DeathbedFood® Food Stories by Diane Wagner

Diane Wagner's Blog | So good you could die happy at best bite!

  • HOME
  • VIDEO
  • CHEFS
  • HUMOR
  • RECIPES
  • ABOUT

Wine & Artisanal Caramel Pairing Inspire Holiday Gift Idea

November 6, 2011 by Diane Wagner

Justin Chao’s Le Bon Garcon: Not Your Father’s Caramels

Wondering what to get your friends and family for the holidays?  I’m now thinking about hand-crafted, artisanal caramels!  I came across the idea after having recently invited by the PR firm, Azcona & Rodgers, to the Le Bon Garcon Wine Pairing Event held on the Rooftop of the Thomson Beverly Hills.  Unfortunately, I couldn’t make it but my Ace photographer, Jesse Gift, stepped up and went for both of us (he’s a “do what it takes” kind of guy!).

At the event, Jesse was introduced to the Caramel maker himself, Justin Chao.

Justin Chao, Founder of Le Bon Garcon

I love Justin’s story (nicely told on the “About” page of his website).  Growing up in Westlake Village where there were no Chinese grocery stores, he would watch his Chinese-American mother create dishes from ingredients available to her and develop her own innovative combination of traditional Chinese/American comfort food. While Justin originally studied architecture at U.C. Berkeley, his heart, largely inspired by his mother’s culinary inventiveness, told him to pursue pastry … which he did by graduating from the prestigious Ecole Gastronomique Bellouet Conseil in Paris and honing his skills at the three-star Michelin rated restaurant Le Meurice.  He then founded Le Bon Garcon in 2010.

Le Bon Garcon Caramels

Le Bon Garcon makes its caramels in three flavors (Salted, Mango-Passion Fruit and Macadamia Nut).  During the event, Justin, a studied wine connoisseur, paired each variety with its own wine:

  • Salted Caramels with a Muscadet “Amphibolite-Nature” Landron;
  • Mango-Passion Fruit Caramels with a Moscato d’Asti “Sourgai”; and
  • Macadamia Nut Caramels with a Sauternes Chateau Grillon.

Caramels By Candlelight

Jesse’s favorite was the Mango-Passion Fruit Caramels with the Moscato d’Asti.  The wine notes give some clues into why he may have liked it so much:

The Moscato is a classic version, with a great balance of both citrus and peach flavors found on the palate. The wine’s crispness makes it the perfect complement to the delicate flavor of the mango-passion fruit caramel.

Wine Pairing Against Beverly Hills Backdrop

Luckily for me, Jesse brought back a beautiful gift box of caramel samples for me to try.  Now while I’m addicted to caramel sauce, I haven’t necessarily been the biggest fan of caramels themselves because I find most of them to be too sticky or gummy.  Given that, I was a bit skeptical about how much I might like these even though Jesse had raved.  I’m happy to report, however, that once I tried one, I was a fan!  Without a doubt, these aren’t your father’s caramels. 

So, what makes the difference?  I think it’s three key factors:

  1. Justin’s French training;
  2. All of his caramels are hand-made, hand-stirred, and hand-wrapped in an artisanal approach; and
  3. He only the best ingredients: no preservatives, Plugra butter (which, I know from Montage Beverly Hills’ Pastry Chef Richard Ruskell is the best).

And, I’m not alone in being a fan.  Lots of foodies have been raving … with my favorite reviews being:

  • LA Weekly: “Justin Chao’s confections are bound to make very bad boys (and girls) out of all who eat them.”
  • Gastronomy: “My intention was to eat just one … but once I tasted how amazing they were, there was no turning back.”

Couldn’t agree more!

Justin Chao

Justin sells his Le Bon Garcon caramels online at the Le Bon Garcon website ($6 for 2 oz., $12 for 4 oz., $24 for 8 oz.).  That’s a bargain in my book – the best ingredients, no preservatives, handmade for that price?!

You can also find them on Facebook and Twitter.  Personally, I’m going to keep Justin’s caramels on my gift list … and in my everyday treat list as well.  And, Justin, may I ask: are you thinking about product extensions?  I have a huge weakness for caramel sauce … so  maybe that’ll be your next move?

Filed Under: Beverly Hills, Food Events, Wine Tagged With: artisanal, artisenal french caramels, azcona & rodgers, Beverly Hills, caramels, DeathbedFood, ecole gastronomique bellouet conseil, food events, gastronomy, jesse gift, jesse gift media, justin chao, LA Weekly, le bon garcon, le meurice, Los Angeles, news, thompson beverly hills, wine events

Follow Me on Twitter

🍴Di Wagner 🍷Follow

🍴Di Wagner 🍷

Looks like Wild Mushroom Risotto’s popular! So I’ll make that one first. 😎

Reply on Twitter 1351402429854609408Retweet on Twitter 1351402429854609408Like on Twitter 1351402429854609408Twitter 1351402429854609408

Thinking about making these #recipes from @inagarten’s #BarefootContessa Back To Basics #cookbook. Which should I do first?

Reply on Twitter 1351361351633915905Retweet on Twitter 1351361351633915905Like on Twitter 13513613516339159052Twitter 1351361351633915905

Thinking about making these #recipes from @inagarten’s #BarefootContessa At Home #cookbook. Which should I do first?

Reply on Twitter 1351360982023475200Retweet on Twitter 1351360982023475200Like on Twitter 13513609820234752001Twitter 1351360982023475200

My #brownies from @inagarten’s #Barefootcontessa #cookbook tonite were #DeathbedFood! 💋

Reply on Twitter 1351360240420179974Retweet on Twitter 1351360240420179974Like on Twitter 13513602404201799742Twitter 1351360240420179974

Barefoot Brownies Are DeathbedFood!
{NEW from the blog}
https://deathbedfood.com/barefoot-contessa-brownies/
#brownies #dessert #foodblogger #barefootcontessa #inagarten #DeathbedFood #baking @inagarten

Reply on Twitter 1351258738108190720Retweet on Twitter 1351258738108190720Like on Twitter 13512587381081907201Twitter 1351258738108190720
Load More...

Search

Tag Cloud

andrew zimmern Anthony Bourdain art Baking Beverly Hills Bon Appetit Bouchon Bakery Bouchon Bakery Beverly Hills chef jose andres Chef Thomas Keller cooking DeathbedFood Desserts documentaries farina kingsley Father's Office food bloggers food events food humor food news food safety humor Jonathan Gold jose andres LA LA restaurants LA Weekly Los Angeles los angeles restaurants news new york restaurants new york times ramon resa RAMON RISING ramon rising documentary recipes restaurants rip anthony bourdain rip bourdain Santa Monica Thomas Keller travel channel Twitter video wine

Copyright © 2020 DeathbedFood® | Food & Wine Stories by Diane Wagner | Twitter: @DeathbedFood | Insta: @DeathbedFoodByDiane | FB: @DeathbedFoodByDi