Comparte's in Brentwood Is New Hotspot

Since 21-year-old Jonathan Grahm took over as chocolatier, famous chocophiles are joining long-time Comparte devotees.

Comparte’s Chocolatier has been in business in Los Angeles for more than 55 years. It’s one of the oldest confectionary houses in the country still making by hand candy from scratch. But it’s not resting on its reputation. Since 21-year-old Jonathan Grahm took over as chocolatier, Comparte’s Brentwood shop has become a new hotspot. Famous chocophiles are joining long-time Comparte devotees.

Grahm’s passion for chocolate as an art is quickly transforming Comparte's into "the place" for chocolate in LA and around the globe. Celebrities are flocking to try Grahm’s creations, including "Desperate Housewives" star Teri Hatcher, who orders her favorites in the signature dark chocolate blend, and her co-stars Nicolette Shreridan and Marcia Cross. Nicole Kidman, Jay Leno, Bruce Springsteen, Faith Evans, Joan and Melissa Rivers, Vin Diesel, Rob Reiner and Dustin Hoffman are also customers.

Grahm makes his chocolates using all natural ingredients and a copper candy kettle more that twice as old as he is. In the back of the Brentwood shop, he fashions each small batch from marzipan in the European tradition and American favorite Bordeaux (brown sugar walnut cream) to new candies such as the rosewater infused dark chocolate truffle topped with cracked pistachios. Other confections are infused with real jasmine flowers and tea and six different spices blended into chocolate ganache.

Grahm’s passion for culture and travel is expressed in some of his more unusual chocolates like the Venezuelan influenced tamarind truffle and the Japanese influenced umeboshi truffle. Adventurous chocolate lovers order cactus blossom, blackberry or spicy truffles.

Comparte's still specializes in fruits dipped in their signature blends of dark, milk and white chocolates, such as orange peels, world famous apricots and peaches, pineapples, pears, prunes and long-stem strawberries. And the treats long-time customers grew up with—double-dipped Oreo cookies, grahams and jumbo pretzels as well as gooey turtles with hand-roasted plump pecans and caramel enrobed in dark or milk chocolate—are still made fresh daily. Confections can be customized with special ingredients or logos.

Available at www.compartes.com or at 912 S. Barrington Avenue in Brentwood.

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