"Hot Chocolat" Artisan Firehouse Chocolates by Chef Michael D. Poole

People love their chocolate! Consumed by royals for religious purposes by Mayans and Aztecs. Grown in Africa and produced from the cocoa bean. And fashioned into delectable treats that melt in the mouth, chocolate is regarded by some as an aphrodisiac inciting the deepest sensual pleasure.

Chef Michael D. Poole has mastered the art of turning chocolate into beautiful, handcrafted, French-styled masterpieces whose delectable textures melt in the mouth in delightful flavors that are unsurpassed. A tantalizing, white chocolate with mango filling, dark chocolate with chocolate ganache hinted with a secret ingredient setting it apart from other chocolate ganaches, and white chocolate in a glistening yellow hue and filled with a slightly tangy, lemon meringue that bursts in the mouth with flavor, set these chocolates apart from other chocolates.

Based in Seattle, Washington, a town known for its excellent chocolatiers, Chef Michael D. Poole handcrafts his confections tempering a high-quality chocolate in smaller quantities than commercial producers to ensure the gloss and sheen that immediately temps the eye to the finished delight. He hand pours the tempered chocolate into molds in the shapes of pharaohs, hearts, ovals, and spheres. Layer by layer the chocolate is poured, dried, and filled with flavored ganaches like coconut; lemon meringue; mango; macadamia nuts and caramel; vanilla, caramel, coffee, and raspberry; and his signature heart-shaped , tri-colored chocolate filled with raspberry ganache.

African American chocolatiers in the United States are few, and Chef Michael D. Poole reigns as the ultimate chocolatier among them. Trained at the Le Cordon Bleu of Paris with Le Grande Diplome in cuisine and pastry, as well as valedictorian of his graduating class, Chef Poole has won numerous awards for his culinary skills. He returns to Paris, France frequently to receive advance, on-the job training in the art of making chocolates with the best French chocolatiers.