What do you produce in your chocolate factory?

I produce chocolate (or confectionery products) in an artisanal way, with the best ingredients that can exist, while adding a local touch whenever possible. "Artisan", for me, is one of the most beautiful labels. But I also have the appellation "Andouille du Val-d'Ajol en Chocolat", the same ring as the butchers, approved by the Confrérie des Tastes Andouille et Gandoyaux du Val-d'Ajol!

How long have you been doing this activity?

We can talk about vocation, it seems that I used to "cook" with toys when I was little, I would steal my mother's saucepans! A little older, I wanted to become a baker: a cousin of my mother was self-employed in Thillot and as soon as I was 14, I went to his house to discover the profession.

But to be complementary, it was better to start with pastry to have a foundation. I was lucky to have an extraordinary Chef in high school, named Mr. Pariss. He is the one who passed on his passion to us, I can never thank him enough! An unforgettable encounter! And suddenly… chocolate was a revelation! I knew that this was where I would flourish, rather than anything else. It is such a subtle, delicate, difficult material to work with… you can neither rush it nor force it, otherwise it will make you pay! That is really what is interesting, you have to be precise, orderly… But it is so beautiful… and good! So I have been doing this since I was 14.

What do you like most about your activity?

Eating chocolate! And like all gastronomy, it's sharing that is the most interesting, with my customers, the people around me, my suppliers... Discovering things, meeting the people who make fabulous products! Especially in the Vosges!

What is your favorite item ?

It's hard to choose just one... I work with products that I like, if I don't like them, even if there is demand, I don't do it, that's my principle... To be able to work with a product you have to like it, it has to transmit emotions to us.

Each product in the shop is different, I love them all, some are more sentimental than others. For example, the "Cailloux de la Vallée des Roches" is a tribute to my grandfather, a great enthusiast of pebbles and petrified wood, who spent his days looking for rare pearls, in the Vallée des Roches and surroundings in Val-d'Ajol...

Your activity in 3 words : pleasure, sharing and passion
A motivation : respect for noble raw materials, for the producers I work with, the pleasure of eating and sharing all that
A place in the Secret Vosges : forests are our wealth and that's where I feel best, mountain biking, running, skiing, etc.

– Rémi Arnould

Shop open from Wednesday to Saturday, from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. and from 14 p.m. to 18:30 p.m. (opening longer during the holidays), with glass opening to see the workshop.