MaxBrenner

Max Brenner: Chocolate by the Bald Man

Take a walk along the block just south of Union Square in New York, and you'll see an image of a fictional bald man who has reshaped the face of chocolate. Though Max Brenner himself doesn't exist, the company that bears his name is up for a Luxist Readers' Choice Award in the best truffles category.

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.

Gallery: More from Max Brenner

Today, Max Brenner boasts locations in Australia, Israel, Philippines, Singapore and the U.S. Walk into a store in New York and delicacies on the menu include The Melting Chocolate Truffle Heart Cake, served with vanilla bourbon ice cream, red berries and milk chocolate ($13), and White Chocolate Truffle Carrot Cake, which comes with orange and mint salad, whipped cream, and a milk chocolate granita chaser ($12).

For those who live outside of Max's chocolatey radius, a delicious array options are available online. In the truffle department, there's the liqueur-drenched Luxury White Truffle With Coconut ($15) and the fine cocoa-imbued Luxury Gingerbread Truffle ($15), among others.

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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