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Visiting Madame Chocolat Is Like Going Home
Madame Chocolat Feeds Me Chocolate
I’d first seen Hasty Torres (aka Madame Chocolat) on “The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills” when Lisa Vanderpump bought pink Louboutin chocolate shoes from her … Drool!
Photo: iamnotastalker.com
Since then, I’ve followed her on Twitter and lived vicariously through her delicious life in Chocolate. But my visit to her store yesterday was the first time I really had the chance to meet her. Even though it was our first real visit, it felt like going home.
First, there’s the issue of her DeathbedFood. Like me, she LOVES to eat. I hear you, sister! And, based on her answer to what she’d put on her DeathbedFood list, I can see that, also like me: (a) she thinks about food A LOT; (b) she LOVES her family’s food – especially her mother’s; and (c) she ADORES chocolate:
Ooh-La-La MADAME! Ok … well, at the risk of jarring you, my AWESOME reader, I’d like to go from the sexy to the cerebral now …
We didn’t really get into this, but, like Hasty, I’ve also recently made a career shift in my life. Hasty went to USC and worked in Finance for six years before pursuing her passion for chocolate. Me? BA in Economics, an MBA, 15+ years in marketing … now a food blog and role as social media evangelist. It’s so inspiring to see how others have successfully leveraged their business backgrounds into their passion … as has Candace Nelson of Sprinkles and Melissa d’Arabian of Food Network stardom!
Meantime, Hasty and I share other crazy things. Take this chocolate bust for example …
100% Chocolate Corset (except the ribbon!)
Well, don’t take it, literally! This bust is something she custom designed made of 100% chocolate (except for the ribbons). While I can’t say that I’ve ever created a custom chocolate bust, I’m SURE I would if I had a chocolate store.
I’m also positive I’d decorate my store as she has. Hasty told me that she’s a “girlie girl” – as am I! And you can see that “girlie girl” influence throughout her store, beginning with the GORGEOUS custom chandelier in the center …
Gorgeous Custom Chandelier Sets The Tone
… which has stunning custom figurines throughout. Harry Winston jewelry couldn’t be prettier … and it’s a genius way to layer her brand throughout the store experience.
Custom Crystal Figurine Simply Divine
Even her packaging has the “girlie girl” feel. Below, one of her truffle boxes with her signature figurine (filled with the delectable chocolates she gave us). The boxes are deliberately designed to do more than just store chocolates … they have a magnet closure so that when the metal pin figurine on the ribbon is placed on top, the box is beautifully re-secured. She tells me many women keep the boxes to store jewelry or other small items later. I’ll do the same.
Madame Chocolat's Treat To Me
Last, but certainly not least, Madame Chocolat’s hospitality is second to none. When you’re in her store, you feel like you’ve been invited into her home and, for me, I just didn’t want to leave! So, here’s to another visit – and another – very soon. Meantime, you may see her at the Lexus Grand Tasting this Saturday at L.A. Food & Wine (L.A. Live, 12:00 – 3:00pm) – as well as at her store of course.
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