Dominique Persoone is a Flemish world known chocolatier who is considered the authority on the art of culinary and artisanal chocolate making. In Europe, you have plenty of people who make chocolate but you have those few who are grandmasters in the art of chocolate.
Dominique Persoone has the authority of a grand chef in the Haute Cuisine; people pronounce his name together with the names of the Great Chefs of the World. Especially in a country like Belgium, where chocolate is one of the pride of the nation, a chocolate chef comes with great prestige and respect.
In 2007, the rock band the Rolling Stones requested that he would design and built a sniffing device for chocolate. It was a kind of a funny reference to the use of cocaine in the entertainment industry. Persoone had then no idea that with exception of the decadent showbiz scene there could be a demand for such a device. Within the next seven years, he sold thousands sniffing machines.
He got his inspiration from his grandfather who would use a similar device to sniff tobacco. A few hours later ‘The Chocolate Shooter’ was born. The device literally shoots cacao powder originated from The Dominican Republic or Peru mixed with mint, ginger or raspberry in the nose.
In the Medieval town of Bruges, Persoone explains that especially the mint and the ginger give a tickling feeling in the nose. The mint evaporates quickly but the chocolate keeps hanging in the brain. Persoone is not just a chocolate man; he delivers his products to the Royals Houses in Europe and to ElBulli, the best restaurant in the world, so he knows what he is talking about.
The man is a culinary genius and gastronomic innovation expert. He designed onion tasting chocolate, chocolate with an oyster taste and even grass chocolate. The Chocolate Shooters sell for 50 dollars/45 euro and outside Europe, he imports to Russia, The United States, Canada and Australia.
The packaging comes with a warning not to sniff excessively. Persoone put his reputation on the line that it is completely safe and is not comparable to narcotics. He insists that he is not a culinary ‘bad boy’ and that he does not want to promote a new kind of drug. It is just plain fun and completely harmless.
Photo credits: Francois Lenoir/Reuters
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