Back in 2006, when Chef de Cuisine, Mark LaPolla, began experimenting with making fine chocolates for students at the Hudson River Valley Art Workshops and guests of the Greenville Arms 1889 Inn. The chocolates were met with enthusiasm by guests, students, and local business owners alike. After a few suggestions from friends and inquiries from local restauranteurs, Life by Chocolate was born in 2007.

Our name stems from a dessert Mark created with a base of tempered chocolate and puffed rice. On to which a medium ganache is piped in a circle and filled with sweetened marscapone, followed by another layer of tempered chocolate and puffed rice. All of this is topped with unsweetened whipped cream and a sugar basket filled with fresh seasonal berries. When serving this dish to workshop students, Mark was often asked, “Aren’t desserts like this normally called ‘Death by Chocolate?” To which Mark responded, “No, ‘Death by Chocolate’ is the wrong attitude - this is Life by Chocolate!”