Wine Country Chefs Take Flight Creating Exquisite Volo Chocolate Bars
Editor’s note: It’s my great pleasure to have the opportunity to feature the story behind the Mall’s exquisite bars. I discovered and became smitten with Volo Chocolate in the midst of the pandemic when I was tasting cheese paired with their chocolate that came from the California Artisan Cheese Festival. Since then, I’ve repeatedly bought Volo Chocolate for myself and for gifts.
Volo Chocolate courtesy of Volo Chocolate
All chocolate bars tell a story. Volo Chocolate bars are the creations of Wine Country chefs who fell in love with cacao while working in Mexico. The bars of Volo Chocolate, by chef duo Susan and Jeff Mall, are notable for their fine texture and flavors such as dark milk chocolate with figs and hazelnuts, cream chocolate with Mexican chilies and dried cherries, and a bar flavored with cream and coffee. Their beautifully designed labels based on original artwork by Jeff’s aunt Cathy Shanahan have been yet another way for the chocolate makers to distinguish themselves.
Jeff and Susan Mall of Volo Chocolate
A Sweet Serendipity
The Malls are long-time Sonoma County residents; in 2014, they closed Zin Restaurant & Wine Bar, their 16-years old Healdsburg restaurant, and moved to Mexico, taking full-time jobs as co-chefs of a boutique hotel near Todos Santos, where they had been consulting prior. “In addition to cooking, our background was in small-scale organic farming, beekeeping and raising chickens,” Jeff Mall says. “At that time we discovered some Mexican cacao that the previous chef had in storage.”
The Malls then wondered how hard it would be to make their own Mexican chocolate. “Through trial and error, and with the help of our Mexican coworkers we started making our own chocolate. It really caught on, and hotel guests were buying all that we could make,” Mall says. Two years ago they moved back home to Sonoma County to launch the Volo brand.
The Importance of Balance
The Malls making chocolate
To create the distinct flavor combinations, says Susan Mall, the duo always seeks balance. Take the creation of the spicy chili bar, for example. ““As chefs, especially having cooked in Mexico, we knew that the best way to balance the flavor of chiles is to use several different varieties,” says Susan Mall. “We like New Mexico chiles for their rich earthy flavor, California chiles for a touch of brightness, and Arbol chile for a little heat. Much like when making traditional molé Poblano, we wanted to temper the chiles with some fruit, so we decided on dried cherries. “
After several tests, it was decided that the bar would be at its best with 70% Haitian cacao. “The Haitian beans bring notes of roasted coffee and toasted nuts, so this was a perfect match.“ The bar is one of several to win awards
Cacao Sourcing
Speaking of beans, the two work exclusively with Uncommon Cacao, a wholesaler that utilizes transparent trade policies and sources cacao from Guatemala and Haiti. “They will go to a growing area where the cacao farmers have been at the mercy of giant companies who only pay the lowest prices possible and treat the farmers vey poorly,” says Jeff Mall.
Steeping Volo in Mexican chocolate-making traditions, while using beans from all over the world, the pair is still very much rooted in Wine Country, the Bay Area and California. Some of their favorite chocolate comes from Dandelion in San Francisco and Dick Taylor in Eureka, in Northern California. “Sonoma County is home to some of the best wineries, cheesemakers and restaurants in the world,” says Jeff Mall. “The bar has been set very high for artisan producers here. We think of ourselves as being part of something bigger than just chocolate.” The two can be often found working closely with neighboring wineries and cheese purveyors to create tasting experiences and pairings.
On the Horizon
As the Malls never stop innovating, it’s worth asking what’s new for Volo in 2022. An intriguing 70% bar with candied Meyer Lemon and olive oil is one upcoming addition to the family. “We will also hope to do more seasonal micro batch bars,” says Susan Mall. In an appropriate full-circle move, the restaurant they once closed and sold is now Healdsburg fine-dining phenomenon Vallete. Chef and owner Dustin Vallete had recently opened The Matheson, a new and ambitious establishment, where Volo Chocolate is part of the cheese course and is featured in a decadent and fitting creative chocolate semifreddo.