A Frenchman who came to Belgium to study chocolate making has taken home the title for the best chocolate maker in Brussels in the latest version of the prestigious Gault&Millau restaurant guide.
Jerôme Grimponon, who moved to Belgium 25 years ago to study chocolate making in Belgium, came out on top after food judges blind tested batches of chocolate samples by 88 different chocolate makers, RTBF reports.
Gault&Millau cited the "quality and originality" of Grimponon's chocolates as a guiding reason behind their choice to crown him the best chocolatier of 2020.
https://www.facebook.com/jeromegrimonponchocolatier/photos/a.1475435019350386/2629707830589760/?type=3&theater
"I am very, very proud of this recognition," the Frenchman, who set up shop in Uccle six years ago, said in a Facebook post announcing his award.
Grimponon, whose original interest laid in pastry-making, said he found his call as a chocolate maker after encountering teachers in Belgium who were "really passionate about chocolate."
The judges sampled chocolate from a total of 130 chocolate shops across Belgium and Luxembourg, all of which were added to next year's edition of the gastronomical guide.
Alongside Brussels' Grimponon, the guide also crowned Ariqua Denis and Joost Arijs as best chocolate makers in Wallonia and Flanders, respectively.
Gabriela Galindo
The Brussels Times
