Sarah Shapiro is a Somerville chocolatier with a niche line of kosher chocolates, designed especially for Passover. Her “4Questions” single-origin chocolate assortment offers unusual flavor profiles from around the world. Here’s what to know (and when to order!) from her company, Wild Child Chocolate.
The name is a personal reference. “I am the wild child,” Shapiro says. “I spent my 20s traveling. I lived in Australia. I lived in the U.K. for several years. I did a wild summer drive from London to Mongolia through Central Asia, the whole nine yards.” Along the way, she sampled plenty of food and flavor profiles, which has helped her as a chocolatier.
Her first job was at a confectionery in her hometown of Chicago. “I started by washing dishes, and I ended by being able to compose flavors and getting involved with the owner who was deciding on truffle flavors,” she recalls. Just one problem: The owner was from the Wisconsin farmlands, and those sweets were heavy with cream. She’s lactose-intolerant, which is how Wild Child Chocolate’s dairy-free chocolates were born.
She launched the business in her home kitchen. Shapiro lives in Somerville, where she was licensed to sell chocolates made from home while traveling to farmers markets. Now, neighborhood stockists sell them throughout the city.
Her 4Questions chocolates are kosher for Passover, with unique flavor profiles. New for Passover, her 4Questions line of single-origin bars are made certified KVH (Vaad of Boston) kosher for Passover/pareve. (All other products are not certified kosher, but they are made pareve in a kosher kitchen.)
Wild Child Chocolate uses beans from four locations: Belize, the Ivory Coast, Peru and Thailand, adding only cocoa butter and sugar. “We totally just let the beans do the talking,” she says.
Belize has notes of cherry, raisin and passionfruit. The Peruvian version is “woodsy, with notes of orange blossom,” she says. The Ivory Coast sweets are fudgier, with a hint of vanilla. And the Thai line is “fun and funky,” she says, with notes of cardamom and lemongrass.
All of her chocolates are geared to diverse dining profiles. Indulge safely: Her non-Passover chocolates are plant-based and vegan; they’re also gluten-free and ethically sourced.
She also runs workshops all year long. Want to go deeper into the wild world of chocolate? Shapiro runs chocolate-making workshops where she discusses bean origins and flavor profiles.
The Passover packages come as bars, tasting squares and more. Order by March 31 for direct shipment, or April 2 for local pickup in Somerville.
