Berkeley’s vivid food culture and abundance of gorgeous produce shaped my love for food and fine ingredients. Luckily, I’ll be carrying that passion forward through a budding confectionery business (stay tuned for the Q4 online store launch!).

During my final chocolatiering session in the Bay, I crafted these nostalgic peanut butter and jelly inspired chocolates: silky milk chocolate shells filled with freshly ground peanut butter, spun with sea salt, mild olive oil, Madagascar vanilla beans, and wildflower honey—each crowned with a shard of fresh honeycomb. The dark chocolate shells enclose a tangy raspberry crème filling. I also included a few classic, ultra-dark (70% cacao) hand-rolled truffles for good measure.

One of my favorite Bay Area food memories is a brief encounter with Samin Nosrat at a gardening supply in Albany. I recognized her instantly but was too shy to say anything that might feel objectifying or intrusive, so I just stood there, smiling gormlessly at her. When she finally looked over and gave a nod—as if to say yep, it’s really me—I melted like one of my little truffles.