12/11/2024
In so good.. magazine 32, we witness the dynamism of Julius and his desire to take part in dozens of collaborations ranging from fashion designers to medical departments. Below we share a fragment of the interview we carried out with Julius, an interview in which his father also contributed.
For me a combination of different types of chocolates is the best. A praliné can never disappear. But my passion is to create experimental flavors like the artificial saliva bonbon for throat cancer patients.
A praliné can only be considered a success when it inspires emotion. When a fellow chocolatier tasted our fermented tomato praliné, tears came to his eyes. He was transported back to his Italian grandmother’s kitchen. It’s for such moments that I spend days experimenting in the workshop.
For instance, my collab with fashion designer Raf Simons. He wanted to have a bonbon based on depression. And for me depression, if I have to link it with food, it makes me think of the mushroom ‘trompette de la mort’ (black trumpet). So I made an amino fermented mushroom paste in combination with smokey bean to bar chocolate from Papua New Guin
Or the previously mentioned tomato bonbon. When I was 16 years old, I had a big collection of tomatoes. I grew around 300 types every year and I created my own Julius tomato bonbon. Now unfortunately I don’t have time to grow them myself and I gave the seeds to a local farmer. He grows the tomatoes for me. And I ferment the tomatoes and make my own red coloring with the fermented pigment powder of my own tomato. And I use the clarified water for the gel to make the bonbon in combination with olive oil and locally grown basil.
The Mexican Key lime is a bean to bar ganache with cocoa from our own plantation in Mexico, where we also grow our own Key limes. We use the zest, juice, and the fermented pulp (kosho). We go for zero waste!
Yes, for everything! And because we use lots of fermented products in our chocolates, we have an extra amount of Lactobacillus, which is very healthy.
Dominique, the news of your chocolate powder snorting inhaler went around the world. Do you think it is a demonstration that there are still (meaningful) things to be invented with chocolate as the protagonist?
Dominique: I created the sniffing machine years ago for the Rolling Stones. But when I see that my son is creating bonbons along with universities and professors for people with throat cancer, or his collection with the most famous fashion designers from Belgium, it makes me very proud and humble.
The Chocolate Line Nv
Simon Stevinplein 19
8000 Bruges, Belgium
info@thechocolateline.be
+32 (0)50 34 10 90
