Thursday, November 18, 2010

LA'S VALERIE CONFECTIONS GETS SWEET ON COMMUNE DESIGN WITH A CHOCOLATE COLLAB

Photos courtesy of Valerie
Valerie Confections is taking LA by storm.

Rarely, ever so rarely, the design and food world's collide with a genius collaboration. In this case, one of LA's hottest design firms has teamed up with a chic confectioner to create divinely designed chocolates for the mid century modern/rough luxe/repurposed antiques crowd.

Valerie Confections and hipster design firm Commune (the mastermind team behind the Ace Hotel in Palm Springs and The Standard here in New York), have partnered on a box of chocolates. Not just any box if chocolates, they have been inspired by Byzantine tiles. They have a stamped design on the surface, which appears on 49 pieces of 72% bittersweet chocolate squares. Packaged in a simple modern cardboard box just like real tile, the graphic geometric segments look too pretty to eat. Maybe their pattern will inspire your next design project. Hey, ideas can strike in the strangest of places.

Valerie Gordon is helping further the renaissance of dessert classics as well as chocolates. Since 2004, the same year Commune began, she has been churning out her delicious treats, earning a reputation as an artisanal confectioner bar none. Located at 336 West 1st Street in Silverlake, she has become the go to for handmade chocolates and old school cakes. When LA Times Magazine food critic Lora Zarubin asked her to make a cake from an old LA institution, everyone raved. She became hooked and began her "classic cakes" kick. She has since revived the Brown Derby's classic Grapefruit Cake as well as The Wilshire Tea Room's Coconut Cream Pie. I think Valerie can make just about anything.

Her delectable chocolates include caramel, toffee and almond fleur de sel filling.

The shelves are filled with Almond Toffee, Citrus Bark, Chocolate Dipped Shortbread and seasonal preserves. Thinking holiday stocking stuffers? Look no further.



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