A Sweet Revelation in Echo Park

You think you’ve seen it all. You’ve burned your hands on copper pots, stared down tempering curves like they were wild animals, ruined a dozen batches just to chase one that sings. You tell yourself—there are no surprises left.

Then Echo Park happens.

Just a few blocks from where the Dodgers stir up stadium roars, tucked between the record stores and third-wave espresso temples, sits a place that doesn’t shout—but speaks. It’s called The Chocolate Dispensary. And it might just be one of LA’s best-kept secrets.

Inside? Over 95 craft chocolate brands, handpicked from around the globe. Bars with stories. Bars with soul. It’s like someone took the idea of a wine cellar, a bookshop, and an old-world apothecary, and wrapped it all in cacao.

I met Kala, the force behind it all. The kind of person who could’ve just sold chocolate—but instead, built a shrine to it. And Olivia—one of The Chocolate Dispensary's first employees, with a palate like a sniper and a mind that remembers every origin and roast curve like it’s game tape. Together? They’re like the Kopitar and Doughty of the chocolate world—quietly dominant, and never missing a beat.

And yeah, I’ve been doing this a while. Since 1994. Before “bean-to-bar” became a phrase people threw around at food festivals. When we were hand-sorting beans on folding tables, dreaming of bars that could hold their own.

So when Kala said Marsatta would be part of the lineup, it felt like more than just shelf space. It felt like a homecoming.

There’s even a legit chocolate bar inside. Sit down. Sip hot chocolate the way it was meant to be made. No syrup, no shortcuts. Just real ingredients, handled with respect. The kind of stuff that reminds you why you fell in love with chocolate in the first place.

So here’s what I’ll say: if you live in LA, make the trip. Skip your usual spots. Head to Echo Park. Walk through the door and let Kala, Olivia, or any of the wonderful staff take the wheel. Let yourself be surprised again.

And if you see Marsatta on the shelf? Give it a shot. It’s not just a bar. It’s our story—wrapped in foil, aged in patience, and finally on the shelf where it belongs.

Because in a city of stars, sometimes the brightest gems are tucked away, just waiting for someone curious enough to find them.

—
Chef Jeffray D. Gardner
Chocolate Maker, Marsatta Chocolate