I fell in love with chocolates in Italy.

On a cold, winter day, I sat in a caffè, drinking rich, hot chocolate. The bittersweet flavor was like no chocolate I tasted before. Robust, pure, it seemed almost effervescent.

Life changing events occur when you least expect them, and this was one of them.

I left Italy with a new appreciation for chocolate. And shortly thereafter, returned to study at the Scuola di Arte Culinaria Cordon Bleu in Perugia. Here I learned to view chocolates with a layering approach, developing unique flavor combinations that unfold in depth as they are enjoyed. It was also in Perugia that the chocolate formulas, that would become our bar selections were created – high in cacao, yet unexpectedly creamy.

Our Approach

Chocolate starts as cacao pods hanging from trees in tropical jungles. Year after year, like the grapes of fine wines, cacao flavors change. For this very reason, chocolate making has been a hands-on approach for us, never trusted to machines. As flavors change, so do our formulas. Tuned ever so slightly to ensure that each chocolate confection is a memorably delight.

We temper by hand, the chocolate ladled into molds, handmade ganache filled into each molded shell one at a time – even our chocolate bars are wrapped by hand. It’s a time consuming process but I believe the results are worth the effort.

Socially Conscious

Our chocolate comes from select jungle-grown Criollo and Trinitario cacao found in Ecuador, Colombia and Venezuela.

Criollo and Trinitario are the rarest of cacao, making up roughly 4% and 10% respectively of the world’s chocolate yield. Both grow deep in the jungles, fed by natural spring waters and bathed by gently diffused sunlight below old growth trees.

Our desire to use these chocolates helps to keep farming families employed and to pass on their farming tradition to future generations. It also prevents the further encroachment of plantation-style farming that impacts the delicate ecosystems of Latin & South America

Organic Ingredients

Most of the ingredients within our chocolates are certified organic. Our truffles contain organic butter, organic cream; organic fruit, herbs and spices. And, our selections change with the seasons to ensure we choose ingredients picked at their peak flavor.

Sophisticated Flavors

Our chocolate flavors fuse contemporary and classic tastes. Ranging from unique flavor combinations of “Balsamico e Fragola,” an infusion of fresh organic strawberries with aged, organic Modena balsamic vinegar, to “Olio di Oliva,” flavored with extra virgin olive oil and Tahitian vanilla, or exotic “Madras,” Southern Indian curry in a dark ganache.

Our Name

The Scuola di Arte Culinaria is located near the outskirts of Perugia. Driving to and from the school, I could see the distant, yellow Umbrian hillsides. Yellow in color, from blooming sunflowers. “Fiori,” my teacher would comment, “the flowers… they are beautiful.” And so became our name, a remembrance of a place, a time and of beauty.