Hello. I’m Ilze.
I love what I do.…and I love that what I do puts a smile on peoples faces. I’m very lucky. But how did I get here?
Well, I trained both as a gourmet chef and as a chocolatier gaining experience in the trade when I worked as a patisserie chef in well-known restaurants (yes, he does swear a lot) and department stores in London.
I have always had a passion for food – especially pastry, but initially followed a “safe road” career by becoming a teacher-cum-psychologist. However, I finally fulfilled my passion when I opened my first small coffee shop in Cape Town. Later, I worked as a freelance caterer for corporate and private clients in Johannesburg and Pretoria, and then opened a Cookery School in Pretoria.
After moving to London with my family, I trained full-time at Le Cordon Bleu in Marylebone and obtained the Grand Diplôme de Cuisine et de Pâtisserie, the ultimate qualification in French cuisine and patisserie.
It was during these years of training that chocolate really became a favourite and a fascination of mine. After extensive training in this area through Ecole de Chocolat, Barry Callebaut (Belgium) and Valhrona (France), I decided to test the market with my own product.
I have a passion for people and a love for flavour. These two things together, enable me to make mouth-watering chocolates.
I got the inspiration for my business, Ilze’s Chocolat, from the book of Nehemiah:
“Go and enjoy choice food and sweet drinks and send some to those who have nothing prepared. This day is sacred to our Lord. Do not grieve, for the joy of the Lord is your strength.”
Chocolate symbolises “choice food” for me. But even more important is the sharing with friends and family and ultimately with the wider world – that is real joy!
I have been making chocolates professionally since 2006 and has built a client base in London and the Thames Valley. ‘Ilze’s Chocolat’ has become known not only for its unique taste, but also for its striking look – particularly the Signature Range.The success recipe is still to source the best and freshest products and the best range of couvertures possible. I insist on giving an increasingly discerning market, a pure and preservative free product. Of course that means that the products have a shorter shelf life than most of the mass produced chocolates on the market. But then who would want to keep chocolates for that long anyway!
