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Established in 2010 to provide chocolate to fine dining restaurants in the San Francisco Bay Area, La Forêt has developed into a true chocolate atelier. Calling on her pastry training, Wendy works closely with chefs to design and execute chocolates with unparalleled attention to flavor, texture and presentation. She created her innovative "allocation" program to bring these limited-production creations to a wider public and stocks her Napa micro-boutique with seasonal treats.
Before opening La Forêt, Wendy trained at Le Cordon Bleu Paris and honed her craft at some of the industry’s top establishments including Patrick Roger in France and, most recently, The French Laundry in Yountville, California. In 2005, Wendy received the prestigious Julia Child Endowment Fund Scholarship from the International Association of Culinary Professionals. Her program included study at the École Lenôtre and traveling for several months throughout France visiting prominent chocolatiers. La Forêt has been featured in many publications, newspapers and blogs including Food & Wine, Martha Stewart Living, Brides Magazine, The San Franisco Chronicle, Edible Marin & Wine Country, Eater SF and AFAR. In a previous life, Wendy earned a B.A. summa cum laude in Film Studies from the University of Minnesota and a M.A. in Communications from the University of Iowa with a focus on European cinema. She has recently returned to academia as part of the faculty at The Culinary Institute of America in St. Helena, California from 2016 to 2019. |
What's in a name?
During a trip to France in 2005, Wendy and her husband, Mark, frequently heard the refrain "Sherwood… Aah, la forêt!" while making reservations at country inns and restaurants. The idea of the forest and the nod to Wendy's French training seemed a perfect fit and the dream of La Forêt was born.