Ginger Elizabeth Chocolates has been a staple in the Sacramento sweets scene for a decade, serving up adorable, rich bonbons and perfectly baked macarons to eager eaters from across the capital city. The boutique chocolate shop recently celebrated its one-year anniversary of the opening of its second location, a Ginger Elizabeth storefront in San Francisco’s Cow Hollow neighborhood.
With the opening of its San Francisco location, Ginger Elizabeth has functionally secured its status as a Northern California dessert powerhouse. Unfamiliar with the offerings and history of this charming business? This article will serve as a crash-course on all things Ginger Elizabeth Chocolates, ensuring that you're ready to go next time you find yourself in Sacramento or San Francisco.
Ginger's Background
Ginger Elizabeth Chocolates is owned by Ginger Elizabeth Hahn, and her partner, Thomas Hahn. Ginger trained at the Culinary Institute of America and under renowned pastry chef En-Ming Hsu. She credits her time with Hsu and at the CIA for allowing her to grow as a pastry chef and hone the skills necessary for running a successful pastry and chocolate shop. After two years as a pastry chef at Masque Ristorante in El Dorado Hills, Ginger sought to make her lifelong dream of having her own chocolate brand a reality. She opened up Couture Chocolates as a wholesale operation and ran it for three years before opening the original Ginger Elizabeth Chocolate storefront in midtown Sacramento, where it remains today.
Macarons
Macarons are a difficult thing to make well—a good cookie has a crisp exterior with a chewy consistency once bitten into, and a good buttercream or caramel requires a precise balance of flavors that is too easy to get wrong. Ginger Elizabeth Chocolates has not only cracked the code for what makes a good macaron, but I’d venture to say that it has mastered the art.
Part of the wonder of a Ginger Elizabeth macaron can be credited to the ingredients it is composed of—Ginger herself has gone as far as Belize to source ingredients for her chocolates, and insists upon only using the finest ingredients for her goods. She also makes a point to make local Northern Californian goods the star of the show whenever possible, often using jams or fruits from farms just outside of metropolitan Sacramento.
Fillings vary based on what’s in season at the moment, featuring flavors such as fig and pumpkin in the fall and raspberry in the summer. Every part of each macaron is expertly crafted to be the very best it can be—from the salty caramel ganache in the salty caramel macaron to the traditional macaron cookies made with bits of crepes in the pumpkin pie macaron, each part is delicious, perfectly made, and worth splurging on.
Bonbons
Ginger Elizabeth Chocolates wouldn’t be Ginger Elizabeth Chocolates without its bonbons—small, intricately decorated squares of high-quality chocolate. The flavor variety is among the best one can find, and all are equally tempting. Ranging from the subtle tartness of the Eureka lemon bonbon to the warm spice of Maya chile bonbon to the comforting and familiar flavors of the caramelized milk and coffee bonbon, there’s truly a bonbon for every palate.
Ice Cream
As if high-quality macarons and bonbons weren't enough, Ginger Elizabeth Chocolates also makes delicious, uniquely flavored ice creams. In the warmer months, the shop hosts monthly ice cream socials featuring decadent sundaes. Find flavors like pumpkin cheesecake in the fall and lime basil pie in the summer—all homemade and all delicious.
Not lucky enough to live near a Ginger Elizabeth Chocolates storefront? Never fear—macarons and bonbons are available online for order. If you’re feeling inspired by Ginger’s story, you can act on that inspiration by keeping an eye out for classes offered by her at various times throughout the year.
Ginger Elizabeth Chocolates is a Sacramentan success story—Ginger followed her dreams ten years ago, and now has two storefronts and some of the best macarons and bonbons I’ve ever had to show for her efforts. Next time you’re in Sacramento or San Francisco, make an effort to stop by one of the stores—your taste buds will thank you.