Sharjah24 – Reuters: As Valentine's Day here, award-winning Belgian chocolatier Bernard Schobbens hopes to melt lovers' hearts with new caramel, raspberry and passion fruit-flavoured praline chocolates.
Alongside Easter, Saint Nicolas and Christmas, the celebration of love and romance is an opportunity for Belgian chocolatiers to show off their expertise and originality, following in the foosteps of famed artisan Jean Neuhaus, the inventor of the hard-shelled, cream-filled praline in 1912.
Schobbens gained fame after being awarded the title of Wallonia's best chocolatier by French restaurant guide Gault et Millau, a high point in his four-year-long career.
A former salesman for one of Belgium's largest telecommunications company, Schobbens's life took a new twist when a family visit to a chocolatier fair inspired a new passion in him that led to his career change.
Located a few kilometres from Brussels in the town of the Chaumont-Gistoux, the minimalism of Schobbens's shop contrasts with those in the Belgian capital's landmark Sablon district, home to many of the kingdom's best known chocolatiers.
There, brightly-coloured hearts with caramel ganache centres filled the display cases to the delight of chocolate-loving locals and visitors alike.
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