Hidden in the corner of a retail center in Westport you’ll find Le Rouge, a small artisan chocolate shop owned by Aarti Khosla.   But this isn’t just any old chocolate shop. Aarti makes every truffle, cake and chocolate-dipped apricot herself. A self-described “chocolatier,” she opened Le Rouge in 2014, with the dream of delivering fresh, delicious, unprocessed, and beautiful chocolates to her customers. She did, and she still does.

Her shop is dedicated gluten-free, except for the days that she makes Guinness-filled truffles, after which she takes great care to clean and sanitize. She caters to all sorts of food allergies, including gluten, egg, and dairy, and has plenty of celiac customers. All of Aarti’s cakes are gluten-free, and everything can be made using coconut milk. She has a small seating area to enjoy your chocolates, a European hot cocoa, (which is much different than American hot chocolate!) or a slice of cake. If you give her an hour’s notice, she can even make gluten-free crepes. YUM!

Aarti takes great pride in her products, and hand paints many of them. She’ll even paint a chocolate portrait.  She offers classes, ladies nights out, and this year, she started her successful “Give a Little Love” program, encouraging customers to purchase a $5 chocolate heart to give to someone who least expects it. She gave us one, and it just might be too beautiful to eat!

So the next time you’re in Westport, make it your business to find Le Rouge hiding next to a pizza shop on Main Street. Then enjoy a lovely conversation with Aarti, and one or two or three of her artisan chocolate delights. You can even have her ship them to friends or relatives across the country. She clearly loves her work, but I think we might love it more.

Le Rouge Handmade Chocolates By Aarti