Willy Wonka’s Factory Is Alive and Well in Montecito

Caruso’s takes sustainability seriously. Chef Massimo Falsini takes great pride in attention to each and every detail at the Michelin-starred fine dining restaurant at the Rosewood Miramar Beach property. 

“In Caruso’s, we approach sustainability not just from the product perspective, like where it comes from, and how it’s grown, that it’s organic, and so on, but also from the social side, which is extremely important,” said Falsini, as we sat outside the ocean-view property and chatted about chocolate, cacao, and his recently launched zero-waste bean-to-bar chocolate program, in which his team makes the chocolate in-house. 

Cacao can’t be grown locally, so Falsini began his research with a trip to Hawai‘i in April 2025, visiting about 16 farms in Oahu to find the best partners. Hawai‘i is the most sustainable producer in the world thanks to state agricultural and environmental laws that enforce fair trade practices and regenerative methods, and chocolate from Hawai‘i is also often considered superior for its unique, complex flavor profile, which is a result of the islands’ distinct volcanic terroir, according to some information Falsini shared. Other contributing factors include high cocoa butter content, an ethical and sustainable supply chain, and the quality control inherent in a “bean-to-bar” domestic production process. 

With his high-school-age daughter Evelyn along to assist (“she is very, very interested in fermentation and the farming process”), they selected three farms to work with. “They are incredible to us,” said Falsini, “and the reason why is, I test the food, and also I test the cacao. I did the harvest with them, and we did the drying, and we came up with some specs, each of them, … and we started the collaboration.”

Falsini said he explained to his partner Rick Caruso (owner of the hotel), “I told him, ‘Rick, I need a little investment, so we’re gonna make chocolate in the Miramar.’ And he said, ‘Oh, really? Oh, wow, you always come up with something.’ And the only challenge is you can’t ship fruit from Hawai‘i, right. So, what they do for me, I established a fermentation process and a drying process with them, so they ferment and dry for us, and then they send it to us.”

The Hawaiian cacao farms Caruso’s works with include 21 Degrees Estate, in Kaneohe, Oahu, a 10-acre farm owned by retired military veterans Michael Rogers and Maria Carl. They also work with Mauna Kea Cacao in Pepeekeo, a 100 percent woman-owned business, with Susan Basset as the chocolatier and farmer, as well as Lavaloha Chocolate in Hilo, a one hundred percent Hawaiian-owned farm with Daeus Bencomo as the farm director.

Cacao doesn’t taste like chocolate when harvested, Falsini explained. It’s bitter and vegetal. The magical properties of chocolate come from human craftsmanship. First is the fermentation, which is done in Hawai‘i and triggers enzymatic reactions, creating precursors of chocolate aroma, and then the roasting is done by the Caruso’s team, led by Executive Pastry Chef Vincent Donatelli in Montecito — each of the farms’ cacao fruit has a different roasting temperature, Falsini explains — which caramelizes sugars and unlocks the Maillard reaction, producing the deep, roasted notes we associate with chocolate. After roasting, the local team tempers and molds the chocolate in-house. They also use it to create cacao butter and cacao tea without anything going to waste.

Similar to wine and coffee and other crops, what’s planted around the cacao will influence the ultimate taste, as will the roasting time and temperature. “Basically, when you roast for a shorter time, the more fruit you get from the cacao,” said Falsini. “The more you roast, the longer you roast, the less fruit you get — you get more chocolatey flavor, just like the coffee.”

The result is featured on the Caruso’s tasting menu. In addition, the restaurant will begin providing a takeaway chocolate bar featuring the Caruso’s blend. “So, it’s going to be a gift when they choose to enjoy the tasting menu,” said Falsini.

Speaking of tasting, I was one of the lucky few who was able to taste these handcrafted, sustainably produced chocolates without dining at Caruso’s, and the variation between each type was notable. “We want every farm to shine,” said Falsini, who walked me through the differences between the 21 Degrees Estate, which was very floral, with notes of papaya and banana; the Lavaloha, which is also fruity, but less so than the 21 Degrees; and the Mauna Kea, which is more chocolatey.  

“Every one of them is special,” said Falsini. The chocolate tasting, which they call the “IlNostro Willy Wonka, Bean-to-Bar Chocolate Degustation” is a $45 addition to the meal featuring three single-origins chocolate and one blend paired with a whiskey selection, served as napolitains (bite-sized gourmet chocolate squares) with cacao husk tea.

Caruso’s is located at the Rosewood Miramar Beach, 1759 South Jameson Lane, Montecito. For more information, see bit.ly/4dAXVFu.