Matcha, Orange, and a House That Time Refused to Forget

There are buildings that ask for your attention. Then there’s the Gamble House. A place that demands reverence.

Tucked into Pasadena’s old Orange Grove neighborhood, this isn’t just a house. It’s a shrine to craftsmanship. Built in 1908 by Charles and Henry Greene, the Gamble House is what happens when two brothers go all in on the Arts and Crafts movement and lace it with Japanese soul. Teak. Mahogany. Joinery so perfect it makes most modern construction feel like cardboard. These days it’s owned by USC, but the spirit of those builders still lingers in every beam and panel.

And if the place feels oddly familiar, there’s a reason for that. This was Doc Brown’s house in Back to the Future. The workshop. The birthplace of the DeLorean time machine. Great Scott, indeed.

The Gamble House team had been carrying our rose bars for a while. Then one day, they came to us and asked, could we make something special? Not just good. Not just tasty. Something that actually felt like the house.

That’s the kind of challenge we live for.

We didn’t want to fake it. We wanted a bar that was rooted in the building’s history. So we started with the land. The house sits on Orange Grove Boulevard, named for the citrus groves that once dominated the region. Naturally, we brought in real orange zest, bright and fragrant, to capture that part of Pasadena’s soul.

Next came the heart. The Greene brothers were obsessed with Japanese design. Not just how it looked, but what it stood for. Intentional lines. Quiet beauty. So we infused the bar with ceremonial-grade organic matcha. The real kind. Smooth, earthy, and complex.

All of that wrapped into our 63% dark chocolate, aged for six months to deepen the flavor and let everything settle into balance. The result is a bar that’s layered and thoughtful, just like the house that inspired it.

This isn’t just chocolate. It’s a story in edible form. A tribute to history.

And today, you can try it for free.

We’re sampling the Gamble House Bar from 1pm to 5pm at our Old Torrance Experience Center, right in the heart of Old Torrance’s downtown district at 1321 Post Ave, Torrance.

No catch. No pressure. Just come by, take a bite, and taste a little piece of Southern California’s legacy.

See you there.

Chef Jeffray

PS. Try the bar here