The first woman ever to be named maître chocolatier, Cecilia Tessieri has apprenticed in many chocolate shops in France, Belgium, Germany, and Holland. She learned how to work with chocolate here, but didn’t begin to apply her own truly unique methods until years later when she pioneered ethical cacao-sourcing strategies while staying true to the art of chocolate making. Her creations always take the extra step in the kitchen – using a 72 hour conching process instead of soy lecithin emulsifiers. Conching is a process used in making chocolate where the characteristic taste, smell and mouth feel is developed through aerating and mechanical refinement.