Kaitlyn Fitzpatrick from 31 Degrees Custom Chocolates

Kaitlyn Fitzpatrick is the founder of 31 Degrees Custom Chocolates, an online and pop-up vendor creating some of the finest handmade chocolates in Brisbane.

Kaitlyn spent a year as an au pair in Paris, passing most of her free time exploring the city and snacking on amazing Parisian patisseries. One particular chocolate shop struck a chord in Kaitlyn, with its delightful products inspiring her to pursue a career as a chocolatier.

“There was a particular chocolate shop on Rue du Rivoli, named Maison Georges Larnicol, that was filled with not only delicious treats like kouignettes and macarons, but also adorable chocolate sculptures,” Kaitlyn said.

The French attitude to food helped her foster a deeper appreciation of food, respect for ingredients, and the experience of enjoying a meal.

“There's a whole different culture around food that appreciates the individual ingredients and where they came from. All the produce is fresh and the meals made from scratch, and you can taste the difference. Eating isn’t just about consuming energy; it’s a pleasurable experience.”

Named after the working temperature for tempered couverture, 31 Degrees began to bring European style chocolates, using locally sourced ingredients, and to create a completely personalised chocolate for customers. All chocolates are handmade by Kaitlyn in small batches in the kitchens at Wandering Cooks in South Brisbane.

Even though Kaitlyn’s chocolates are European in style, she composes all her recipes from scratch. This allows her creative freedom in what ingredients she uses and branch away from the traditional Belgian and Swiss recipes.

“I've got a lot of books on chocolate and have read a lot of recipes, but when it comes to the creation I always make up my own. I want to know that people are enjoying the recipes that I have created, and not someone else's”.

Kaitlyn uses premium quality & locally sourced ingredients for all her custom chocolates because of the abundance of amazing produce South-East Queensland has on offer.

“Many of the products I use are from people I have met personally, such as My Berries or GG Gourmet. My parents live on the Sunshine Coast, so I was very familiar with Maleny Dairies cream and milk”.

Kaitlyn’s most popular flavours are White Passionfruit and her version of a Black Forest Cake.

“My Black Forest Cake is made with dark chocolate and rum ganache with a layer of white ganache, a thin layer of cherry pate de fruit, and topped with a layer of chocolate shavings. I was given some Mauritian rum that smells like cherries, and I can't wait to experiment with it, it’s going to be so delicious!”

“One of the biggest flavours I overlooked was peanut butter! Made fresh with Australian roasted peanuts, a touch of sugar and vanilla salt, it quickly became a favourite!”

Aside from these tasty customer picks, Kaitlyn’s favourite chocolate to make is her custom caramel milk chocolate creations.

“The mould I use gives a beautiful shine, and has lots of ridges to catch the light, and the ganache is made with milk chocolate and caramel and has the most wonderful texture.”

Kaitlyn says the strangest custom flavour she’s been requested to make so far is for prune chocolates. “It ended up being a dark chocolate and prune ganache, she loved it! An adapted version of that recipe became the Plum Pudding Chocolates available at Christmas,” she says.

One of Kaitlyn’s more unique made-to-order creations is her chocolate piñata cakes. Built from a shell of chocolate and filled with a delightful array of chocolate treats, these amazing confectionary creations can be decorated in a variety of ways to suit any occasion. Kaitlyn says they’re often made for special birthdays and are extremely satisfying to smash into, but take a lot more effort than you’d expect.

“They're a lot of fun to fill with treats, and I have a bit of a background in cake decorating, so it's always fun to use those skills!” she says.

Currently her chocolates and confectionary are made fresh to order through the 31 Degrees website. Kaitlyn also operates pop-up stalls at Thank Truck it’s Thursday, Two Teaspoons, and Scrumptious Reads.

Brisbane though can soon look forward to a bricks and mortar 31 Degrees Custom Chocolates store in early 2016.

“I’m about to launch a crowdfunding campaign to help the process along. It’s a terrifying step, but I want to be able to grow, so my own kitchen and shopfront is the best way to do that.

“It seems everyone, when I tell them I’m a chocolatier, has a strong memory from when they were a child about going into a fancy chocolate store and seeing the chocolates being made and being amazed. I want to be able to have that effect on people!

“I’m also excited to have my products available all the time and to have the time and space to expand my range”.

Kaitlyn plans to expand into confectionary such as nougat, caramels, gummies made with fresh fruit purees, and different flavours of marshmallows, all of which made to stand up to our summer heat.