French gastronomy has always been in high demand around the world, especially in Vietnam. Marc understood this and set out to create a gourmet chocolate business in Hô Chi Minh City. However nothing predestined him to follow this path.

 

 

 

History of an eclectic route...

The beginning

 

I arrived in Vietnam in September 1995. I first worked as a French teacher for five years. Then I wanted to start a water sports business on the coast but did not succeed. My encounter with Jacques Roques, a caterer in Saigon for many years, was the impetus for my career in chocolate. I presented to him chocolate truffles and a recipe of delicious white chocolate mousse inherited from a talented chef in Haute Savoie (France). He liked them and decided to sell them.

 

Another encounter, with Serge Rigodin, the Sofitel's Chef, has been decisive. I am grateful to him for the time he devoted to me and the precious advice he lavished on me. This allowed me to improve my technique in a country where heat and humidity make a chocolatier's life rather complicated. I then started a small company with modest means. I designed and assembled by hand the basic (inox) machines necessary to produce high quality chocolate: melting machine, tempering machine, vibrating table... The essential polycarbonate moulds have been imported from France.

 

At that time, hotels and restaurants in Vietnam had very little choice to find
providers of high quality chocolate. So there has been for me a good opportunity to persevere in this way. I now sell chocolates to several Hô Chi Minh City's luxury hotels like Sofitel, Caravelle, Omni Saigon, Renaissance, and two other Sofitel hotels in Dalat and Hanoi. Restaurants have followed and now I am proud to work with prestigious restaurants like La Camargue, La Fourchette and Le Bordeaux. Let me tell you an anecdote: I have created three special chocolates for an Irish restaurant owner: a chocolate with Guinness beer, a chocolate with Bailey's, and a chocolate with whisky Jameson. I now offer a range of 21 different chocolates which are most appreciated by expatriates, especially for holydays and special events.

 

 About Marc

 

Marc's professional background is quite atypical. Graduated in business (ESC
Toulouse), he started in a business career, but did not feel enthusiastic about it.
He wished to find independence through starting his own business designing and
building crash helmets. This did not make him a rich man but the experience has been interesting and he learnt a lot about technique. After a few years he left business to move towards his passion: sports and mountain occupations. During 15 years he has been a ski patrol, ski instructor, trekking guide, and... distillator. Then he left for Vietnam where he worked as a French teacher. You know what happened next...


 

 Contact
 Les Chocolats de France

21/5/3 Truong Son P.4

Tan Binh Dist.

Ho Chi Minh City - Vietnam

Tel:   811-9531

 

You can order Marc's chocolates at:

www.chocolatsdefrance.com  (Free delivery)