Amal Al-Sibai

Saudi Gazette

JEDDAH — It melts in your mouth, pleases your senses and almost instantly lifts your mood. Chocolate is a universal language that everyone from every culture around the world understands and appreciates. A Saudi woman, who is admittedly a chronic chocoholic, came up with the idea of opening a specialty chocolate shop that is like no other here in Jeddah.



Voila, which is a chocolate shop, café and chocolate school, is the brain-child of a handful of men and women who are seriously passionate about chocolate. They have selected the finest cocoa beans and exquisite ingredients from France and Switzerland and brought them to Voila where they have built their own chocolate factory to produce the chocolates here at home.



No production, packaging, and shipping of imported chocolates. You will sing a song of pure joy as soon as you taste the freshest, richest, and most authentic of chocolates.



A team of French chefs are also on board to add pastries, cookies, French macaroons and cakes to the list of sweets that are handmade at Voila.



A variety of flavors are played with and mingled together to create a taste that will satisfy your strongest chocolate obsession. Discover and enjoy unusual flavors such as rose and flower essences, orange and mint, lemon and lime, chili, cinnamon and there is no limit to the combinations that can be generated.



“What makes Voila different from other places is that our chocolates are 100% original and locally made by our French chefs. Although we have a wide variety of flavors, the favorite among the majority of our customers is the simple but delicious, bitter-sweet dark chocolate,” said Numan Akram, marketing manager of Voila.



Dark chocolate is a delight to eat and is also good for your heart. In moderation, dark chocolate has several health benefits. Chocolate made up of 70 percent cocoa contains flavonoids, anti-oxidants that prevent cell damage which leads to heart disease, and they can also lower blood pressure and blood cholesterol levels. Dark chocolate stimulates the production of endorphins, chemicals in the brain that trigger a sense of well-being. It also stimulates the release of the chemical serotonin, which acts as an anti-depressant. Flavonoids in dark chocolate absorb UV light, help protect and increase blood flow to the skin, and improve skin’s hydration and complexion.



The concept behind Voila is not just about eating chocolate and drinking great coffee; it is about making chocolate. Children too can learn to mold the chocolate into artistic shapes. Kids love getting their hands coated in chocolate and butter, and they can attend programs in baking, cake decorating, molding chocolate and making pancakes.



“Many schools arrange field trips to our kitchen and families also have parties here. Children mold the chocolate into creative shapes, like a castle, train, soccer ball, turtle, or lady bug, and then they decorate it with candy and paint it. The paint is made of colored, melted chocolate too! They can make chocolate lollipops and they learn a bit about the history of chocolate. The chef teaches them important hygiene steps to follow when handling food,” said Akram.



When the chocolate lesson is over, the children are given a large white poster to sign their names and write a message about their experience. The type of lesson and difficulty level is carefully selected according to the age of the children and their interests. Children have a lot fun melting the chocolate, pouring it into the mould, waiting for it to set, painting it, and the best part is eating their chocolate creation in the end.  



“Children are astonishingly creative. We give them the basic pieces to build the chocolate castle for example, and they surprise us with their imagination and final product,” said Akram.



Whenever you are at a loss at buying the perfect gift for that special person, you may want to stop by at Voila. Is it your best friend who has a craze over shoes? You can find an elegant stiletto-heeled, velvety chocolate shoe. Does your brother collect miniature models of sports cars? A chocolate sports car may make an amusing and tasty gift. For a friend who loves sushi, how about a chocolate box that looks like sushi? At Voila, the sky is the limit and the ideas and possibilities for chocolate art creations are endless. Gift boxes of shaped chocolate pieces range in price from SR55 to SR 250.



Voila chocolate lounge and school is located at the Millennium Center on Tahlia St and there is another branch in Stars Avenue Mall.



Fact-box



• The chocolate consumption industry is worth more than $23 billion each year.



• Chocolate is the most popular confection. Today Americans eat 220 kilograms of chocolate per second, and over 600,000 tons of chocolate is produced globally each year.



• Chocolate is even used in cosmetics.



• Chocolates, not diamonds, are a girl’s best friend.



• The military introduced many people in the UK to chocolate when in the late 19th century Queen Victoria sent chocolate to her troops as gifts.



• During World War I, each US soldier had a chocolate bar in his ration, as a boost for morale and physical energy.