Sylmar firm puts art into chocolate

By Deborah Adamson
Daily News Staff Writer

Many a lovesick heart will be pierced by Cupid's arrow on Valentine's Day.

Chocolate arrows that is, if they come from Chocolates à la Carte in Sylmar.

The Chocolate is know for creating gastronomic art for chefs to use in gourmet desserts served at upscale hotels, restaurants and cruise ships. They are the centerpieces on which fruit, mousse and sauces are spread.

This lovers' day, the company has created chocolate cupids, heart boxes, rose cups, arrows and other edibles for clients such as Hotel Sofiel in Los Angeles. The French Hotel chain is offering huge heart lollipops to guests.

"We don't sell chocolates. We sell 'Wow!'" said Rick Pocrass, chief executive and co-owner of Chocolates à la Carte. " We probably sell to every major hotel in America."

Creations range from Ray-Ban sunglasses served at a Jack Nicholson party to a royal carriage for Queen Elizabeth. Then there was the saxophone for a Bill Clinton fund-raiser. For Nancy Reagan, the company crafted a chocolate nautilus shell. It also made award statues for Robert de Niro's Oscar party.

"I realized that people ate with their eyes before tasting it," said Rena Pocrass, president and founder of the company. Christoph Bader, executive pastry chef at the Ritz-Carlton hotel in Pasadena, has ordered chocolate creations such as football helmets for a Super-bowl event.

"The artistic work is excellent," he said. "Other companies don't have the selection they offer."

Last week, Chocolates à la Carte received "The American Taste Award" from the American Tasting Institute at an event in New York's Carnegie Hall.

The Company has grown from humble beginnings. Chocolates à la Carte executives Richard Pocrass and Rena Pocrass display their wares.

Pocrass started the business out of their kitchen in 1986, two years after shutting down an Encino chocolate shop when her partner wanted to leave.

Today, the company has annual revenues of $8.3 million, and employs 95 people at facilities in Sylmar and Cerritos. It has a growth rate of 30 percent a year.

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