A reader asks, “Hi, I’m visiting Israel and am looking for some good chocolate. I remember Max Brenner from the last time I was here, but he seems to have disappeared. Does anyone know what happened to Max Brenner and if there is any similarly high quality chocolate produced in Israel now? Are there shops in Israel where can I buy Michel Cluizel or other top quality chocolate bars?” From this side of the Atlantic it’s hard to keep track of the goings on in the chocolate industry in Israel. Max Brenner is very well known ...

... in Israel and the UK but is not well known here in the US. Part of the challenge is that Max (who is affectionately know as “The Bald Man” sold the business several years ago and there was a quality control problem for a couple of years. I’ve used the chocolates in Kosher tastings recently and there is a lot to like about them now, so I think that many of the quality issues have been resolved.

Here’s a link to a recent (August ‘04) article I found on Israeli chocolatiers that mentions Max and others. A retail location for Max Brenner is mentioned in Herzliya Pituah. I was in Herzliya on a business trip in 1995 or so, but I don’t know the reference to Pituah. I was unable to sleuth out a retail location to purchase Cluizel, but one of the chocolatiers mentioned in the article may know.

Previous Questions and Answers:

1. I am looking for recipes for fruit/cream fillings for molded chocolates. I have many recipes for flavored fillings that use chocolate, but none for the others. These can include nut centers, fruit cream centers. Thank you
   Posted by  on  10/27  at  09:42 AM
2. Conni :: As a good basic resource, I recommend Christian Teubner's book "The Chocolate Bible." There are a bunch of recipes for cream and nut centers that I think you will find give you the basic direction you're looking for. The book can be bought from Amazon.com; here's a link to the order page on The Chocolate Co-Op : http://www.chocolateco-op.com/index.php/coop/comments/book-bible/
   Posted by  on  11/09  at  12:37 PM
3. Where in the world would you travel for a decadent weekend full of chocolate? What are the world's best chocolate stops? Kris, My two top cities to travel to for chocolate? Paris and Belgium. Here's my story of my trip to Paris in 2004: http://www.newworldchocolatesociety.com/index.php/nwcs/comments/parisindepth/ :: Clay
   Posted by  on  09/14  at  04:15 PM
4. I am looking for a school that teaches chololate and truffles in South Florida, thank you
   Posted by  on  01/20  at  11:21 AM
5. There are a number of Max Brenner aka "The Bald Man" chocolate bars in Australia - including Sydney and Melbourne.
   Posted by  on  08/07  at  07:27 PM