A sampling of handmade chocolates from my chocolate making class at L'Atelier des Sens on a Paris morning. Beautiful views outside my balcony.
A sampling of handmade chocolates from my chocolate making class at L'Atelier des Sens on a Paris morning. Beautiful views outside my balcony.

Sunday morning in Paris was a truly indulgent experience.

I had spent the previous day making and sampling chocolates at a course taught by Mélanie Dupuis, Chef pâtissière at L’Atelier des Sens. As with almost all cooking classes, I departed after three hours of true immersion of the senses with a wonderful box of chocolates. A labor of love by both me and the rest of the students in the class. I really enjoyed the authenticity of the class which was taught in French.

Sunday morning, before my plans to tour Musée d’Orsay and soak in some breathtakingly inspiring Impressionist masterpieces, I decided to pause a moment and enjoy the view outside my hotel room balcony. I placed a couple of chocolates from the box onto a napkin, snuggled closer into the warmth between my bed and the sheets and savored the freshly handmade creations and the moment.

A simple, prolonged pause.

I stretched and realized a day of possibilities just started.

I love cooking classes. This was the box of assorted chocolates I left with after my chocolate-making class. The entire class was taught in French in a cute, traditional French kitchen. Loved my Julia Child experience!
View outside my hotel room balcony. How can one not feel romantic waking up to a view like this?
Loni Stark
Loni Stark is an artist at Atelier Stark, psychology researcher, and technologist whose work explores the intersection of identity, creativity, and technology. A self-professed foodie and adventure travel enthusiast, she collaborates on visual storytelling projects with Clinton Stark for Stark Insider. Her insights are shaped by her role at Adobe, influencing her explorations into the human-tech relationship. It's been said her laugh can still be heard from San Jose up to the Golden Gate Bridge—unless sushi, her culinary Kryptonite, has momentarily silenced her.