A Deliciously Fun Guide
to Chocolate Tasting Parties, Gourmet Hot Cocoa & Sweet Gift Giving.

Because chocolate is love.

Some evenings deserve a little ceremony. A beautiful cup. Chocolate chosen especially for the occasion. Fresh milk warming on the stove while your favorite people settle in for a night together.

Welcome to The Chocolate Salon, where European café inspiration meets our own San Francisco Bay Area chocolate adventure and future fun events like the SF CHOCOLATE SALON.

Our Golden Gate Chocolate Kiss combines dark chocolate and creamy milk chocolate with fresh whole milk, a little cream, vanilla, and a whisper of sea salt. On top: softly whipped vanilla cream and a delicate salted chocolate shard.

Make it for a holiday gathering, a girls’ night in, or a sweet surprise for someone you love. Chocolate-colored pajamas are perfectly appropriate eveningwear.

The Chocolate Makes the Occasion

For our suggested Bay Area pairing, choose a plain Dandelion 70% dark chocolate bar and Guittard’s 38% milk chocolate baking wafers. Dandelion makes its chocolate in small batches using cocoa beans and organic cane sugar; Guittard offers its milk chocolate wafers for melting and baking.

Buy enough chocolate to taste a little before you begin. Notice the aroma, sweetness, and how slowly it melts on your tongue. Choosing the chocolate is part of the gathering.

Shop Dandelion Chocolate
Shop Guittard Chocolate

Golden Gate Chocolate Kiss Recipe

Makes: 4 petite dessert servings
Preparation: 10 minutes
Cooking: About 10 minutes
Optional garnish chilling: 10–15 minutes

Ingredients

For the hot chocolate

2 cups whole milk
¼ cup heavy whipping cream
100 grams / 3½ ounces plain dark chocolate, approximately 65–70% cacao, finely chopped
50 grams / 1¾ ounces plain milk chocolate, finely chopped
½ teaspoon vanilla bean paste
A tiny pinch of fine sea salt
Optional: 1–2 teaspoons brown sugar, after tasting

For the vanilla cream

½ cup cold heavy whipping cream
1 teaspoon powdered sugar
¼ teaspoon vanilla bean paste

For the salted chocolate shards

30 grams / approximately 1 ounce dark chocolate
A few lightly crushed flaky sea salt crystals
Optional: a small sprinkle of edible gold sugar

Instructions

1. Make the chocolate garnish.

Gently melt the garnish chocolate in a small heatproof bowl over barely simmering water, keeping the bowl above the water. Stir until smooth.

Spread thinly onto parchment paper. Sprinkle very lightly with flaky salt and optional edible gold sugar. Refrigerate until firm, about 10–15 minutes, then break into four slender shards.

2. Whip the vanilla cream.

Whip the cold cream, powdered sugar, and vanilla to soft peaks. Keep refrigerated while you prepare the chocolate.

3. Warm the milk and cream.

Pour the milk and ¼ cup cream into a small, heavy-bottomed saucepan. Warm over medium-low heat, stirring occasionally, until steaming with tiny bubbles around the edge. Keep the heat gentle.

4. Melt your chocolate blend.

Remove the saucepan from the heat. Add the chopped dark and milk chocolates. Let stand for 30 seconds, then whisk slowly until completely smooth.

5. Finish with vanilla and salt.

Whisk in the vanilla and the tiny pinch of fine salt. Return to low heat for 1–2 minutes, stirring continuously, until hot and glossy.

Taste before adding sugar. If you prefer a lighter consistency, whisk in warm milk one tablespoon at a time.

6. Serve with a little love.

Divide among four warmed, heat-safe cups. Add a soft cloud of vanilla cream and nestle a chocolate shard into each just before serving.

Bring the cups to the table together. This is the part where everyone gets quiet for a moment.

A Few Lovely Details

Use plain chocolate. Save filled chocolates and bonbons for the tasting plate.
Keep the portions petite. This is a rich chocolate dessert in a cup.
Keep the shards chilled until serving. These simple, untempered decorations soften in a warm room.
Make it for eight. Double every ingredient.
Choose edible decorations. Gold sugar should be labeled edible and have an ingredient list.

San Francisco Bay Area

Artisan Chocolatiers to Discover

A chocolate gathering is a lovely excuse to explore the makers close to home—and introduce someone else to a new favorite.

1. Dandelion Chocolate — San Francisco

Choose single-origin dark chocolate bars for your melting chocolate or assemble a small tasting flight as a gift. Their bar sets offer a way to compare chocolates from different origins.

