What is a chocolatier?
A chocolateir is what you are most familiar with. Most chocolate shops in the world are run by chocolatiers. This is someone who specializes in working with chocolate. The main difference from a chocolatier versus a chocolate maker, is that the chocolatier doesn’t work directly with the cocoa beans. They don’t actually make the chocolate itself. They purchase chocolate already made (often called couverture), melt it down, and turn it into all sorts of creations such as molded into bars or figurines, truffles and bonbons, and other chocolate confections.
Chocolatiers make their own chocolates and chocolate products, but they don’t make the actual chocolate itself from the cocoa bean. Those who make chocolate from the cocoa bean are what we refer to as “bean-to-bar” chocolate makers.
Chocolatiers have skills unlike culinary or pastry chefs. Chocolate is a medium in the kitchen like no other, and so many at-home chefs struggle with chocolate since the skills required are so specialized. However, it is possible to learn and hone in on these skills.
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What do chocolatiers do?
Melt down couverture (chocolate already made with generally higher amounts of cocoa butter) and shape it into bars, figurines, coat fruits and nuts, and produce a line of ganaches and filled chocolates
Chocolatiers make chocolates and chocolate products, but don’t make the actual chocolate. That is, they don’t source the raw material (cocoa beans) and grind it up into chocolate. That’s what a bean-to-bar chocolate maker does.
Most chocolate shops in the world are chocolatiers. Even the top chocolate shop in Paris or New York is a chocolatier.
Chocolatiers require specialized skills such as learning how to temper chocolate, how to shape and mold chocolate, how to mix and finish off ganaches, how to colour and decorate bonbons and other products, how to create beautiful showpieces, and much more.