July 13, 2008
On July 13, 2008, the tasting panel for the Seattle Chocolate Salon picked Fiori in the following competitions:

First place awards:
Top Artisan Chocolatier
Most Gifted Chocolatier
Most Delicious Ingredient Combinations
Best Milk Chocolate Bar

Second place awards:
Best Truffle
Best Gift Set
Best Milk Chocolate

Honorable mentions:
Best Organic or Fair Trade Products
New Product Award - Kalamata Olive Truffle

Seattle PI Newspaper, July 3, 2008
"Candy sales hit the sweet spot."

Seattle Dining, February 2008 "Rest assured that Fiori will always stand for artisan-style, high-quality chocolates, no matter how popular they get."

:: Read the review here ::

Seattle PI Newspaper, February 2008 "Owner Lee Johnson is known for his uncompromising standards, the freshness and elegance of his products, his chocolate's smooth, nuanced flavors, and for remarkable creations such as a ganache filled with organic strawberries marinated in aged balsamic vinegar."

:: Read the review here ::

Seattle Times Newspaper, February 2008 "And Italian-inspired local chocolate maker Fiori Chocolatiers makes a "Peperoncino Spicy Drinking Chocolate" with hints of cinnamon, allspice and hot pepper..."

:: Read the review here ::

Seattle Homes & Lifestyles, February 2008
"Sweet meets savory in intriguing confections that tempt sweet tooths and mark a new trend in chocolate flavors. As Seattle chocolate connoisseurs become more sophisticated, artisan chocolate makers are creating ever more unique flavors to hold their interest."

:: Read the review here ::

Chef MD TV Program, Lifetime Network, February 3, 2008
"Seek out artisan chocolate makers in the U.S. who are doing amazing work: veregoods.com and Jacques Torres in New York City, Vosges chocolate in Chicago, DeVries chocolate in Denver, Fiori in Seattle. We love chocolate."

Seattle PI Newspaper, February 2008 "Sip a delectable cup of cocoa with your sweetie with Fiori Chocolatiers' distinctive drinking chocolates..."

:: Read the review here ::

Seattle Magazine, December 2007 "Bellevue-based chocolatier Lee Johnson studied chocolate making in Italian chocolate capitol Perugia, and his Fiori chocolates have an Old World elegance to them with their shiny, criollo cacao-based chocolate exterior..."

:: Read the story here ::

Seattle Weekly, December 2007 "The bourbon, date, and spiced-caramel notes of Maredsous 10 Tripel ale, my favorite beer, meshes seamlessly with Fiori Chocolatiers' strangely creamy Mezzanotte bar. The intensity of the ultra-dark chocolate is rounded out by the slightly sweet, highly aromatic beer."

:: Read the story here ::

Seattle PI Newspaper, December 2007 "The brew from the Bellevue-based chocolatier is as rich as the finest European-style hot chocolates we've had around town."

:: Read the story here ::

The Nibble.com, February 2007
The Nibble.com online gourmet magazine picks Fiori Chocolatiers as one of America's best boutique chocolatiers. "[Fiori Chocolatiers] has a nice range of fillings that will be appreciated by both traditionalist and chocolate adventurer.

:: Read the review here ::

The Nibble.com, December 2006
The Nibble.com online gourmet magazine picks Fiori Chocolatiers' Drinking Chocolate as one of their favorites among 65 cocoas and drinking chocolates from across the globe.

:: Read the review here ::

City Search, July 2006
“Since 2004, this small, Seattle-based company has provided the city with plenty of gourmet European-style truffles."

:: Read the review here ::

Alaska Airlines Magazine, May 2006 “Fiori Chocolatiers, based in Bellevue, Washington, addresses the freshness issue by selling many of its chocolates in small batches through upscale coffee shops and other retailers around the Pacific Northwest, while serving additional retailers by shipping small parcels of its product around the country."

:: Read the story here ::

Jungle City, April 6, 2006
Review in Japanese

:: Read the review online ::

Seattle Info SeaGuide, March 2006
Review in Japanese

:: Read the story here ::

Eastside Business Report, March 2006 “Lee Johnson spent 10 years marketing software but he never had fun like this. Since 2004, he and his wife have been creating hand-crafted artisan chocolates at his Fiori Chocolatiers in Bellevue."

:: Read the story here ::

Seattle Magazine, February 2006 “Another sizzling local chocolate company, just launched an haute line of 1.75 ounce chocolate bars in milk, dark milk, dark and extra-dark chocolate varieties that will be sold at fine markets…”

Seattle Times, February 8, 2006 For true connoisseurs, the business of tasting chocolate is as nuanced as tasting wine or coffee. When savored slowly, the flavors intensify and linger longer. What could be better?

:: Read the story here ::

Seattle Times, February 8, 2006 "Our approach is to make socially conscious chocolates, where small farms growing cacao get a fair share of the profits," said Johnson. He purchases his cacao from environmentally friendly farms in Venezuela, Java and Ecuador, blending his couverture from a mix of chocolates.

:: Read the story here ::

About.com's Chocolatiers List 2006 Fiori Chocolatiers specializes in artisan chocolates made with natural ingredients from environmentally-sensitive suppliers.

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Seattle Bon Vivant, November 27, 2005 When it is "marinated in rum and Tahitian Vanilla, filled with 65% cacao ganache, covered with 71% cacao chocolate, and finally dusted with 100% pure cacao powder and organic cinnamon", said Lee Johnson, Fiori Chocolatiers Master Chocolatier and the creator of this babies.

:: Read the story here ::

Jungle Diary
Review in Japanese

:: Read the story here ::

Seattle Post-Intelligencer, August 31, 2005 On top of having intriguing flavor combinations, such as banana with Thai coconut milk and dark Caribbean rum, Fiori Chocolatiers makes its truffles with organic ingredients.

You can find Fiori truffles in Motore Coffee and Pat’s on the Ave. Fiori chocolates are also available in Espresso Vivace, Cafe Arosa and Caffe Appassionato (Magnolia Village). Executive chocolatier and founder of Fiori, Lee Johnson, shares his story in the latest "On Food" podcast with Hsiao-Ching Chou.

:: Download the PodCast here (MP3, 17:07, 7.8MB) ::

KOMO TV / KOMO 1000 News, August 18, 2005 "It's one of our favorite treats, but besides tasting good, it's actually good for us! It's what chocolate lovers around the world have been craving to hear."

:: Read the entire story online ::

Seattle Bon Vivant, August 30, 2005 You might think this is the translated description of a label on some fancy schmanzy chocolate from France or Belgium. Think again.

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Seattle City Search Reviews, August 31, 2005 "The truffles taste so fresh, so alive. They send me into a tingling place that makes me truly understand why chocolate can be called a sensuous food. They are truly magical."

:: Read all of the reviews online ::

Jungle City, August 4, 2005
Review in Japanese

:: Read the review online ::