by Patrizia Sanvitale

The history of chocolate began thousands of years ago, in the era of the Aztecs. Yet if chocolate has inspired literature, art and cinema, the art of the Chocolatier is a little-told story.

The history of chocolate began thousands of years ago, in the era of the Aztecs. Yet if the legendary "food of the Gods", so universally loved by lesser mortals, has inspired literature, art and cinema, generating a vast bibliography, the art of the Chocolatier is a little-told story. The author of this book set about this task with great style and skill, retracing past and present of an extraordinary know-how, and revealing the unexplored features of this profession and its protagonists.

Sanvitale’s dedicated and in-depth research into the realm of chocolate resulted in a compelling and entertaining tale that is packed with history, information, social and cultural references and interesting anecdotes: from Master Chocolatiers to training schools, from chocolate industries to websites, from legislation to literature, from cinema to art, not forgetting a number of mouth-watering recipes.

Patrizia Sanvitale is a journalist and sociologist who develops publishing projects. She is also an expert in the history and philosophy of food: when she is not writing she is cooking. In her quest for new ideas and trends, she is constantly on the move between Milan, Paris, London and California.

The book received the 2005 Eurochocolate Award as the best chocolate-related publication.