Michael Recchiuti, a self-made chocolatier, has been conjuring sweets all his life, first in Philadelphia, baking Italian wedding cakes alongside his grandmother as a boy, then creating plated desserts as a young man at the renowned restaurant Le Bec Fin and even training with Alain Tricou (Maxim’s, Déjà Vu) for three years in sugar and chocolate. His preference for the bold and innovative lead him to the west coast and to San Francisco, an obvious choice for a budding chocolatier. In 1997, after years in the test kitchen, Michael was ready to bring his creations to a larger audience and introduce Americans to “real” chocolate. He founded Recchiuti Confections with his wife Jacky and the idea that once you introduce truly exquisite chocolates to people, they will be won over instantly and forever. In 2005 Michael’s book Chocolate Obsession (Stewart, Tabori & Chang), co-authored with renowned pastry expert Fran Gage, was released to wide acclaim; the book was a finalist at the 2006 James Beard Awards and won high honors for photography and design at the 2006 International Association of Culinary Professionals annual conference.