Image Courtesy - CocosiaFor a self-confessed chocolate lover, like me, an invite to an artisan chocolate store, was surely a pleasurable one. The first thing that struck me about this boutique store in Dubai was its lovely name - Cocosia, which evoked beautiful imagery in my mind. And that surely is a very positive thing, when we are dealing with something, which is more than just a bite. But promises to create an experience, a memory.
Envisioning this to be the perfect sweet note, to start the new year with, I scheduled an appointment with the lady in charge – Ms. Qudsia Karim. And as expected the meeting was delightful and a great insight into the world of passion. Her journey in the world of chocolate is one of commitment. Commitment to a dream, commitment to passion and commitment to learning all aspects and techniques of becoming a true chocolatier. And this is one facet, which I found truly inspirational, of sketching a dream at a stage when call it quits and thinks of slowing or settling down. On the contrary Qudsia, decided on embarking this journey, of filing her dream sketch with all the lovely colors and making it a reality.
Image Courtesy - Cocosia
After a Masters course in Vancouver at Ecole Chocolat, Qudsia spent time in researching and expanding her width of know-how of chocolate making. Her quest for knowledge took her to many prestigious institutes and expert chocolatiers. The same included the likes of Barry Callaubaut Academy of Chicago, internship at Strassbourg under French Chocolatier, Thiery Mulphaut and to Tain le'Hermitage, a renowned French institute of chocolate.
Equipped with the knowledge and know how, Qudsia was determined to introduce her ownversion of artisan chocolates in the UAE market. And this dream was given shape in 2013,in the form of 'Cocosia Artisan Chocolates', a boutique shop in Al Barsha, Dubai. In thecourse of this journey, Qudsia realized a gap in the market for high end European luxury chocolate which concentrated on the flavours. With these findings, Cocosia is here to give us the feel of a French Chocolate store. Bon Appetite!
Image Courtesy - Cocosia
My visit to the store, meant an introduction to new flavour combinations. Interestingly named after countries of inspiration, the chocolates boasted of exotic flavours and blends, infused with mint, lemongrass, earl grey tea, raspberry, fleur de sel, to name a few. What caught my attention was the exquisite Eiffel Tower made of chocolate. Justifying the concept to the core, it surely made for a talking point. Also was this lovely photo frame, done as party invite, completely in chocolate. Such interesting design elements, when infused with the melt-in-the-mouth taste of the hand-made chocolate, ensured that it softened everyone's hearts. Such is the magic of this delicious treat.
Pepping up, for the festive season, Cocosia had packaged some great chocolate boxes, for the X'Mas & New Year. And now gearing up for the Valentine season to complement the love in the air, with some deliciously tantalizing treats. So next time, you are looking for something really special and delicious in Dubai, you know where to head. And I'm sure you will not settle for one!
For further details about Cocosia's offerings, check their website or Facebook page.
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