Celebrated premium artisan chocolate manufacturer Delysia Chocolatier has announced plans to open a state-of-the-art chocolate culinary center this November. 

Located in North Austin, Texas, the 2,000-square-foot Delysia Chocolate Culinary Center will serve as both the base of operations for the award-winning chocolatier and as a community gathering space that will host educational classes, chocolate pairing events, pop-up dinners, and more.

More than two years in the making, the technologically advanced Delysia Chocolate Culinary Center is the first complex of its kind in the Texas. The ultra-modern edifice showcases an impressive 23×32-foot kitchen, equipped with stainless steel Bosch appliances, leading edge tempering machines, and island and expandable seating, as well as a special chocolate cooling room and conditioned space, guaranteeing perfect crystallization. 

The center also includes a 16×12.5-foot conference room decked out with a 65-inch LED smart TV with theater 3D and floor-to-ceiling glass doors and walls. 

Upon entering the Chocolate Culinary Center, guests are greeted in a luxurious lobby that features an intricately-branded design that includes Italian hand-blown glass lighting fixtures, a commercial grade audio system, and wireless smartphone charging stations. Strategically coordinated natural lighting highlights the stunning craftsmanship and forward-thinking scope of the culinary center’s artistic architecture, adding to the high tech headquarters’ alluring charm.

At the Delysia Chocolate Culinary Center, chocolate lovers will be able to experience firsthand the process of making chocolate, learn where their chocolate originates from, and receive education on its health benefits. The center will become an educational hub where the people of Austin and its surrounding communities can gather with friends and families to enjoy a peerless, positive chocolate experience. 

In short, the Delysia Chocolate Culinary Center is a modern day chocolate factory.

“Six years ago, when I launched Delysia Chocolatier, it was a very small endeavor. A hobby,” says founder and chocolatier, Chef Nicole Patel. “I never imagined that we would one day own our very own facility, nor that we would have the support to grow to such a size. After two years of hard work, headaches, and setbacks, I am proud to announce that we have finished work on our chocolate culinary center. It is my sincere pleasure to open the doors to Austin's first chocolate culinary center and to introduce to a larger market the wonderful and sustainably crafted chocolates that we produce.”

Simultaneously, Delysia Chocolatier has been named one of the Best Chocolatiers and Confectioners in America by the International Chocolate Salon Awards. Delysia was one of 10 chocolatiers to receive the six-star rating and is the only Texas-based chocolate company to land the perfect appraisement. 

This Best Chocolatiers & Confectioners award recognizes the artisan company’s achievements in the Bridal category (Gold medals for solid chocolate cowboy boots, chocolate invitations, and two-piece custom salted caramel and orange truffle favor boxes); Bars competition (Silver medals for Salt Lick Dry Rub bark and Pecan Cayenne bark); and Top Truffle Artistry (Gold medal for the Jalapeño Tequila truffle). 

The International Chocolate Salon entrants, presented by TasteTV and Chocolate Television, were judged during Salons in San Francisco, Los Angeles, Seattle, and also standalone Chocolate Salon Award Competitions. This is Delysia’s second consecutive year being named to the International Chocolate Salon’s prestigious list.

“There are no words to describe how amazing it feels to be among the best in the country,” Patel says. “Being once again recognized by the International Chocolate Salon is such a huge honor. It’s humbling. I know competition was fierce this year and I’m ecstatic to have come out on top.”

Delysia Chocolatier was formed in 2008 after a chance visit by Patel to the Texas Hill Country’s Becker Vineyards. The vineyard visit soon led to Nicole becoming the first artisan in the state to make flavor-infused chocolate truffles using local wines. The assortment of chocolate truffles, aptly named the Wine Collection, includes flavors of Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Port and is still one of Delysia’s most popular selections. 

Today, Delysia has expanded its handcrafted confectionary line to include award-winning truffles, barks, molded chocolates, and chocolate mixes in a wide assortment of familiar and exotic flavors, created using only fair trade cocoa beans and production methods that are both ethical and environmentally conscious. A small sampling of Delysia’s signature chocolates includes Salted Caramel, PB & J, Pumpkin Spice, Apple Cider, Scotch, Chai, and Ghost Chili Pepper. Pateland Delysia have also collaborated with like-minded artisans including Austin BBQ champions Franklin Barbecue and The Salt Lick to forge limited-edition chocolate creations.