“And that's when this flood of clarity came in, and I was like, I'm going to use chocolate as a medium for storytelling.”

Katrina Markoff is founder of the Chicago-based Violet Flame Chocolate.

Prior to her new venture, Katrina founded Vosges Haut-Chocolat in 1998, which expanded our understanding of what chocolate could be.

Katrina has been named one of Fortune Magazine’s “40 Under 40”, Bon Appétit has named her Food Artisan of the Year, and Food & Wine has called her “the innovator in chocolate to lead the U.S. through the next 30 years.”

We follow Katrina’s journey from pre-med student at Vanderbilt, to attending culinary school in Paris, to working at El Bulli (one of the best restaurants in the world), and finally finding her calling as an entrepreneur and chocolatier.

(1:06) – What was Katrina’s upbringing like?

(4:30) – How did Katrina make the change from pre-med student to culinary school?

(9:13) – What was Katrina’s experience working at El Bulli with Ferran Adrià like?

(12:47) – What attracted Katrina to working as a chocolatier and founding Vosges Chocolat?

(16:40) – What led to Vosges’ huge success?

(19:13) – Why did Katrina start Violet Flame Chocolate, and what is she doing differently this time around?

(23:03) – What is the “why” that drives Katrina?

(24:46) – What do entrepreneurs get wrong when they first start out?

(26:20) – Why is failure important?

(27:51) – What’s the best way to enjoy chocolate?