Catherine Wiersema / Owner, Chocolats Passion, Portland, Maine
Photo credit: Winky Lewis
The Chocolate Journey of Artisan Confectioner, Catherine Wiersema
Catherine Wiersema, an artisan confectioner, has chocolate running through her veins, a passion ignited during her childhood in France when she crafted her first (admittedly awful) confection at the tender age of 10. But that rock-hard hazelnut caramel inspired Catherine’s lifelong love of chocolate, leading her to establish Chocolats Passion in the picturesque West End neighborhood of Portland, Maine.
Catherine and her dedicated team meticulously handcraft French-style confections using only the finest ingredients. They insist on Fair Trade couverture chocolate, locally sourced organic cream and butter, hand-picked native fruits, and the freshest nuts. For an exquisite textural experience, they employ traditional French candying techniques to transform carefully sourced organic citrus.
The Perfect Purée: A Central Ingredient
Catherine’s journey began in 2014 when she launched her business online in Belmont, Massachusetts, and embraced The Perfect Purée. In 2017 she moved to Coastal Maine and opened a boutique and production space. Since then, this exceptional ingredient has played a central role in her creations. Catherine emphasizes, “The Perfect Purée has been one of our most central ingredients ever since we started,” Catherine says. “Their clean, pure intensity of flavor just fits our goal to produce confections that never require added flavorings or extracts.”
Expanding the Palate with Pâte de Fruit
Beyond chocolates, Catherine has extended her French repertoire to include pâte de fruit, drawing inspiration from The Perfect Purée’s diverse flavors such as Black Currant, Red Raspberry, Cherry, Mango, Pear, Pink Guava, Meyer Lemon, and Orange Zest and Lemon Zests. Notably, Pear has become a customer favorite, renowned for its intense, pure taste.
Overcoming Challenges and Celebrating Holidays
Navigating pandemic-induced supply chain disruptions, Catherine continues to meet the demand for chocolate, especially during seasonal celebrations from Halloween to Mother’s Day. Valentine’s Day, in particular, stands out with Chocolats Passion’s exquisite heart-shaped chocolates, each boasting the quintessential balance of French chocolates—subtle acidity and bitterness harmoniously melded with sweetness. The flavor offerings rotate, featuring seasonal fruits and innovative pairings like almond and citrus, pistachio and raspberry, or passion fruit and vanilla.
A Lifelong Quest for Excellence
Though primarily self-taught, Catherine’s dedication to her craft led her to complete the Professional Chocolatier Program at the woman-owned and operated Ecole Chocolat in 2013. She continuously hones her skills through educational trips to institutions like the Cacao Barry Chocolate Academy in Montreal and through personal instruction from renowned chocolatier and cookbook author Ramon Morato.
The Team Behind the Magic
Catherine’s small but talented team includes two pastry chefs-turned-chocolatiers—Lead Chocolatier Sarah Levine and Chocolatier Darcy Brennan Poor—along with apprentice chocolatier Ruby Bradford, a high school senior who discovered her passion for baking while circumnavigating the globe with her family. Ruby recently unveiled her inaugural creation, “Bergamot,” an explosion of dark chocolate ganache infused with robust Earl Grey tea and adorned with aromatic Orange Zest.
Unyielding Commitment to Quality and Creativity
In Catherine’s words, “Our unwavering commitment is to merge exceptional ingredients with time-honored French confectionery techniques, resulting in meticulously crafted, deeply flavorful chocolates.”