Kaixo Lagun!
(means Hello Friend! in Basque)
My name is Veronica Sanabria, master chocolatier at Bonboiak!
My journey with chocolate began in Montevideo, Uruguay, and blossomed during my upbringing in Brazil. At the tender age of 16, I embraced the art of chocolate-making as a means to support my family following the loss of my father. What began as a necessity soon transformed into a lifelong passion.
Eager to refine my craft, I embarked on a quest for knowledge, immersing myself in courses dedicated to the intricate techniques of handcrafted chocolate creation during my time in São Paulo. With a solid foundation in the culinary realm, owing to my experience as a restaurateur in São Paulo back in 2006, I found myself equipped with the expertise and insight needed to embark on this new chapter of my journey. Now, as the lead behind Bonboiak, I am thrilled to share my love affair with chocolate with the world. Each creation is a testament to my dedication, blending skill, and soulful passion into every delectable morsel.
When I moved to Chicago in 2007, I had to start working as an executive assistant to support my family, however, working as a chocolatier remained latent in my subconscious and every day, I daydreamed that one day I would open my own chocolate shop here in Chicago. And with God's blessings, that day has arrived and here I am more excited than ever about making chocolates and being able to offer them to you.
At Bonboiak everything is hand-made from molds or by hand and created with lots of love and care, with details added individually. I am involved in the entire process of making the chocolates from start to finish because there is a great deal of fine details that goes into devising a recipe, through to making the chocolates, decorating them, and finally packaging, displaying, and selling.
In the culinary world being a chocolatier is a unique and exciting career option and it is actually very technical compared to baking, making pastries and cooking. Did you know that the entire process of making chocolate bonbons or truffles can take up to 2-3 days sometimes? The fine aspects are important from the beginning when making chocolates. It’s a commitment.