I had the opportunity to meet with new chocolatier Rasha Younan of Bon Chocolats (boN-shoCKolA), creating couverture chocolate (fine chocolate) from the kitchen. I find it fascinating to meet chocolatiers just starting out so we can follow their journey from kitchen to counter.
Rasha is an architect by trade and chocolatier by passion. She loves chocolate so much that she felt compelled to see where this might go. When her company grows big enough, then she’ll be a full-time chocolatier.
Chocolate Passion
Rasha discovered her love for chocolate in 2014 when she participated in a candy-making class with her daughter’s girl scout troop. That same company offered a truffle-making class which she took, and after that, she was hooked. She started reading books and learning more about chocolate. In 2016, she took an advanced, professional Chocolatier course with Ecole Chocolat, taking her knowledge to the next level. And finally, last year, Rasha decided she was ready to share her own chocolate at the local pop-ups & farmers’ markets.
When asked what she enjoyed about it, Rasha said, “I took that class and had so much fun playing with flavors. That was the interesting part for me, playing with flavors, creating new combinations, and learning more. It really got me interested. There’s a lot we can do with chocolate.”
The dark delight has become a passion for Rasha, constantly learning and loving what she does. She’s always discovering something as her passion continues to grow.
Creative Delights
Rasha gets her creative inspiration from what’s around her, whether it’s another chocolatier or something happening in nature. She doesn’t want to waste chocolate when trying a new recipe or flavor, so she hopes for success on the first try. She works toward innovation with bar flavors.
The best part of her business, she says, is eating and sharing good chocolate with other people and trying chocolate from either other chocolatiers or newer origins with different tastes and aromas. Still, it’s exciting and challenging to make a decadent delight the first time while worrying about potential issues or disasters. With long hours of standing and making chocolate, it’s not physically easy to do, especially if she has a deadline or a big order. Massive productions are a challenge.
Despite all the hard parts, she wants to grow her business without losing herself or her authenticity. Rasha hopes Bon Chocolats will be known for quality, style, flavor, and originality.
Her chocolate isn’t candy, she says. It’s a fine, high-quality sophistication made with natural ingredients and less sugar, created with thought and experimentation rather than just something sweet to eat. Instead, it’s a delicacy.
The Right Flavor
According to Rasha, her chocolates aren’t too sweet or too dark. She pairs white chocolate with pistachios or dark chocolate to balance the sweetness, so it’s not overwhelming. She uses single-source Dominican chocolate for her creations. In Seattle, she finds that people prefer dark chocolate more than the sweet taste of milk chocolate.
Currently, her favorite chocolates to make are orange bonbons. They’re dark chocolate with a layer each of orange pate de fruit (jelly) and dark chocolate orange ganache. She has something similar with raspberry.
Bon Chocolats specializes in beautiful and delicious bonbons. She also makes chocolate bars, cocoa bombs, truffles, mini chocolate tarts, and mini chocolate cups. Her chocolate bars come in white, milk, and dark chocolate flavors. She has many bonbon flavors, with classic, custom, and seasonal flavors depending on the occasion.
Where to Buy
Rasha prefers to sell her chocolate locally. She says, “Go around and find your local chocolatiers and support them before you go off and buy from another state and pay to ship. It’s also more environmentally friendly, and it’s fresher if you buy from a local chocolatier. I also understand that some chocolatiers will be offering something so special that everyone wants it, which is great.”
Her prices range from $2.50 up, so try her chocolates today.
You may be able to convince Rasha to ship her chocolate. Expect the shipping to cost around $10, so purchase enough to make it worth it.
Find Bon Chocolats on Facebook and Instagram, or message her here.
Good luck, Rasha. We’ll be watching your journey!
Offers: Bonbons, chocolate bars, cocoa bombs, truffles, mini chocolate tarts, mini chocolate cups & mendiants (chocolates with dried fruits and nuts)
Flavors: Classic includes: Raspberry in dark chocolate, Orange in dark chocolate, Coffee, Salted Caramel, Caramel in milk chocolate, and Hazelnut
Innovative: Raisin rum, Cherry pistachio in white chocolate, Dark coconut in a white chocolate shell
Seasonal: Pumpkin (autumn), Peppermint (Christmas), Strawberry Champaign (Valentines), Rose (Spring)
Ingredients Used: French, Belgian, and Swiss chocolate sourced from both Barry Callebaut and Cocoa Berry. Also used are refined sugar, fruit puree, espresso, nuts, heavy cream, butter, and alcohol, depending on the items created.
Chocolate Type: Couverture
Date Established: November 2022
Location: Bothell, WA
Facebook page: Bon Chocolats
IM: Bon Chocolats
Instagram: Bon Chocolats
