To be in love with your job is happiness. Andrea Bianchini looks to be a very happy man. He fell in love with chocolate at the age of 14, and has never thought of being anything else then a chocolate maker. I meet him in his tiny ‘laboratorio’ steps away from the San’t Ambrogio market.

The location is not by chance. Andrea grew up in the folksy neighborhood and remembers the many artisans who used to fill the streets with their shops. That’s also how he feels, an artisan first, then a chocolate maker.

As soon as I enter his shop, I am welcomed by the chocolate aromas and Andrea’s signature smile. His personality is as playful as his chocolates. Local ingredients are paired with more exotic ones: fennel seeds and orange, passion fruit and pepper, sesame seeds with peanut butter.

I photograph the preparation of one of his most celebrated pralines: a fondant chocolate shell with a soft olive oil and vanilla filling. “The secret is in the ‘retro gusto’{after taste}. If you don’t remember a chocolate it means I didn’t do a perfect job.”

Andrea Bianchini: Via de’ Macci 53, +39 055 2001609 and Via V.Gioberti 61, +39 055 6550776.

Further reading: Andrea Bianchini in Conde Nast Traveller