TEASER! John Scharffenberger: Winemaker to Chocolatier *V*

This is a Vintage Selection from 2007

The Conversation

The Restaurant Guys talk with John Scharffenberger about his premium line of chocolate which is the first “bean to bar” chocolate made in the United States. John talks about the history, sourcing and the crucial details in creating some of the finest chocolate in the world!

The Inside Track

The Guys were fans of John’s sparkling wine and are fans of his chocolate. This is how John describes his on-the-job training after his career shift. 

“ I think we were just stupid when we started and the only way we knew how to do things were the way I had done things in the wine business [which] was just to be really careful about flavor. So we treated the beans like we used to treat grapes. We did blind tastings, we did lots of blind tastings, and only accepted beans that had flavors that we liked,” John Scharffenberger on The Restaurant Guys Podcast 2007

Bio

John Scharffenberger started Scharffenberger Cellars known for their world-class California sparkling wine. He left the winery and started Scharffen Berger Chocolates in 1997 with Robert Steinberg. 

Info

John’s cookbook

Essence of Chocolate: Recipes for Baking and Cooking with Fine Chocolate

By John Scharffenberger and Rober Steinberg

Scharffen Berger Chocolate is no longer owned by John Scharffenberger and Robert Steinberg. It was acquired by Hershey in 2005, went back to private ownership in 2020 then acquired by Harry and David in 2024. 

If you want John’s Hot Chocolate recipe, email TheGuys@restaurantguyspodcast.com

Our Places

Stage Left Steak
https://www.stageleft.com/

Catherine Lombardi Restaurant
https://www.catherinelombardi.com/

Stage Left Wineshop
https://www.stageleftwineshop.com/

Reach Out to The Guys!
TheGuys@restaurantguyspodcast.com

Follow us on Instagram @restaurantguyspodcast