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Culture / Travel

Inside Alain Ducasse’s Paris Chocolate Factory — One of The World’s Best Chefs Takes the Sweet Indulgence to New Levels

And That's Just Part Of a Village Of Delectable Treats

BY Donatella Benckenstein // 01.14.25
Postcards from Paris
Graphic by Maggie Miller

Editor’s note: In this PaperCity series dubbed Postcards from Paris, Donatella Benckenstein chronicles her adventures in the French capital. With a Dutch mother and Italian-American diplomat father, Benckenstein was raised all over the world. She was schooled under the French academic and university systems, and anchored herself in Paris, both professionally and privately. Now, this well-traveled sophisticate is back in the City of Lights after living in Houston for more than two decades.

In this story, Benckenstein visits Michelin-starred chef Alain Ducasse’s own chocolate factory.


A village of delectable treats in the Bastille neighborhood has taken shape over the past decades. It bears the name of the eternally inventive chef Alain Ducasse. One of two chefs in the world to hold more than 20 Michelin stars, Ducasse has irons in an abundance of fires, helming more than 30 restaurants around the world. His burgeoning empire of manufactures — where all ingredients for his beverages and desserts are handmade and processed in-house — began when Ducasse was a young chef obsessed with chocolate.

Ducasse believed the universe of chocolate was unique and rich. This led him to immerse himself entirely in processing the most noble ingredients. His goal has always been to create sweets that exalt the chocolate’s flavor without added sugar.

With these high standards in mind, Ducasse launched his chocolate manufacturing facility la Manufacture de Chocolat, over a decade ago. The captivating aroma of cacao draws people in as they pass by. Here, Ducasse captures simplicity and purity to craft everyday products using only the finest raw material from top producers around the world.

Everything produced at the Alain Ducasse Manufacture de Chocolat is carried out with the highest artisanal care, the greatest precision in methodology. The result is an array of the finest of chocolates ever, presented with pure, modern refinery and in innovative shapes.

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This is one of the best chefs in the world’s own chocolate factory. Willy Wonka only wishes he had this type of quality control. This is chocolate at the highest level, what you’d expect from Alain Ducasse.

Steps away from the Manufacture de Chocolat is the Manufacture de Cafe Alain Ducasse, which opened in 2018. Master chef roaster Veda Viraswami tends to every detail, from roasting beans to serving “haute coffees.” This venture also inspired the creation of La Glace Alain Ducasse next door, an ice creamery offering a fabulous selection of flavors.

In 2022, Ducasse added Le Biscuit Alain Ducasse. Led by Chef Pâtissier Flora Davies, it reinvents traditional recipes, reducing sugar content to highlight intense flavors.

Alain Ducasse Unplugged

Ducasse talked to PaperCity, sharing his insights during a visit to his chocolate wonderland, for an exclusive interview.

PaperCity: Given your commitment to preserving artisan techniques, how do you view the future of food in a world increasingly dominated by processed products? Do you think there is a shift back to simpler, more natural ingredients?

Alain Ducasse: In matters of food, the big issue is to reconnect with nature and to abandon the ultra-processed foods from the food processing industry. We should stop eating strawberries in December, stop devouring tons of meat and stop eating products that contain masked sugars. One should eat less grease, less salt, less sugar. These are issues of public health and environment.

World renowned chef Alain Ducasse creates a world of chocolate wonders too.

As an artisan, what philosophy do you bring to the table? How do you see the role of chefs in promoting healthy eating and supporting responsible producers?

Cooks and chefs have a big responsibility: by serving healthier foods in their restaurants, they are bringing more awareness to the general public on the issue of healthy eating. Of course, they are unable to force things upon people, but they should serve as active vectors of a new way of eating.

Meanwhile, they are also responsible to producers — farmers, breeders, fishermen, market gardeners. Without all these women and men who deal every day with nature, a cook or chef is nothing. We should encourage producers who work with nature in a responsible way.

What role did your childhood play in your choice of profession?

I grew up on a farm in the southwest of France. It made sense that my parents would hope that I would take over the family farm. It was not at all what I had in mind. Actually, I decided at a very young age that I wanted to be a chef. However, my childhood spent on a farm did teach me one important thing: before cooking, there is nature.

That is precisely how I experienced it. In the summer months, I would be sent out to pick the vegetables that had ripened in the vegetable garden to prepare meals. Everything that landed on the table came from the farm. This strong connection between what nature has to offer and what the cook or chef prepares inspires to me to this day.

World renowned chef Alain Ducasse is serious about chocolate as well with his own factory in Paris.

What challenges do you face in shipping your chocolates internationally? How do you manage long-distance shipments?

In order to be transported, chocolate cannot be exposed to very high temperatures and heat. For long distance shipments, such as Texas, we only ship between October and April.

Do you offer cooking and chocolate-making courses to the public? What types of programs are available for aspiring chefs?

We offer cooking and baking courses to adults and youngsters, and of course, the latter includes chocolate. These courses take place at L’Ecole Ducasse – Paris Studio in the 16th arrondissement.

Our Education Division consists of two schools in France: the Ecole de Pâtisserie (pastry school) near Lyon, and the Ecole Ducasse in the suburbs of Paris. Both schools offer a wide range of training programs, from basic training to professional retraining sessions. They also offer more specialized courses devoted to products, techniques and food styles.

We train thousands of students every year from 80 different countries. We also offer courses in a dozen countries in partnership with local universities.

Learn more about Alain Ducasse’s array of dessert offerings here.

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