Photo by Mike Mihalo Photography.
In 2005, after two decades of traveling and cooking at world-class levels, Frederic Loraschi found himself coming off the sugar high of serving as executive pastry chef for the Hotel Hershey. It was then that he began his next adventure: creating his own line of chocolates.
Why set up shop in central Pennsylvania?
Loraschi explained that, after a while, the excitement of moving around got challenging as his young family started to grow. He added that the rural, hilly landscape reminds him of Gascony, where he grew up in the southwest of France.
His workshop, dubbed “the lab,” is currently in the converted kitchen basement of his Hummelstown home, where he lives with his wife and two sons. It’s a clean, organized, well-lit space perfumed by the sweet-smelling fragrance of chocolate and pralines.
“Business picked up right away,” said Loraschi of his entry into entrepreneurship.
Currently, he sells his artisan chocolates online. You also can visit Elementary Coffee Co. at the Broad Street Market in Harrisburg to sample Loraschi’s hot chocolate mix and Ivory Coast dark and milk chocolate bars.
But, area chocolate-lovers, there’s still better news ahead.
Loraschi plans to open the doors of a 5,000-square-foot location in Colonial Park this summer. It will serve as a production facility, as well as a small retail shop, where he’ll sell his chocolates, pastries and macaroons and even offer classes to the public.
Highest Quality
Loraschi has spent his entire career preparing for this moment.
As a culinary student, he served in Michelin-starred kitchens in France, Luxembourg and Spain. He came to the United States to work in California restaurants, eventually landing in Boston after the 2002 reopening of the Ritz-Carlton. A year later, he was pursued by the Hotel Hershey to become the executive pastry chef there.
For the past decade, Loraschi has created and sold his own confections, experimenting relentlessly to refine what he offers to his demanding customers.
Some of his most popular products can be sampled in the gourmet gift boxes that feature a globetrotting variety of single-origin chocolates and stunningly beautiful, hand-painted chocolates with real fruit fillings. The chocolate truffles are truly unique and come in different varieties infused with whiskey, rum, Grand Marnier, Champagne or beer (Tröegs LaGrave and the French Fleur de Biere).
Ingredients are locally sourced whenever possible and are always of the highest quality, he said.
In 2010, Loraschi won the “Best Tasting” award as the U.S. selection for the World Chocolate Masters. That experience was aired as the “American Chocolate Championship” on TLC.
Loraschi said that winning the award was especially meaningful because making delicious chocolate is at the heart of what he and his staff strive to do.
“Anyone can be great one day out of the year, but, here, we strive to be great every day,” he said.
Able to Help
Andrea Grove-Musselman, owner of Elementary Coffee, said she approached Loraschi about using a hot chocolate mix at her new stand in the Broad Street Market and, together, they developed a drink that showcases the rich and decadent flavor of his mocha powder.
Musselman called the chocolatier “a sweetheart” as she opened a box of chocolate truffles that he sent to her as a thank you. She offered up a soft-centered square to taste with the well-balanced coffee she serves.
“Customers have responded very well to his product,” said Musselman, who would like to incorporate a sampling of his chocolates with a flight of her coffees in the near future.
Not only does Loraschi show his sweet side through his chocolate creations, he has implemented a “charity of the month” program in which up to 30 percent of sales from select items on his website are donated to local nonprofit organizations that benefit the community.
“It is great to be able to help,” said Loraschi.
He explained that the program is a way for him to control the flow of demand he receives for donations.
“As much as you would like to help everybody, it is, at times, impossible, and you also want to see what people really do with your donation,” he said.
To date, his donations have benefitted local organizations like the Hummelstown Library, the Falcon Foundation of the Lower Dauphin School District and the Berks T1D Connection.
In turn, Loraschi is grateful for the help he has received in the kitchen from his assistants over the years. He especially praised his sous chef, Melissa Costell, referring to her as his rookie point guard.
“She does amazing work in the lab here,” he said. “Give her a few years, then you’ll be writing articles about her.”
Learn more about Chocolat Frederic Loraschi at www.fredericloraschichocolate.com or at the company’s Facebook page. Loraschi products also can be bought online at Etsy or Amazon.com. Loraschi plans to open a production and retail location at 4615 Hillcrest St. in Colonial Park (Lower Paxton Township) in several months.
