Katrina Markoff’s Haute Chocolat

Katrina Markoff’s firstborn was a milk chocolate with sweet Indian curry powder and coconut flakes, named Naga. For Markoff, passion comes in the form of delicate truffles, rich mousses, and blocks of exotic-flavored chocolate. She was a chemistry major at Vanderbilt University when she realized her interest in the subject was waning. After graduation, she decided to pursue her real love: food. Following a move to Paris to study at Le Cordon Bleu, and time in kitchens in Australia, Asia, Spain, and Italy, Markoff returned to the United States intent on creating something distinctive in culinary arts.

“I researched the chocolate market and saw that it wasn’t being served well. I saw a niche to do a more interesting concept through chocolate with spice while exploring different cultures.” From her Chicago apartment in 1998, Markoff created a makeshift chocolate factory with $15,000 she had saved. Inspired by her global apprenticeships, she experimented with different ingredients— wasabi, chili, fennel, and tropical flowers—and shipped products from her living room.

“I had worked for my uncle in Dallas, buying products for his mail order catalogue, and through that I learned so much about marketing, copy-writing, and photography styling,” Markoff, 32, says. “It was a random job experience, but sometimes it’s through those things that you find yourself standing exactly where you should be.”

With loans from the bank, the Small Business Administration and Markoff’s parents, Vosges Chocolate took shape. Six years later, the company, named after the Palace des Vosges in Paris, the oldest and arguably the most serene square in the city, has evolved into a multi-million dollar business, with boutiques in Chicago, New York, and Las Vegas and a website (vosgeschocolate.com ) that sells haute chocolate, apparel, and accessories.

“Every month we have a new collection of chocolates, from colored sugar mosaic pieces inspired by Gaudi architecture to indigenous aborigine ingredients,” Markoff says. “I put a lot of my personal interests into the business, from fashion to women’s issues.”

Now her biggest challenge is separating work and life. “It’s always on my brain because I’m so passionately intertwined with the company,” the chocolatier says. “But as long as your heart is in it 150 percent, I always believe that success will follow. If you’re not sure that you want to run a business, definitely don’t do it, because it’s a lot of hard work.” Having the ability to support charities, including V-day, a global movement to stop violence against women and girls, and carry out artistic visions are Markoff’s true rewards.

“It never was about making money for me. It’s about trying to make a difference in the world and for the people around you. If you’re in it just for the money, it’s soulless.”