NoBorn in Pontedera, 56 years old, Cecilia Tessieri Rabassi is the first woman maître chocolatier in the world, a title that implies the ability to create a chocolate starting from the selection of cocoa beans, creating your own recipes and realizing them. For 35 years, Cecilia has been traveling the world in search of the best ingredients. Two years ago, you left the company you founded to create top quality chocolate under the “Cecilia Rabassi” brand.
Cecilia Tessieri Rabassi, the first woman maître chocolatier in the world.
Since 2007 he has been a Knight of Merit of the Italian Republic and in 2021 he won the first President’s award of the London Chocolate Academy for having revolutionized the world of cocoa and chocolate. It has made over 200 products so far. She lives in Capannoli (Pisa) with her husband Alfredo. She has two sons, Alessandro, 29, and Ranieri, 21.
7 am
«I have breakfast with my son Ranieri. Coffee with mocha, milk, cereals and bitter orange jam from the Island of Elba with cocoa nibs, of our production. Then I dedicate myself to Arthur, the dachshund: a walk in the garden and a few cuddles, before getting ready for the day».
Cecilia Tessieri Rabassi’s invigorating morning ritual is the walk with the dachshund Arthur.
8.30
“I’m already up and running. The morning is usually dedicated to researching new products to be developed. The company is young: we have seven chocolates, two spreadable creams and two jams. And a greedy and fun curiosity for weddings: we personalize the bars, as favors. A dark chocolate has three ingredients: cocoa, cocoa butter, sugar. The fewer entries on the label, the purer it is. The skill of the maître chocolatier lies in identifying the perfect mix. If the fudge leaves a bad taste in your mouth, there’s a fault. I’m proud of my My Way, like Frank Sinatra’s song: it’s soft, lovable, delicate. The secret is in the ingredients: in the pandemic I selected, now it is in production ».
12.45
«At home or in the atelier, lunch is quick. I settle for a sandwich and fruit, and start thinking about the afternoon, the moment of production. The Cecilia Rabassi atelier has an artisanal and family dimension. We make use of collaborators only if needed, my husband and I take care of everything, with the sporadic help of the boys. In the afternoon, Alfredo leaves his job and joins me».
2.30 pm
The tempering of the chocolate, i.e. the temperature changes that make it shiny and crunchy.
«Overalls, hat and apron: let’s get started. But don’t imagine me with a giant spoon and a pot of liquid chocolate! In the atelier we have the machinery that allows excellent results on a small scale. I take the raw cocoa from the vault, select it, toast it and remove the peel. Then I put the ingredients in the mixer, then in the basin to create the aromatic curve and finally in the tempering machines where the chocolate passes from the liquid to the solid state. We also do some control tastings: my palate is now like a scale, I can grasp every slightest difference. Working with Alfredo is fun: it’s funny to see him with a coat spattered with chocolate».
4 pm
«On Fridays we sometimes welcome customers for tastings, which we try to tailor-make. We always conclude with a toast: a passito or a fortified wine paired with chocolate. The best moment for me? When during the tasting I see a guest who doesn’t speak but whose eyes shine with the pleasure he feels ».
19.00
“I have time for gardening. I love roses, perhaps because my father gave them to my mother. My favorites? Le Teas».
The second life of the maître chocolatier sees it in the midst of roses. The Teas (above) the most loved.
8.30 pm
«I have three men who love to cook. My favorite dish is a sauce that Alfredo makes with mushrooms, herbs, spinach and tomatoes: it’s the end of the world. But even Alessandro, with his fillet Wellington, is no joke. They leave the roasts to me. We like being at the table with the boys, when they are both there, and tell us about the day».
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