Explore Dandelion Chocolate

2. Recchiuti Confections — San Francisco

For an elegant gift, explore their Black Box chocolate assortments, caramels, and chocolate-covered fruits and nuts. A small selection would make a beautiful addition to the salon’s tasting table.

Explore Recchiuti Confections

3. Feve Chocolates — San Francisco

Feve makes artisan bonbons, chocolate-covered nuts, caramels, and other confections. Consider an assortment for your host or a few chocolate-covered nuts tucked into a holiday gift.

Explore Feve Chocolates

4. Socola Chocolatier — San Francisco

Socola’s Vietnamese-inspired chocolates bring another dimension to a tasting evening. Explore their Little Saigon Box, chocolate bars, and gift selections for someone who enjoys discovering different flavors.

Explore Socola Chocolatier

5. Casa de Chocolates — Berkeley and Oakland

Explore their single-origin chocolate bars and handmade bonbons. Their chocolates are made in small batches in Berkeley, with shops in Berkeley and Oakland and an online store.

Explore Casa de Chocolates

Give Someone a Chocolate Evening

The Chocolate Date for Two
Wrap two beautiful heat-safe cups with dark and milk chocolate, two little spoons, and this recipe. Add a handwritten invitation: “Pajamas, a movie, and something delicious?”

The Bay Area or Your Area’s Local Chocolate Flight
Choose three chocolate bars from local makers. Bundle them with little tasting cards so the recipient can compare their favorites.

The Sweet Stocking Surprise
Tuck a special chocolate bar into a small gift bag with a miniature whisk and a tag reading, “For your next cozy night in.”

The Host’s Little Thank-You
Bring a small box of handmade bonbons tied with chocolate-brown or leopard-print ribbon.

The Cozy Chocolate Dress Code
Add cocoa-colored pajamas, fluffy socks, or a soft throw to a chocolate gift. Think dark chocolate, milk chocolate, caramel, ivory—and a little leopard for those of us who consider it a neutral.

Keep the chocolate’s original ingredient, allergen, and storage information with your gifts.

🍫 Welcome to The Chocolate Salon🍫

An invitation to explore, indulge, and fall in love with chocolate.

Confessions of a Professional Chocolate Taster

For many years, I proudly listed my occupation on Facebook as Professional Chocolate Taster.

Now, technically, nobody ever hired me for this position. But I felt uniquely qualified, enthusiastically available, and more than willing to work overtime. Especially if there were benefits. Preferably Belgian.

I've always loved the finer things in life. During my years working for Chanel Cosmetics, I fell in love with the extraordinary world of fragrance, beauty, presentation, and the artistry behind something truly exquisite. I adored Coco Chanel and Chanel No. 5, although my personal favorite was always Chanel No. 22.

But if you asked me to choose between a career as a fragrance connoisseur and a professional chocolate taster?

Darling, hand me the chocolate.

I'm a California girl with a lifelong affection for beautiful food, wonderful experiences, and discovering what makes a place deliciously special. And living beside San Francisco means we're surrounded by some extraordinary artisan chocolatiers.

Now, I must confess something else. My heart belongs to milk chocolate. I appreciate an exceptional dark chocolate, particularly when orange gets involved, but I've never believed that enjoying the finer things requires pretending to love the bitter ones.

I adore French chocolate, Belgian chocolate, little handcrafted truffles, beautifully wrapped confections, and discovering a chocolate I've never tasted before. And of course the Original Leopard Lounge Chocolate Martini is always a must have for every occasion.

And that brings me to a delicious idea.

💋 The Golden Gate Chocolate French Kiss

Our signature Nomad Kitchen hot chocolate experience.

What if we took a truly wonderful piece of chocolate—something handmade, carefully crafted, and perhaps discovered in a little chocolate shop during a marvelous afternoon—and transformed it into the most luxurious cup of hot chocolate imaginable?

That's exactly what inspired The Golden Gate Chocolate French Kiss.

We created a versatile, indulgent hot chocolate recipe that invites you to experiment with your favorite fine chocolates. Choose a silky milk chocolate, a sophisticated dark chocolate, something French, something Belgian, or a beautiful artisan chocolate made right here in the San Francisco Bay Area.

Adjust the sweetness, make it your own, and finish it with a magnificent cloud of whipped cream, delicate chocolate curls, and a little extra love.

Serve it in a gorgeous cup. Bring out the beautiful spoons. Light a candle. Put on your favorite music.

