The Best Chocolate Classes in New York City

Here is our list of best chocolate classes in New York City, perfect for anyone who wants to try their hand at making delicious chocolate confections in the Big Apple.

Chocolate is one of the most universally-loved foods in the entire world. People just can’t seem to get enough chocolate, no matter if it’s in a truffle, a bar, a fountain, or a cookie. What could be a better gift for yourself or a loved one than the gift of homemade chocolate treats, or even the gift of a class that they can take to learn how to make them themselves? Get researching, and get going over to one of these classes to have a tasty and educational time with everyone’s favorite ingredient: chocolate.

When I hear “chocolate”, I instantly think of Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory and his amazing wonderland of sugary treats. Though the companies we have written about here don’t necessarily have literal chocolate rivers or strange men that sing songs when children start disappearing, they are definitely chocolate paradises to those who know what they are looking for. Chocolate will never go out of style. It permeates our pop-culture references (Forrest Gump box of chocolates reference, anyone?). It is a crucial part of almost every major celebration, including chocolate bunnies at Easter, chocolate coins at Hanukkah, boxes of chocolates for Valentine’s day, and even chocolate chip cookies for Santa at Christmas. Chocolate also goes well with just about anything. Chocolate and peanut butter, chocolate and hazelnut, chocolate and fruits, chocolate and nuts, chocolate with marshmallows and graham crackers to hold it all together, hot chocolate made with a kick cayenne pepper; the possibilities are endless.

It doesn’t take an expert to learn how to create something from chocolate. Chocolate making and crafting are arts that take time to master. But every master chocolatier had to start out somewhere! Treat yourself to a chocolate class to get a taste of pure luxury. 

In order to create our list, we used ClassCurious‘ database as our source to determine what some of the best chocolate classes in New York City are. The list is sorted in no particular order.

If you want to check out some more family-oriented offerings, or if chocolate isn’t your favorite, you should also check our list of kid-friendly things to do in NYC this weekend.

Stay tuned to get all the details about the best chocolate classes in New York City.

4. JoMart Chocolates 

JoMart has all of the charm that you would imagine from the oldest candy factory in Brooklyn. Owner Michael Rogak is the son of a candymaker, and he began working in the candy industry at JoMart when he was just nine. This company has turned out to be quite the family affair, and now his wife, daughters, and grandchildren are all members of the JoMart working team. Classes at JoMart Chocolates are designed to be entertaining as well as educational. You will gain knowledge, get to do a “relaxed tasting”, partake in some skill demos, and get started on some great chocolate projects. Some of the skills you will gain include hand-dipping, hand-tempering, molding, and of course, tasting! This course is said to be perfect for those who love chocolate and love laughing, and never meant to intimidate or overload students. Sounds pretty universally-appealing to me! Rogak has been fortunate enough to spend his whole life around chocolate, and loves nothing more than sharing his family’s passion for the sweet stuff with students.

3. Valrhona 

For a professional experience geared toward non-professionals, Valrhona’s professional kitchen in Dumbo, Brooklyn is a great place to begin exploring the world of chocolate. The entire space is state-of-the-art, with professional-grade equipment and extremely knowledgable staff. Students will be able to utilize fine Valrhona chocolates in everything from cookies to cakes and candies. This is very appealing to home bakers, as they will be able to get a chocolate maker’s expertise to enhance their baking recipes with quality chocolate and insightful tips for how to get the most out of the chocolate, and how to select which chocolate works best for which recipe, which is why we think this is one of the best chocolate classes in New York City. Most recipes are also designed and taught to be replicable at home. Even special “professional style” courses are designed to be approachable to non-professionals, on topics that are generally complex and advanced (such as bonbons). Private events are offered for corporate events, small groups, holiday parties, etc. Valrhona prides itself on “demystifying chocolate”, by teaching students that it is just like any other naturally-grown ingredient, and that there are many varieties, concentrations, special flavors, etc. that are meant to be utilized in different ways. And now, let’s see the top two on our list of best chocolate classes in New York City.

2. French’Encas 

We are continuing our list of best chocolate classes in New York City with French’Encas (or translated to English, a “small snack”)that was founded by Chef Simon Herfray, a pastry chef with a big vision. Herfray received his Master’s degree in Pastry and Bakery in his home country of France, and then gained experience working in high-end restaurants in the UK and Australia before making his way to the states. Once he arrived in New York, he jumped right into the pastry scene, serving as Executive Pastry Chef of Falai and then Cafe M in Midtown. Making his way into Brooklyn, he worked for Bacchus and La Defense Bakery and Bistro. What does this al have to do with his chocolate classes of today? All of this adds up to one thing: Herfray’s paramount passion is not working in high-end restaurants, but sharing the art of chocolate to students of all levels in order to bring joy to their lives. He founded his very own company focused on multiple aspects of French cooking, including chocolate. Flavor and texture are on the menu, taught in a modern and open way. Many classes and workshops are offered, all based on the idea of pastry being a passion meant to share with family and friends. His mantra is “Pastry is an art; let’s share our passion.”

1. Tache 

Aditi Malhotra is crazy about chocolate. After creating Tache– her business of almost five years now– around chocolate, she swears that all of the antioxidants, caffeine, endorphin-releasing chemicals, and stress-relieving properties have her on a “natural chocolate high” essentially all the time. A big part of Tache’s culture is about being adventurous with flavor and fun. In addition to more traditional offerings, the shop also offers more interesting and exotic items, such as the Moroccan five spice and date truffles with either an African chili (known as peri peri), or a passionfruit white chocolate jam. If you want to learn to create some awesome chocolate treats, rest assured that you will be taught how to cultivate, temper, taste, coat, and decorate! Malhotra also loves children, and caters to little chocolatiers as well. When kids step into her chocolate factory, they are given state-of-the-art equipment and creative control over the class. Kids, who ever said not to play with your food?

Thanks for staying with us through our list of the best chocolate classes in New York City. What better way to spend a few hours than learning about, creating, and tasting something so delicious?