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Charlevoix Offers Its
Chocolates By Habeeb Salloum |
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As I watched them at work I thought to some half century ago when chocolate making by hand in cities like Toronto was still somewhat the norm. I often took my daughters on Sundays to visit a friend who owned a tiny factory store to have them watch him make mouth-watering chocolates. The chocolates that he gave them to taste were so inviting that they still fondly remember them and the generous chocolate maker. Today, I do not know of anyone who makes chocolates by hand – that is until I travelled to Charlevoix. The chocolates that are made at at Chocolaterie Cynthia are, in the main, are produced from local ingredients, such as fresh blueberries, maple syrup, and cherries. For chocolate lovers and for those who yearn for excellent chocolate-dipped ice cream, Chocolaterie Cynthia are is a sweet paradise much visited by tourists. After sitting down and
gorging ourselves on dreamy chocolates we toured a number of other
food establishments before stopping to stay at L’Auberge la Muse our
abode for the night. In its gourmet
To cap off our stay in Charlevoix, that evening we attended La Fete des Saveur, hosted by La Table Agrotouristique de Charlevoix – a fundraising event held annually. Both Chocolaterie Cynthia and Chocolaterie du Village were there to contribute their bit. When it came to the desserts, I barely touched them. I was still thinking of the delicious handmade chocolates in which we had that day indulged - a sweet finale that remind me of our gourmet trip to Charlevoix. Visit www.lamuse.com and www.bonjourquebec.com. |
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This day in Baie St-Paul, a
village of about 4,000, we stopped at the restaurant/bar and
microbrewery Le Saint Pub, which serves a whole series of in-house
beers, to enjoy an excellent meal. Sated we walked across the
street to the Chocolaterie Cynthia famous for its handmade
Belgium-type chocolates.
As we walked in I was amazed
to see that the whole process of chocolate making was still a
personal operation with all types 
restaurant we dined on some of
the finest dishes in the region made possible by its excellent chef
Hank Suzuki. One of the owners is the gracious and charming Evelyne
Tremblay, who lived for some time in Japan had learned to appreciate
Japanese food. Now her chef is imparting bits of Japanese cooking to
visitors dining in this little gem of an inn in tourist-friendly
Charlevoix. 
The next day our most
memorable stop was Chocolaterie du Village – the second
establishment in Charlevoix producing chocolates by hand. Soon we
were listening to Yves Huppe relating the story of his shop that
produces some 40 types of Belgium-style handmade chocolates. Made
with natural ingredients, his chocolates have been a hit since he
began his business in 2004. Yves attributes his success to his
customers, saying as he handed us sample chocolates, “My customers –
50 percent tourists – tell me if they like my new creations and
after that I will continue or discontinue making them.”