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    Speaking of Valentine's Day

    Famed chocolatier Michael Recchiuti tells sweet tales at Chocolate Secrets

    Teresa Gubbins
    Feb 12, 2013 | 1:12 pm
    • San Francisco chocolatier Michael Recchiuti was a trailblazer in the sea-saltcaramel trend.
      Photo courtesy of Recchuiti Confections
    • Fleur de sel caramels are Recchiuti's top seller.
      Photo courtesy of Recchiuti Confections
    • Michael Recchiuti and Sander Wolf at Chocolate Secrets in Dallas.
      Photo by Teresa Gubbins

    With Valentine's Day around the corner, chocolate is in the air. But chocolate was a more tangible thing on Monday at Chocolate Secrets, when legendary San Francisco chocolatier Michael Recchiuti sat down with Dallas' top chocolatiers to talk about their favorite subject.

    Organized by DallasChocolate.org founder Sander Wolf, the event drew Chocolate Secrets' Kate Weiser; Stephen Smith of Nib Chocolates; Troy and Bliss Easton of Sublime Chocolates; Sue Williams of Dr. Sue's Chocolates; Zach Townsend of Pure Chocolate Desserts by Zach; Jeanine Stevens of Dallas By Chocolate tours; and cookbook author Rose Levy Beranbaum, who happened to be in town for a cooking class.

    Recchiuti brought two of his favorite chocolates to sample: one with tarragon and candied grapefruit, and a cardamom nougat with chocolate nibs. He shared highlights from his career as a chocolatier and the evolution of his San Francisco store.

    The big trend Recchiuti has noticed is a fondness for "big, clunky desserts" — the more decadent and sloppy, the better.

    His two top-selling chocolates are his burnt caramel truffle and fleur de sel caramel. It was 1994 when he blazed the trail with salted caramels, a flavor combination that has been copied by millions and remains massively popular today. "I was inspired by chocolates in Brittany, and [the use of salt] was happening in France and Portugal," he said.

    A former drummer, Recchiuti began his food journey when he trained with the ex-chef of the Shah of Iran. He worked as pastry chef at Twin Farms, a luxury resort in Vermont, where he met wealthy guests such as Bill Gates. When Recchiuti moved to San Francisco, he scored a contract to make customer gifts for Gates, and it helped launch his business. Bit by bit, he expanded his production facility in San Francisco to the 12,000-square-foot footprint it has today.

    Because chocolate is such an intensely seasonal business, Recchiuti opened a cafe in 2012 to fill in the gaps between Valentine's Day and Christmas. Called Chocolate Lab, it has a full menu with sandwiches and savories, as well as a dessert list with 12 items.

    The big trend he's noticed is a fondness for "big, clunky desserts" — the more decadent and sloppy, the better.

    "Everybody wants s'mores, brownies, graham crackers," he said. "Whoopie pies, I became interested in the '80s when I was still living in Pennsylvania. I'd go to every Amish stand. I loved whoopie pies. The good ones had vegetable shortening and bad devil's food cake. I noticed that making sophisticated versions aren't as interesting to people. Everybody wants something simple and basic."

    Whatever he makes, he stays true to the chocolate. "My goal as a chocolatier is to be able to taste the chocolate throughout the whole experience," he said.

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    Bread News

    Award-winning Dallas bakery scores storefront in Oak Cliff mixed use

    Teresa Gubbins
    May 13, 2025 | 6:07 pm
    Kuluntu bread
    Photo courtesy of Kuluntu
    Kuluntu bread

    One of Dallas' best bakeries is graduating to a new location: Kuluntu Bakery, which currently operates as a cottage bakery in Oak Cliff, is moving into the East Dock, the innovative new mixed-use hub at 900 E. Clarendon Dr. near the Dallas Zoo and Halperin Park.

    Founded in 2018, Kuluntu is the cottage food bakery that has been selling breads and pastries from an Oak Cliff home. Despite not having a brick-and-mortar location, the bakery has racked up numerous awards including an impressive ranking on a Food & Wine list of the Best Breads in Every State, a 2023 nomination for a James Beard Award, and a CultureMap Tastemaker Awards nomination for co-founder Stephanie Leichtle-Chalklen for Best Pastry Chef.

    And now they will have a brick-and-mortar location.

    Their current menu changes weekly, with breads such as country sour and lemon-lavender-walnut sour; their signature granola; cinnamon rolls; and pastries such as almond & lemon croissant, cheesy artichoke galette, and salted rye chocolate chip cookies. They send out an email to subscribers every week listing the latest offerings. (To get on the list, email kuluntu@kuluntubakery.org.)

    "At the new location, we will be expanding the menu quite a bit," Leichtle-Chalken says. "It will include items that we’re currently baking plus South African dishes for lunch service."

    They're hoping to be open by the end of the year, and once they do open, they'll close down the cottage operation.

    But Leichtle-Chalklen says this new location will be more than a bakery — it will be a community hub that centers women’s experiences and builds collective power through education, health & wellness, and equity initiatives.

    She already operates Kuluntu as a non-profit, with a goal of co-creating a more equitable food system and community by connecting the food industry, consumers, and partners to center women and humanize all food workers.

    Sustainability and taking care of the planet is a practice that threads throughout their organization: whether that's using Barton Springs Mill organic flours and Cedar Ridge Egg Farm free-range eggs, or whether it's following zero-waste baking by recycling, composting, and using environmentally friendly packaging.

    East DockEast Dock Courtesy rendering

    They'll fit right in at East Dock, a former industrial building that was built in 1915 and is being thoughtfully refurbished with a goal of creating an 18-hour campus: coffee in the morning, daytime operators such as offices, studios, and restaurants, then bars and entertainment at night.

    On July 12, Kuluntu will host "Reimagining an Inclusive Restaurant in Dallas," where attendees can learn about the lived experiences of women food workers and how we can humanize the food system, as well as re-imagine what an equitable and inclusive restaurant could be — sharing your experiences, ideas, and perspectives to shape Kuluntu Bakery into a true community space for all. Pastries and beverages will be included.

    The session will take place at East Dock, allowing a preview of the site which will be under active construction. Get tickets here.

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