kitchen of chocolatier Jessica Foster.
What is it like to be a chocolate maker? That’s the best job in the world. It’s pretty cool, but a lot of work. Most people are excited to see me when I do deliveries. I make people happy, and that’s pretty fun.
How do you make the chocolates into all those cool shapes? I use molds to make the shapes. Did you see the one that looks like a jack-o’-lantern for Halloween? It’s a pumpkin with a face.
Yes, it’s cute. It has pumpkin seeds and sea salt inside. It’s pretty delicious.
We use a cookie cutter to make our cookies into shapes. But my mom says I never have to be cookie cutter. Yes, be yourself! That’s a good thing.
Do you get to taste all your chocolates? Absolutely! I get to taste everything.
Wow. You must lick a lot of bowls. Yes, it’s quality control.
My dad says to make things taste good you have to put love in your cooking. Do you put love in your chocolates? It’s definitely one of the main ingredients.
In addition to catering events and weddings, Jessica Foster Confections also ships two quarterly chocolate clubs:
Chocolate Lover’s Club: “Making chocolates is a nuance of temperatures,” said Foster, who makes every one of her impeccable chocolates by hand. “If someone has warm hands, they will have a hard time making chocolates.” Members of this club receive boxes of truffles, caramelized almonds, and other seasonal chocolate creations.
Truffle Club: “Any ingredient that is reasonable for me to grow, I do,” explained Foster of her personal garden of Meyer lemon trees, mint, thyme, and other seasonal ingredients she mixes into her truffles. “Then I know it’s organic and fresh.” This club offers an 18-piece assortment of varying truffles, unless club members specify they prefer only dark chocolate.
