What started as one chef’s relentless pursuit of better chocolate has grown into a decades-long journey of craft, precision, and bold flavor.
The Path to LA and the Puck Drops
In pursuit of a dream to referee for the LA Kings, Chef Jeffray made his way to Southern California. He traded the snowy rinks of Canada for the sun-soaked streets of Los Angeles. Somewhere along the way, he even landed a role as a background extra in Crocodile Dundee in Los Angeles.
But something was missing.
The gourmet European chocolate he grew up with — those rich, nuanced bars from Alsace gifted by family — simply didn’t exist here. Nothing came close to the depth or character of those childhood memories.
So he decided to make it himself.
In 2003, Marsatta Chocolate was born. Not from a trend, but from a craving for something real. A way to bring bold, flavor-forward, European-inspired chocolate to Los Angeles, made from scratch, one bean at a time.
Canadian Roots. Alsace Origins.
It starts with a boy and a few wild dreams.
Growing up in Western Canada, Chef Jeffray would wait eagerly for packages from his extended family in Alsace — parcels filled with rich, gourmet chocolate from France and Germany. These weren’t your average chocolate bars. They were complex, refined, and full of soul. And in North America? Nowhere to be found.
That absence became a spark.
Chef Jeffray didn’t just want to eat better chocolate, he wanted to make it. He launched two chocolate companies in Canada, including one focused entirely on experimental, sugar-free creations years before it was trendy. His obsession grew sharper with every batch.
LA’s First Bean-to-Bar Chocolate
In 2007, Chef Jeffray walked into a prestigious chocolate academy in Montreal with a simple question.
"Can I make my own chocolate from scratch? Why does it always have to come from pre-made industrial blocks?"
The head chef looked at him and said, flatly, "No."
On the flight back to Los Angeles, Jeffray couldn’t let it go. He dove into research, poring over everything he could find on bean-to-bar chocolate. He wasn’t just curious. He was determined to create chocolate with more depth, more soul, and more flavor than anything mass-produced.
Later that year, Marsatta introduced its first bean-to-bar chocolate bar, marking the beginning of a new kind of chocolate experience in LA — one rooted in craftsmanship, curiosity, and defiance.
My hope is simple. I want people to feel the same spark I do when I taste great chocolate — that moment of surprise, joy, and depth. Craft chocolate isn’t just better, it’s an experience. And I want to share that with everyone who walks through our doors.
