Easter is the busiest time of the year for a chocolatier, and La Stans Chocolaterie & Patisserie in Enschede, East Netherlands is no exception. As I chatted with Dennis Stans, owner and the creative genius behind all these intricate and highly decorative wonders, we discussed his passion for chocolate: when did it all start and where did the love for chocolate come from?
Inspiration
I learnt that when aged only eight or nine, Dennis knew he was destined to work with chocolate. From the moment he watched a TV programme at school and saw the chefs all wearing their white uniforms with their big, tall hats, he was hooked. He was mesmerized by their ability to mould and sculpt a thing of beauty, just from liquid tempered chocolate. It was later while studying at college, he developed a fascination with the taste of chocolate as he explored flavours from a wealth of cuisines.
This search for ever more exotic flavours took Dennis all over the world before settling in South Africa where he honed his patisserie skills in a Dutch family bakery near Johannesburg for a couple of years. Each evening, he spent up to three hours tempering chocolate and experimenting – not the easiest of challenges in a country where the temperature can soar to the mid 30s.
Career
On his return to the Netherlands, Dennis worked for a number of different companies including local bakery Oonk and was soon recognised as an award-winning chocolatier and pastry chef. However, the creative and entrepreneurial urge became too strong and the desire to start his own business, based right in the heart of Enschede with close proximity to the buzzing atmosphere of the Oude Markt, was something he could not turn down.
La Stans – The Shop
La Stans Chocolaterie & Patisserie is now well known for quality, craftmanship and creativity; where people are brought together in the many workshops Dennis runs through the year, for young and old alike.
These are exclusive handmade chocolates for those in the know, the customer who wants that something special with the wow factor, a present for the person who has everything and a present they will remember for ever. Do not be mistaken, La Stans chocolates are not elitist – they are also the chocolates for that special little treat during the week, that small bag of chocolate which is just perfect for an after dinner palate cleanser.
Dutch people love sweet treats – if nothing else as a reward for all the cycling, especially through the winter wind. I understand that some people have even been known to pop in to buy just the one chocolate to savour before a long cycle home. What else should one do in those long winter months when all the ice-cream shops are closed, and cycling is your only mode of transport?
The chocolate
Like chocolateries all over Europe, La Stans uses milk, white and dark chocolate to create its masterpieces, and so each year a selection process takes place to find chocolate which will best complement the other ingredients Dennis intends to use. Chocolate for this year (2023) is sourced from Brazil, Mexico and the Congo. Unlike wine, which is dependant on the weather both for yield and quality and where good vintages command higher prices, cacao beans from one region or country will taste the same year on year, making the process a little easier. Chocolate arrives in the shop as chocolate drops before the tempering process starts in earnest.
What is tempered chocolate?
Tempering is the process where chocolate is heated to a specific temperature and then cooled to make it into a more stable product. It gives the chocolate a smooth and glossy texture, stops it from melting too easily in your hands, and gives it that all important snap!
Interesting facts!
- White chocolate does not contain any cocoa solids, but is instead made of cocoa/cacao butter, milk fats and sugar.
- La Stans uses milk chocolate with 38% solids.
- La Stans dark chocolate is made from whole cacao beans, including the shell which gives it a remarkably light and fruity taste and quite unlike commercially processed chocolate available in supermarkets.
Favourite pairing flavour of 2023
The calamanci fruit (not to be confused with calamari – squid!) is a green citrus fruit from the Philippines, similar in appearance to a lemon or lime. Dennis uses it in a wonderful bar entitled My Wife’s Favourite: a green tea ganache, topped with a calamanci syrup encased in a crisp chocolate shell. My new favourite!
How to learn more about chocolate
One of the reasons for starting La Stans Chocolaterie & Patisserie was a desire to share the love for chocolate with a wider audience. The store in Maarkstraat, Enschede is unique in that you can look directly into the kitchen and see the chocolatiers at work, witnessing for yourself the chocolate-making process. You can also join one of the many workshops scheduled through the year where you make your own chocolates which you can take home. Fabulous! Workshops are available for the young, the unexperienced and those who wish to hone their skills to a more advanced level.
Where does Dennis find his inspiration?
Dominique Persoone – a world famous Belgian chocolatier and owner of The Chocolate Line. with shops in Brugges and Antwerp. Winner of Chocolatier of the Year 2023 and now working with some of the best restaurants on the world.
Jeroen Goosens – an internationally acclaimed Dutch pastry chef, perhaps one of the best in the Netherlands as the man who created King Willem-Alexander and Queen Maxima’s wedding cake.
What now for the future?
As well as continuing to produce showstopping creations which adorn the window and bring joy to all, Dennis tells me he would like to develop the patisserie side of the business and produce exquisite cakes to expand the café. We all look forward to encouraging him in this vision and even taste-testing if required!
Click here to read about my favourite chocolatier in Amsterdam
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All photos © La Stans Chocolaterie & Patisserie unless otherwise indicated