Because why should we save our beautiful things for company?

You are a special occasion.

And if you've never thought of hot chocolate as something truly romantic, allow me to introduce you to the French Kiss.

💋 The Golden Gate Chocolate French Kiss

An Elegant Hot Chocolate with Grand Marnier

Sometimes a chocolate kiss deserves a little French romance!

Transform our signature Golden Gate Chocolate Kiss into a luxurious, grown-up treat with a splash of Grand Marnier, a beautiful French orange-and-cognac liqueur. Rich chocolate, delicate citrus, and velvety whipped cream make this an irresistible after-dinner indulgence.

Servings: 1
Prep Time: 3 minutes
Style: Warm alcoholic dessert cocktail

Ingredients

8 oz prepared Golden Gate Chocolate Kiss hot chocolate
½–1 oz Grand Marnier
Fresh orange zest
Whipped cream
Dark chocolate curls or shavings
Optional: Orange peel twist

Instructions

Prepare: Make one serving of Golden Gate Chocolate Kiss hot chocolate.
Infuse: Remove from heat and stir in Grand Marnier.
Garnish: Top with whipped cream, chocolate curls, and a little orange zest.
Serve: Pour into an elegant, heat-safe cup and garnish with an orange twist.

The Chocolate Salon Serving Tip

Serve with a handcrafted chocolate truffle, a beautiful gold spoon, and a little French jazz.

Perfect for an intimate dinner, a romantic evening, or a glamorous Chocolate Salon gathering.

Because a Chocolate Kiss is lovely… but a French Kiss? Darling, that's an entirely different experience!

🥂 Darling, Let's Have a Chocolate Salon!

Now here's where the fun really begins.

What if we gathered a handful of our favorite people and spent an evening exploring extraordinary chocolates from around the world?

Everybody gets to be a professional chocolate taster for the night. No credentials required. Pajamas, pearls, fabulous chocolate-colored outfits, or outrageous French glamour are entirely appropriate.

And Bleep, my famously opinionated little partner in culinary mischief, has already appointed himself Chief Chocolate Inspector.

His qualifications?

Apparently, he's tasted chocolate before, thinks most people are amateurs, and believes quality control should include unlimited samples.

I have suggested that he begin with a written examination. He has declined.

But imagine the evening: beautiful little plates of chocolates nobody has tried before, tiny cups of different hot chocolates, perhaps a signature chocolate martini, candlelight, laughter, delicious conversation, and a wonderful chocolate-themed movie.

You don't even have to live near San Francisco!

We can explore chocolatiers across California, discover European treasures, order chocolates from different regions, and turn an ordinary Friday evening into a chocolate adventure around the world.

🍓 How to Host Your Own Chocolate Salon

Gather your chocolate-loving friends. Four to eight people makes a lovely intimate tasting party.
Choose your chocolate adventure. Each guest selects one or two chocolates they've never tried, perhaps from a local chocolatier, another state, or a country they've always dreamed of visiting.
Share the delicious expense. Everyone contributes chocolate or splits the cost of a special order. You can explore extraordinary flavors without anyone paying for the entire evening.
Create a chocolate tasting table. Arrange small samples with tasting cards. Compare creamy, fruity, nutty, floral, sweet, and deeply roasted flavors. Vote for your favorites!
Make a hot chocolate tasting flight. Use our Golden Gate Chocolate French Kiss base recipe to prepare a few variations with different chocolates. Serve small tasting portions in beautiful heat-safe cups.
Add a little glamour. Set out roses, pretty napkins, chocolate truffles, elegant spoons, and a wonderful playlist. Dress up, dress cozy, or make chocolate-colored pajamas the official evening uniform.
Finish with something unforgettable. Try my signature chocolate martini, choose a chocolate-themed movie, or send everyone home with a sweet little chocolate gift.

🎁 The Chocolate Salon Gift Shop

Little luxuries for a deliciously fun gathering.

You don't need a royal budget to throw a deliciously royal chocolate party.

I'm collecting some of my favorite ideas for beautifully styled hot chocolate cups, affordable crystal-look drinkware, vintage-inspired teacups, gold dessert spoons, chocolate tasting trays, little chocolate gift boxes, elegant cocktail glasses, and the sweetest accessories for a chocolate-loving evening.

We'll also explore fun chocolate-inspired outfits, cozy pajamas, party decorations, and adorable stocking stuffers for the people who make life sweeter.

