La Forêt began way back in 2005 on a trip to the south of France. One evening while drinking a glass of Gigondas and watching a peachy sunset over the Med, I blurted out, “Hey, if we ever have a chocolate shop, let’s call it La Forêt, get it, the forest, Sherwood forest!” In 2010, with the support of my husband and many helpful friends, we opened La Forêt Chocolate and Confections, a micro-chocolate “atelier” in a quiet neighborhood in Napa, California.

We sold chocolate online and in our shop for 12 amazing years, making so many friends along the way. In 2022, we decided to close La Forêt, sell our house and start a new adventure. We weren’t sure what we would get up to; Mark wanted to write a novel, I wanted to marble paper, we both wanted to travel more. More than anything else, we wanted to move to France.

Fast forward to summer 2024. After a lot of searching, we found a historic farmhouse in the Dordogne region of southwestern France. With a large stone barn ready to renovate, beautiful views over the countryside and lots of amazing local food producers nearby, we thought a boutique cooking school would be a great way to bring the property back to life.

We’re still working out the details, but we plan to offer one day and weeklong, all-inclusive cooking classes focused on chocolate and French pâtisserie for the enthusiastic home cook. If you’re interested in coming to France for a class, or if you plan to be in the Dordogne in 2025, please let us know. Here’s to a new chapter for La Forêt!

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