Éclat Chocolate in West Chester is re-imagining old favorites like the truffle to offer a taste of true chocolate magic in these bleak, coronavirus-defined days, writes Craig LaBan for The Philadelphia Inquirer.

Éclat’s Christopher Curtin invented chocolate/caramel disks called mondiants, which are a modern spinoff of the classic mendiants, through vision and experimentation. This same approach has led to many of his other hits as well, including a chocolate round threaded with fresh peanut butter.

“I have never seen that anywhere else,” said Eric Ripert of New York City’s famed Le Bernardin.

Ripert calls Curtin one of the greatest chocolatiers in the world and describes his creations as “simple and modern, but unbelievable in texture and delicacy of flavors. You hit those kind of high notes very rarely in a career as a chef.”

It is no wonder, then, that Éclat’s parallel bar series of chocolates spiced with savory accents are in the Museum of Modern Art’s gift shop.

Unfortunately, the pandemic has left no one unaffected. Éclat has seen its business fall by 50 percent, which includes the loss of restaurant, wholesale, and hotel customers.

Read more about Éclat Chocolate in The Philadelphia Inquirer here.

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