Angeleno
Jonathan Grahm is young, hot and slinging chocolate. Descended from privileged Bonny Doon winemaking lineage, this hyperactive 21-year-old club kid has undertaken the task of transforming the family's staid Brentwood chocolate shop, Comparte's, into a viable, relevant, cutting-edge boutique.
So far, so good: He's thrown out the "old fashioned, Texas-sized turtles" and introduced truffles stuffed with his own lavender marshmallows, umeboshi plums and raspberry-pink peppercorns. Affectionately known in celebrity circles as "chocolate boy", Grahm's next step is to introduce a line of exotic toffees, then specialty hot chocolates.
Can chocolate save a marriage?
"The producers of Newlyweds had me teach Nick and Jessica how to make chocolate last year for Valentine's Day. Maybe if they had hung out with me a little more, they would still be together."
What's the best chocolate for breakfast?
"My Cup of Coffee Truffle. It's wake up chocolate and coffee rolled into one."
Apricots or cherries?
"Please, apricots trump cherries every time."
Where's the best place to buy a good peach?
"The Hollywood farmer's market on Sunday mornings. I go to every vendor and I will taste, feel and look before I purchase."
What do you drink with dark chocolate?
"Bonny Doon Le Cigare Volant."
Is selling candy an uphill battle in L.A.?
"Well, it's definitely hard when everyone in Hollywood is like, 'I wanna be thin like Nicole Richie and Mary Kate'...But I'm trying to convince them to eat chocolate too."
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