Pam Williams founded au Chocolat, a luxury chocolate business,
in 1981 after moving from California to Vancouver, BC. Au Chocolat’s
specialty was gourmet chocolate truffles in a multitude of flavors.
Besides being the owner and running the business, Pam was the shop’s
chocolatier for 10 years. Being self-taught, she spent her career
experimenting and developing confections inspired by the industry,
her travels and her peers.
Pam found that chocolate lovers, whether they consider themselves
gourmet cooks or not, have the same endless curiosity about chocolate
as she does. To satisfy their curiosity and hers, she wrote articles
on chocolate and then her first cookbook, Oh Truffles by au
Chocolat, which went on to be a Canadian Best Selling cookbook.
Pam sold the business to a friend-of-a-friend who loved the chocolate
making too – au chocolat is still in operation today
specializing in private label and wholesale products.
As a teacher by degree, Pam led chocolate making programs as well
as courses on entrepreneurship for many different organizations
including the University of British Columbia. She worked with the
University in continuing education for 9 years focusing on online
education – another passion of hers.
In 2003 as a labor of love, Pam founded Ecole
Chocolat Professional School of Chocolate Arts to provide quality
learning experiences focused on professional chocolate making. Besides
taking care of the school, developing the curriculums and being the
lead instructor, Pam researches and writes about chocolate and the
chocolate business. |
