Watch out, taste buds...
Belgian gastronomy is synonymous with chocolate, amongst other things. But did you know that the great Gault&Millau offers a chocolatiers guide, Finest Chocolatiers in Belgium and Luxembourg Edition 2020? This precious little guide will give you a better understanding of the universe of artisan chocolatiers.
The three winners for this year are: for Flanders, Joost Arijs from Ghent, who, after having worked for some great pastry cooks, opened his own shop in 2011. The purity of the ingredients, the refined tastes and the unique textures have contributed to his reputation. For the Brussels region, the winner was Jérôme Grimonpon in Uccle. This native Frenchman came to study chocolate in Belgium and created his own brand six years ago. He makes a point of using raw materials that contain a minimum of sugar, and he has already won a number of prizes, including Best Artisan Chocolatier in 2012. For Wallonia, it was Ariqua Denis from Andenne who took the prize. In his very new chocolate shop, he only uses "noble ingredients, hazelnuts from Piedmont, farm-made butter, coffee from Costa Rica..."
The list of artisans who are included in the guide is far from exhaustive, and you may well find other chocolate gems just around the corner.