LaBurdick

L.A. Burdick: The Art of Chocolate Truffles

Filed under: Dining

For nearly a quarter of a century, L.A. Burdick has been bringing the best ingredients in the world together in the offerings of a single company. Small wonder the chocolatier is a nominee for a Luxist Readers' Choice award in the best truffles category.

After years spent studying the art of chocolate in France and Switzerland, Larry Burdick founded his chocolate company in a Brooklyn, New York workshop in 1987. Within a year, he was selling his bonbons to a handful of New York restaurants. In 1990, a positive review in The New York Times sparked interest in Burdick's handwork; a year later, he started his chocolate mail order business.

Gallery: More from L.A. Burdick

In 1993, Burdick and his wife, Paula, moved to Walpole, New Hampshire. They grew the business from a fledgling startup to an international chocolate mail order and retail outfit, with Larrry supplying the chocolate expertise and Paula using design smarts honed at New York's Fashion Institute of Technology to prepare the packaging.

Today, L.A. Burdick operates retail stores in Walpole, N.H., Cambridge, Mass., and New York, N.Y. For those who can't make it to one of the shops, truffles are available online in quantities ranging from the party host-friendly Favor Assortment ($5-$8) to the Connoisseur Collection ($90), which also includes chocolate-covered cigars, caramelized nuts, and chocolate-dipped fruit.

Vote for the company you believe makes the best truffles. Readers' Choice Winners will be announced on March 1st.

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World's Best Chocolates

by Carrie Coolidge (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Dining

Luxist readers from around the world have nominated their favorite chocolate companies.

The top five finalists are:

Godiva
Founded in 1926 by Joseph Draps, the Belgian chocolatier has since blossomed into one of the world's most celebrated chocolatiers. Draps opened his first store on a cobblestone street in Brussels nearly a century ago, its name inspired by the legendary Lady Godiva. Though Godiva is famous for its truffles, the chocolatier also produces a wide range of fine chocolate candy.

L.A. Burdick
After years spent studying the art of chocolate in France and Switzerland, Larry Burdick founded his chocolate company in a Brooklyn, New York workshop in 1987. Within a year, he was selling his bonbons to a handful of New York restaurants. In 1990, a positive review in The New York Times sparked interest in Burdick's handwork; a year later, he started his chocolate mail order business.

Gallery: More of the World's Best Chocolate

La Maison du Chocolat
La Maison du Chocolat sets itself apart from other chocolatiers in a number of ways, perhaps none more important than the incredible detail paid to the component parts of its chocolates. The company combs through plantations in South America and Africa; they study not only the cacao beans, but various vintages and the differences between them.

Max Brenner
Founded in 1996 in Israel, Max Brenner bears the combined names of its originators Max Fichtman and Oded Brenner. The company opened ten stores in the Holy Land in its first three years; in 2001, Max Brenner was purchased by Strauss Group, a large food conglomerate. Five years later, the company made its first foray into the U.S. market.

Teuscher
Dolf Teuscher founded the company in 1932, wandering far from his Alpine roots to comb the globe for the best cocoa, marzipan, fruits and nuts he could find. Over years of experimentation, he developed the distinctive recipes that brought Teuscher to the pinnacle of the chocolate world today.

Vote for the company you believe makes the best in chocolate. The winner will be announced on March 1st.

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L.A. Burdick: Bringing the Best Ingredients in the World Together

by Carrie Coolidge (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Dining

For nearly a quarter of a century, L.A. Burdick has been bringing the best ingredients in the world together in the offerings of a single company. Small wonder the chocolatier is a nominee for a Luxist Readers' Choice award in the best chocolate category.

After years spent studying the art of chocolate in France and Switzerland, Larry Burdick founded his chocolate company in a Brooklyn, New York workshop in 1987. Within a year, he was selling his bonbons to a handful of New York restaurants. In 1990, a positive review in The New York Times sparked interest in Burdick's handwork; a year later, he started his chocolate mail order business.

Gallery: More from L.A. Burdick

Tags: awards-main, best chocolate, best truffle, BestChocolate, BestTruffle, chocolate, la burdick, LaBurdick, luxist-awards, readers choice, ReadersChoice, sweets-main