Articles by author: Jean-Michel Carre
The Mystery of the Chocolate Bissou! by Angela Borda
Bienvenue a Santa Barbara! A Glorious Gift Basket!
“Welcome!” Jill Marie says as I sit down at the mahogany tables at the back of the Santa Barbara shop.
“Make yourself at home!” I feel especially welcome because I am looking at the beautiful new
Curry Coconut Truffles: A Chocolatier’s Pride and Joy
I can admit that when I see a candy wrapped in gold foil, my inner child gets excited and I remember Christmas treats given as gifts, that delight of unwrapping something unknown, but hoping most of all to find chocolate inside. And Jean-Michel’s curry coconut truffle, wrapped in gold foil, will not disappoint you on that count
Avocado Truffles! A Visit with Chocolatier Jean-Michel Carré
If you are like me, you saw Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory as a child and dreamed of one day being given that golden ticket to witness the magic of chocolate making. Well, today is the day. I’ve been given the golden ticket. Jean-Michel has welcomed me to his shop in Carpinteria to witness the making of his sublime chocolates.
Testimonials
I've been chocolate tasting before with my mom and sister (The chocolate was paired with hot tea). I was in the area and had the opportunity to come to Chocolats du Calibressan for a chocolate tasting and couldn't pass it up! On their website they offer a Chocolate Tour and Tasting which are held on the 3rd Saturday of each month at 3 PM and you must RSVP by the Wednesday prior to the event. The tours last 1 hour, include a complimentary glass of champagne and are $25/person. We were with Captain Jack's Santa Barbara Tours and this was one of our stops. When we arrived we were immediately greeted by Jill (her husband Jean-Michel is the talent behind the scenes.) Each of us got to pick any 3 chocolates from the display cases and they also provided us with sample chocolates so we could taste the various kinds. For my 3, I picked La Arcada Turtle (milk chocolate ganache with "Cajeta" Mexican milk caramel in milk chocolate turtle shell, Balsamic (salted Balsamic vinegar in a dark chocolate shell), and the Rocher (praline and milk chocolate, rolled together in caramelized diced almonds and milk chocolate). All were so delicious and I also learned a lot about the art of chocolate making (even down to how to wash the molds). I'm a chocolate lover and this place was like heaven to me.Charlene C.
Rancho Cucamonga, CA