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Hello I’m James
Thank you for landing on my page.
I’ve wanted to be chef since the age of 8 years old, I’ve never ever wanted to do anything else. Every day I get to do the one thing I love…. food!
My career started at 16 years old, I joined the Armed Forces and started an apprenticeship as a chef, the training was hard, very detailed and encompassed every aspect of cooking and management. My service years took me around the globe, cooking in faraway countries, working in inhospitable climates, learning new cultural foods, and feeding displaced people. I have personally cooked for King’s & Queens, Queen Mothers, Heads of State, Ministers, high profile celebrities & Wealthy personalities. I have headed large operations with multiple kitchens and volunteered in refugee camps helping to find solutions to feed those less fortunate and won many awards in recognition for the efforts from all of the teams I have had the pleasure of leading.
Sosase
The name came about when I decided to commandeer my 3 daughters’ playroom, I needed a Lab where I could continue to teach 1-2-1’s, develop products in pastry & chocolate and have an area where I could continue to be creative during lockdown. It was only fair that I paid some kind of homage to my 3 beautiful girls who watched their space be engulfed by my creations.
It’s not all bad though! All three have been instrumental in helping develop the products. Children as any parent know, are brutally honest with feedback, more so than adults. They are my tasters, my creative team, they come up with exciting new ideas that challenge me to continue to be creative, they are as chocolate obsessed as I am, they know good from bad and along the journey they’ve developed a taste palette equal to mine…
It was only fair that the name of our business used derivatives of their names.
Chocolate Choice
I have had the opportunity to judge many competitions over the years, nationally and internationally, I’ve tasted varieties of chocolate from all parts of the globe.
Of the many lessons I’ve learnt a few are true to me.
Not all cheap chocolate is bad, and not all expensive chocolate is good. The majority of the public do not understand the complex percentages that gauge the quality of the chocolate they eat including its price points. There can be a lot of snobbery attached to brands and varieties, just like wines, coffee, and teas. I have used many branded varieties of chocolate, the filling is my first consideration, only after that, can I even start to consider what chocolate to use for the shell. I ask that you trust my expertise, my years of knowledge and my obsession with taste, my understanding of what & why. Therefore, I don’t select the chocolate based on the brand, I choose it based on its flavour profile and taste notes.
I also always choose chocolate that has a good reputation of environmental policy, that have 100% sustainable practices and also support Cocoa farmers communities with fair trade policies and fair pricing.
Allow yourself to Trust me that I know what I am doing, so that you get the best of what I can do…
Collections
For all the years that I have been a Chef, one thing has resonated with me. The link between food and memory is magical, a familiar taste or smell has the ability to waft you back historically to a time or place from memory, a moment where you remembered where you were, who you were with, the celebration or occasion.
I wanted to create not just pretty chocolate without substance, but a collection that means something to me, a reason for its creation. It is not good enough to just put a filling in a bonbon, but the reason ‘why’ is the driving force. We all remember family celebrations or holidays where we perhaps tasted something new, something unique whether it be food or drink. The memory of it is so powerful that it takes a split second to link that memory to a taste or flavour.
It is my intention to create that, the moment you taste it, it reveals a good memory to you.