Jael Rattigan and her husband Dan own and operate French Broad Chocolates in the beautiful Blue Ridge Mountains of Asheville, NC. Their dessert restaurant, French Broad Chocolate Lounge, creates artisanal chocolates and handmade desserts from fine chocolate and local ingredients, and has been voted “Best Desserts in Western North Carolina” for the past three years. They serve their sweet delicacies alongside beer and wine, espresso and tea.
Presently, her attention is focused on their newest venture - building a bean-to-bar chocolate factory in downtown Asheville, just blocks from the Chocolate Lounge. Their new chocolate factory will not only produce a line of artisanal chocolate bars, but will also create bulk house-ground chocolate for use in their pastries and confections at the Chocolate Lounge. They will be one of a handful of chocolatiers in the world making their confections from their own bean-to-bar chocolate.
Jael and Dan opened their first restaurant, Bread & Chocolate, in Puerto Viejo, Costa Rica, where their first son was born. After two years, they moved to Asheville, NC and started their small chocolate truffle business in their certified home kitchen, selling at farmer’s markets and local natural foods stores. They feel blessed and grateful to have been supported by their customers throughout their growth, and look forward to serving the world through chocolate.
Jael is proud mama to two spirited boys, Sam and Max.
“I am so honored to be included in Where Women Cook - Celebrate, alongside such creative and inspiring women!”
What a cool story. I wish them every success in their ventures Oh, and chocolate is so GOOD, especially homemade yummy chocolate goodness Love and hugs from the ocean shores of California, Heather