BIO

Grando Cioccolato is the creation of Nancy Grando and her husband Stefano Grando who were both born into the jewelry manfuacturing industry. Stefano is an Italian master jeweler and a descendant of one of the oldest fine jewelry manufacturing family's in the Veneto region of Italy. Nancy's father was the VP of a family business that was one of the oldest jewelry manufaturing companies in New England. Stefano was the President of the 24Kt. Club of Southern, CA. and Nancy's Father was the President of the Providence Jewelry Manufacturer's Association.

THE SEEDS THAT INSPIRED NANCY TO PRODUCE CHOCOLATES

Nancy spent much of her youth in her Nana Ann's food business in Masschusetts that catered luxury weddings and events. Nancy's Nana Ann died of a heart attack at 57, as she was arriving home from one of the events. Thus, as an adult Nancy became very active with the American Heart Associaton and sat on the board of the L.A. Chapter where Nancy and Stefano designed and produced jewelry for the American Heart Association's educational and fund raiser events. One of the leading Cardiologists in Beverly Hills inspired Nancy to create her chocolates.

FROM JEWELRY DESIGN TO CHOCOLATE DESIGN

Nancy wanted to learn the secret of Italian chocolates and she began a quest to unlock the formula that made Italian chocolates unparelled in quality and taste. During this period Nancy and Stefano were making frequent trips to Italy each year for business and to visit Stefano's family where the chocolates in Italy had a distinct flavor profile and texture that were nothing like traditonal American chocolates. Nancy discovered that fine Italian chocolates were produced with a different variety of beans than the Italian chocolates, along with different ingredients. I should note that Nancy has a B.A. from the University of Miami in Mechanical Design and Stefano has a degree from the Instituto Tecnological in Italy for Mechanical Design. So, before long Nancy and Stefano were designing and producing their own chocolate moulds to meet the demands of their clients who commissioned them to make custom chocolates.

CHEMISTRY OF GRANDO CIOCCOLATO

Through blind taste tests Nancy and Stefano determined that the chocolates from a factory in Northern Italy was co-owned by a food scientist who for over 30 years collaborated with independent farmers in South America and the Carribean to cultivate rare royal criollo and trinario beans that account for approximately 3% of all of the cocoa beans cultivated in the World. Nancy's chocolates are produced with organic criollo and organic trinatario beans; which are even rarer. Furthermore; the rare beans that Nancy uses in her commercial kitchen are naturally sweet and have notes of berries, so that they require approximately half the sugar of traditional chocolates. Plus; Italian chocolate liquor has approximately twice the amount of cacao butter as traditional chocolates, making them melt in your mouth without any bitter after taste. As for the milk chocolates Nancy uses a 34% cacao formula that is usually reserved for bittersweet baking chocolates, so that you obtain a distinct taste of chocolate with subtle accents of organic sugar and organic milk powder.. There is never any waxy feel or taste in any of Grando chocolates, as there are no other added fillers. Grando Cioccolato's white chocolate is of exceptional quality and is blended with organic vanilla, cacao butter and sugar. Chocolate making is a science, as the chocolate crystals must be crystalized to obtain a smooth mouthfeel, shine and snap. Nancy worked under the tuteledge of two highly respected chocolate masters who specialize in fine Italian chocolates, so that she could replicate the quality of fine chocolates from Italy.

Grando Cioccolato is GMO free, Preservative free, Gluten Free and has no Artificial Dyes.

EVENTS

Coming from the jewelry industry it was natural for Nancy Grando to initially create chocolate diamonds, gemstones, and pearls filled with Italian organic ingredients that are treated like fine jewelry and encased in custom designed jewelry boxes. As the word got out about Grando Cioccolato's unparelled quality Nancy was commissioned to create 3D chocolates for Jon Landau, the producer of Avatar, chocolate violins for the L.A. Philharmonic Italian Gala, Taste of Italy that raises money for the Italian Museum in downtown L.A., the Cal Spirit Awards co-created by Barbara Lazaroff, Sherry Lansing and Wolfgang Puck, the Santa Barbara Wine Festival, Children's Hospital, The Wounded Warriors and The Film Musical Awards, etc.

Stefano and Mikele Grando have both been instrumental in the development of Grando Cioccolato. They are the official taste testers, collaborators, critics and helping hands throughout every aspect of the company.

NANCY GRANDO, CIOCCOLATAIA

AWARDS

LOS ANGELES - 2019 BEST FOR HANDCRAFTED ITALIAN CHOCOLATES / FOOD & DRINK AWARDS HOSTED BY LUXE LIFE

SHERMAN OAKS- 2017 BEST IN THE FOOD AND BEVERAGE

SANTA BARBARA COUNTY- 2016 BEST IN THE FOOD & BEVERAGE

CALIFORNIA- 2015 BEST BESPOKE CHOCOLATIER

OTHER CREDITS INCLUDE:

R.I. MODEL OF THE YEAR 1973

FLAPPER IN THE MOVIE "THE GREAT GATSBY"

1ST PLACE WINNER OF THE ABILITY COUNTS COMPETITION FOR THE STATE OF RHODE ISLAND

B.A. UNIVERSITY OF MIAMI

MODEL FOR THE MANNEQUINS

PAST ASSOCIATIONS: THE AMERICAN HEART ASSOCIATION L.A. CHAPTER BOARD MEMBER, WOMEN'S JEWELRY ASSOCIATION MEMBER AND CHAIRWOMAN OF THE WOMEN'S DIVA JEWELERS DESIGN COMPETITION, LACMA'S COSTUME COUNCIL, LOS ANGELES FASHION GROUP INTERNATIONAL, BEVERLY HILLS WOMEN'S CLUB, LOS ANGELES ZOO AND ROBINSON'S GARDENS.

CURRENTLY A MEMBER OF THE HUNTINGTON LIBRARY IN SAN MARINO, CALIFORNIA

Note: The Grando lion is the crest of Bassano Del Grappa, Italy where my passion for Italian chocolate began. This is the City

where my husband Stefano was born and where he introduced me to the finest chocolate that made me fall in love with Italian chocolate and him.