Some things will be delightfully extravagant. Others will be charming little bargains.

Because luxury isn't always about what something costs. Sometimes it's simply about the care and imagination we put into enjoying it.

❤️ Let's Make Life Deliciously Fun

Some of my happiest memories began with the simplest invitation:

Why don't we get together and make something wonderful?

A chocolate tasting. A girls' night. A little road trip to discover a beautiful chocolatier. An afternoon in San Francisco. A holiday gathering. Or a quiet evening when the world feels particularly in need of sweetness.

We don't have to wait for Christmas, Valentine's Day, a birthday, or somebody else's special occasion.

We can make one.

So grab a few friends, choose some chocolate, and come explore the world with me, one delicious little discovery at a time.

After all, life is short, chocolate is wonderful, and Bleep is already asking when the next tasting begins.

With love, laughter, and a little chocolate on my chin,

Tré Taylor & Bleep the Tattoo
Nomad Kitchen | Deliciously Fun Life
tretaylor.com

🎁 Golden Gate Chocolate Kiss—The Chocolate Salon

A Deliciously Fun Guide

to Chocolate Tasting Parties, Gourmet Hot Cocoa & Sweet Gift Giving.

Because chocolate is love.

Some evenings deserve a little ceremony. A beautiful cup. Chocolate chosen especially for the occasion. Fresh milk warming on the stove while your favorite people settle in for a night together.

Welcome to The Chocolate Salon, where European café inspiration meets our own San Francisco Bay Area chocolate adventure and future fun events like the SF CHOCOLATE SALON.

Our Golden Gate Chocolate Kiss combines dark chocolate and creamy milk chocolate with fresh whole milk, a little cream, vanilla, and a whisper of sea salt. On top: softly whipped vanilla cream and a delicate salted chocolate shard.

Make it for a holiday gathering, a girls’ night in, or a sweet surprise for someone you love. Chocolate-colored pajamas are perfectly appropriate eveningwear.

The Chocolate Makes the Occasion

For our suggested Bay Area pairing, choose a plain Dandelion 70% dark chocolate bar and Guittard’s 38% milk chocolate baking wafers. Dandelion makes its chocolate in small batches using cocoa beans and organic cane sugar; Guittard offers its milk chocolate wafers for melting and baking.

Buy enough chocolate to taste a little before you begin. Notice the aroma, sweetness, and how slowly it melts on your tongue. Choosing the chocolate is part of the gathering.

Shop Dandelion ChocolateShop Guittard Chocolate

Golden Gate Chocolate Kiss Recipe

Makes: 4 petite dessert servingsPreparation: 10 minutesCooking: About 10 minutesOptional garnish chilling: 10–15 minutes

Ingredients

For the hot chocolate

2 cups whole milk

¼ cup heavy whipping cream

100 grams / 3½ ounces plain dark chocolate, approximately 65–70% cacao, finely chopped

50 grams / 1¾ ounces plain milk chocolate, finely chopped

½ teaspoon vanilla bean paste

A tiny pinch of fine sea salt

Optional: 1–2 teaspoons brown sugar, after tasting

For the vanilla cream

½ cup cold heavy whipping cream

1 teaspoon powdered sugar

¼ teaspoon vanilla bean paste

For the salted chocolate shards

30 grams / approximately 1 ounce dark chocolate

A few lightly crushed flaky sea salt crystals

Optional: a small sprinkle of edible gold sugar

Instructions

1. Make the chocolate garnish.

Gently melt the garnish chocolate in a small heatproof bowl over barely simmering water, keeping the bowl above the water. Stir until smooth.

Spread thinly onto parchment paper. Sprinkle very lightly with flaky salt and optional edible gold sugar. Refrigerate until firm, about 10–15 minutes, then break into four slender shards.

2. Whip the vanilla cream.

Whip the cold cream, powdered sugar, and vanilla to soft peaks. Keep refrigerated while you prepare the chocolate.

3. Warm the milk and cream.

Pour the milk and ¼ cup cream into a small, heavy-bottomed saucepan. Warm over medium-low heat, stirring occasionally, until steaming with tiny bubbles around the edge. Keep the heat gentle.

4. Melt your chocolate blend.

Remove the saucepan from the heat. Add the chopped dark and milk chocolates. Let stand for 30 seconds, then whisk slowly until completely smooth.

5. Finish with vanilla and salt.

Whisk in the vanilla and the tiny pinch of fine salt. Return to low heat for 1–2 minutes, stirring continuously, until hot and glossy.

