It might sound cheesy, but it's true—my chocolate bonbons are dedicated to my friends or people who are dear and important to me. Many bonbons originated from a friend's love for specific ingredients or a casual remark that sparked my creativity. It could be someone who made a bet with me, like that one time I created my Patty bonbon—my friend dared me to make a chocolate bonbon flavour with onion. Other times, someone would have a whimsical dream and share it with me, and I would think:
"Why not bring it to life and encapsulate it in a bonbon?".
How was my highest-awarded bonbon created
After receiving the Golden Bonbon award for my bonbon Dze Georgien, people were asking me about the inspiration behind my flavour ideas. This bonbon was dedicated to my friend, a very talented photographer who captured half the images on the Carambole website. She creates very philosophical photographs using my bonbons which go beyond trivial decor, design, or art. They have a cosmic-philosophical quality, far from being simply illustrative. In them, you can discover so many meanings, that I really wanted to dedicate a bonbon to her. She is Georgian, her last name is Georgadze, hence the name Dze Georgien.
I love making bonbons with various spices for savoury dishes, meat, and national flavours. One time I thought about this cool classic combination—walnuts and pomegranate, both a staple in Georgia—and I had just brought back an amazing khmeli-suneli spice blend from there. When faced with a new spice blend, my immediate thought is always: "How can I weave this into a bonbon?". Like this, the idea for Dze was born, and it felt only right to dedicate it to my friend.
How Dze almost missed the Awards
Back when I was about to submit Dze for the Academy of Chocolate Awards, I prepared the whole box. But then, just like in a bad movie—one wrong move and the entire box of bonbons I meticulously crafted went flying to the floor, destroying every single bonbon! With no time to sulk, I had to pull an all-nighter to recreate them. I had initial reservations about submitting Dze for the Awards,too; "The bonbon is quite intriguing but not competitive,"—I thought; there's white chocolate, peculiar spices, and quite some tartness.
Yet, against all odds, it got the top prize, outshining even the restaurant boasting multiple Michelin stars!
Can there be a bonbon with a "dream come true" flavour?
The most original question I received about the flavours was: "Rita, if you were to create a bonbon with a flavour reminiscent of a "dream come true", what would be in it?". I gave it a thought. In essence, all the bonbons I've crafted have emerged from intriguing ideas, and they've all materialised, thus making those little dreams come true. But if we're talking about creating a flavour of something impalpable…
I am drawn to the idea of bonbons as journeys, unravelling various layers, one after another. It would be intriguing to not just make bonbons with unusual ingredients, but with nonexistent ones: creating a bonbon about water, or infusing one with the scent of old books.
Take, for instance, cloud-shaped bonbons: What could embody a cloud, what might its flavour be, what texture could it have, and, most importantly, what narrative does it convey?
In perfumery, there are molecule-based fragrances: some are reminiscent of something inedible and impalpable and they are fascinating; yet, fragrances, unlike chocolate bonbons, are non-edible, which makes it simpler. That's why exploring this concept in food, particularly in bonbons, piques my curiosity. And while we are on the subject, I'd love to create bonbons inspired by perfumes one day!
"Here is to the fools who dream!", I guess? :)