An Inside Look at Jacques Torres Chocolate

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Jacques Torres is not only a master chocolatier, he’s a Brooklyn pioneer. Torres, who had worked as the pastry chef at the renowned Manhattan restaurant Le Cirque, decided to make it on his own in Brooklyn. He set up shop here in Dumbo way back in 2000, then a fledgling neighborhood that didn’t seem like the obvious choice for a chocolate factory.

Torres and his business partner built the factory by hand and from scratch, working right up until opening day. Torres’ goal was to make hand-crafted, premium chocolates without preservatives, additives, extracts, oils or essences. His bon-bons, hot chocolate, chocolate-covered snacks, and chocolate bars became popular quickly, and by 2004 Torres was ready to expand into Manhattan.

Jacques Torres Chocolate shop in Dumbo photo courtesy of Jacques Torres.

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In 2009, the now-famous chocolatier expanded his operations to include ice cream, opening the first Jacques Torres Ice Cream shop next to the original Jacques Torres Chocolate in Dumbo. There are now nine Jacques Torres locations throughout New York.

 

jacque-torres-chocolate-shop-dumbo-brooklyn-chocolate-bars Chocolate bars at Jacques Torres | Mel L. via Yelp

 

What to get: It’s hard to recommend any one thing at Jacques Torres, especially if you’re a chocolate lover. Chocoholics make the trek to sample Torres’ line of dark and milk chocolates in many forms: candy bars, bonbons with flavors like pistachio-marzipan, espresso beans, chocolate-peanut-brittle, and much more.

On a morning trip, settle in with a cup of hot chocolate (just as rich as you’d expect it to be — you can also order a spicy, “wicked” hot chocolate) and one of the house-baked croissants.

Hours are Monday-Saturday from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. and Sunday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.

 

jacques-torres-chocolate-dumbo-nyc-cookie The very famous Chocolate Chip Cookie | Meghan H. via Yelp

 

For an afternoon treat, pick up one of the huge, chocolate-laced cookies or a few different types of truffles. If you’re visiting in the summer, sample the ice cream or the iced hot chocolate. And before you leave, pick up a bag of chocolate-covered cornflakes or chocolate bars to go.

 

jacque-torres-chocolate-dumbo-brooklyn-truffles Yummy truffles | Mel L. via Yelp

A version of this post originally appeared on ExploreBK.

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