Taste before adding sugar. If you prefer a lighter consistency, whisk in warm milk one tablespoon at a time.

6. Serve with a little love.

Divide among four warmed, heat-safe cups. Add a soft cloud of vanilla cream and nestle a chocolate shard into each just before serving.

Bring the cups to the table together. This is the part where everyone gets quiet for a moment.

A Few Lovely Details

Use plain chocolate. Save filled chocolates and bonbons for the tasting plate.

Keep the portions petite. This is a rich chocolate dessert in a cup.

Keep the shards chilled until serving. These simple, untempered decorations soften in a warm room.

Make it for eight. Double every ingredient.

Choose edible decorations. Gold sugar should be labeled edible and have an ingredient list.

San Francisco Bay Area

Artisan Chocolatiers to Discover

A chocolate gathering is a lovely excuse to explore the makers close to home—and introduce someone else to a new favorite.

1. Dandelion Chocolate — San Francisco

Choose single-origin dark chocolate bars for your melting chocolate or assemble a small tasting flight as a gift. Their bar sets offer a way to compare chocolates from different origins.

Explore Dandelion Chocolate

2. Recchiuti Confections — San Francisco

For an elegant gift, explore their Black Box chocolate assortments, caramels, and chocolate-covered fruits and nuts. A small selection would make a beautiful addition to the salon’s tasting table.

Explore Recchiuti Confections

3. Feve Chocolates — San Francisco

Feve makes artisan bonbons, chocolate-covered nuts, caramels, and other confections. Consider an assortment for your host or a few chocolate-covered nuts tucked into a holiday gift.

Explore Feve Chocolates

4. Socola Chocolatier — San Francisco

Socola’s Vietnamese-inspired chocolates bring another dimension to a tasting evening. Explore their Little Saigon Box, chocolate bars, and gift selections for someone who enjoys discovering different flavors.

Explore Socola Chocolatier

5. Casa de Chocolates — Berkeley and Oakland

Explore their single-origin chocolate bars and handmade bonbons. Their chocolates are made in small batches in Berkeley, with shops in Berkeley and Oakland and an online store.

Explore Casa de Chocolates

Give Someone a Chocolate Evening

The Chocolate Date for TwoWrap two beautiful heat-safe cups with dark and milk chocolate, two little spoons, and this recipe. Add a handwritten invitation: “Pajamas, a movie, and something delicious?”

The Bay Area or Your Area’s Local Chocolate FlightChoose three chocolate bars from local makers. Bundle them with little tasting cards so the recipient can compare their favorites.

The Sweet Stocking SurpriseTuck a special chocolate bar into a small gift bag with a miniature whisk and a tag reading, “For your next cozy night in.”

The Host’s Little Thank-YouBring a small box of handmade bonbons tied with chocolate-brown or leopard-print ribbon.

The Cozy Chocolate Dress CodeAdd cocoa-colored pajamas, fluffy socks, or a soft throw to a chocolate gift. Think dark chocolate, milk chocolate, caramel, ivory—and a little leopard for those of us who consider it a neutral.

Keep the chocolate’s original ingredient, allergen, and storage information with your gifts.

🍫 Welcome to The Chocolate Salon🍫

An invitation to explore, indulge, and fall in love with chocolate.

Shop Dandelion Chocolate
Shop Guittard Chocolate

Makes: 4 petite dessert servings
Preparation: 10 minutes
Cooking: About 10 minutes
Optional garnish chilling: 10–15 minutes

The Chocolate Date for Two
Wrap two beautiful heat-safe cups with dark and milk chocolate, two little spoons, and this recipe. Add a handwritten invitation: “Pajamas, a movie, and something delicious?”

The Bay Area or Your Area’s Local Chocolate Flight
Choose three chocolate bars from local makers. Bundle them with little tasting cards so the recipient can compare their favorites.

The Sweet Stocking Surprise
Tuck a special chocolate bar into a small gift bag with a miniature whisk and a tag reading, “For your next cozy night in.”

The Host’s Little Thank-You
Bring a small box of handmade bonbons tied with chocolate-brown or leopard-print ribbon.

The Cozy Chocolate Dress Code
Add cocoa-colored pajamas, fluffy socks, or a soft throw to a chocolate gift. Think dark chocolate, milk chocolate, caramel, ivory—and a little leopard for those of us who consider it a neutral.

Servings: 1
Prep Time: 3 minutes
Style: Warm alcoholic dessert cocktail