Shop Local at Le Bouquet by Francis

Le Bouquet by Francis

Westfield Countryside Mall; lebouquetbyfrancis.com

Everyone loves chocolate, Le Bouquet by Francis, which opened Nov. 19 at Westfield Countryside Mall in Clearwater. When the Peyronnet family moved to Clearwater they were perplexed at the paucity of handcrafted chocolates. So they got busy, enlisting the services of French-born pastry chef Jean-François Bonnet, who produces hand-made chocolates in his chocolate factory in Brooklyn. Twice listed among Dessert Professional magazine's Top 10 pastry chefs in America and featured in Food & Wine magazine's "Masters Series," Bonnet has contributed a variety of milk, dark and white chocolate barks, packaged distinctively in bouquets ($18 half pound, $36 full pound). Flavor combinations like mandarin orange and cinnamon, peanut butter and banana, peppermint and so forth elevate the level of play, and then the lineup of boxed bonbons, spreads and traditional chocolate bars make for some exciting stocking stuffer options. — Laura Reiley