Paul and Vince welcome Maribel Lieberman, CEO of MarieBelle New York, a world-renowned bean-to-bar chocolate company with boutique shops in SoHo, Midtown, and the Upper East Side of New York. Born in Honduras, she began selling confections at age eight. Originally studying fashion in NYC at Parsons, she transitioned to culinary arts, launching a catering business before opening her first SoHo chocolate shop in 2001. Under her leadership, the brand has expanded globally, offering artisanal chocolates known for their exquisite flavors and artistic presentation. Her Aztec Hot Chocolate has been listed on Oprah’s Favorite Things, and INC Magazine named MarieBelle New York as one of the fastest growing private companies in America.

1.

Paul & Vince: Maribel, your shops and your chocolates are world famous, but tell us how you came to be in New York and in your current career?

Maribel: Well, I came here from Honduras when I was very young. I went to school at Parsons School of Design, and then later, when I got married, I discovered my love of cooking. Eventually, I opened a catering company doing very elegant dinners. I loved designing the presentation, the food, the lighting…My reputation grew among friends and the dinners became more prominent…I even did a dinner for the then President of the United States, Bill Clinton. That inspired me to follow a dream to open a gourmet store for international cuisines in Nolita in the early 2000s, which eventually led to focusing on chocolate..

Paul & Vince: Wow, that’s amazing. But how did you land on chocolate?

Maribel: I wanted to tell the stories of food at my store, to incorporate flavors from around the world. And one story I wanted to tell was about chocolate, because twenty-five years ago, many people didn’t know that chocolate came from Latin America. They didn’t even know the word “cacao.” So, in my very first press release I talked about the Mayans and Aztecs of Mexico, and how chocolate came to Europe through Spain. It was a gift from the Americas. And that began the chocolate business.

Paul & Vince: That’s wonderful. But now we have to say how curious we are about the dinner with Bill Clinton. How did that happen?

Maribel: Well, I did lots of little events, and I hired waiters. And one of them had a connection to the United States Mission to the United Nations, and I began doing dinners for them, since I could do things that were very elegant, very high quality, and with a limited budget. And then I heard about dinners they would do for the President at a penthouse at the Waldorf Astoria, and after becoming friends with the organizer, I finally I got that opportunity to be the chef. It was incredible.

2.

Paul & Vince: Our second question is to just briefly give us a sense of what a typical day on the job is for you.

Maribel: Usually in the morning I do my exercise, I have my green juices, and then I have to get dressed, even if I’m not leaving the house. Because it’s about energy to start the day. Then I answer emails, because we have a lot of international business partners in Japan and China, so early morning is a crucial time. Then I’m at the store when it opens by 11, and then I’m talking to my chef or I work in the office there. We have a factory in Greenpoint, Brooklyn, and we have a whole team there. Total it’s about 80 or 90 people, and during Christmas we hire many more.

Paul & Vince: And you have three stores?

Maribel: Three stores in Manhattan, and three licensed stores in Japan. But we use all natural ingredients, and no preservatives, so normally the product only lasts six weeks for that reason. Except we also have a special process of flash freezing and slow defrosting to keep the product fresh when it needs to go around the world, or meet holiday demand. The chocolate ganache is really the jewel of the brand, we don’t let anyone else make it.

Paul & Vince: And can you tell us where your cacao comes from?

Maribel: Since 2004 I have sourced all our cacao from South America. From Columbia, Venezuela and from Honduras as well. Each one has unique qualities, because the cacao flavor reflects where it is grown. Some I use for the bon bons, some I use for hot chocolate, and some for the chocolate bars.

3.

Paul & Vince: And our third question is, what are a few things that most people would find surprising about your job that maybe they wouldn’t expect?

Maribel: Well, I think some people may not realize that while I have stores and brand that is based on chocolate, which makes people so happy, I am also running a business. And when you run a business, it can be very stressful, because you are responsible for everything and everyone. At the same time, the creativity and experimentation is always there. Just the other day, the head of a top British chocolate brand came into my store, and he tried everything, and he was so complimentary, and that felt great, to connect with another renowned chocolate maker, and we can learn from each other.

4.

Paul & Vince: And tell us. Maribel, what are some of your favorite things to do in New York City on your day off, just when you have time to yourself, what’s the day like?

Maribel: New York really has so much I like to do. I like to go to the theater. I like to go to concerts, I love jazz clubs. Every Sunday, I have brunch with friends in the East Village. We have a group of about four of us and then we invite others each week and get to know each other. It feels like we’re on vacation on Sundays, it’s great.

… and one more, Just For Fun

Paul & Vince: Okay, so now we have our just for fun question: if you could make art or perform in another time period, where would you go and what would you make?

Maribel: I’m immediately thinking of 18th century France, and I would be playing music, to entertain those big salons. I would be singing on stage, with Mozart at the pianoforte.

Paul & Vince: Oh, so maybe you would be one of his star sopranos, with a big white wig…but maybe with chocolate bonbons in your wig?

Maribel: Exactly! And we would be at the Opera Garnier, with the backdrop of Chagall paintings! I know it’s all different periods, but we can do that, right?

Paul & Vince: Absolutely, Maribel, it’s your fantasy, you can have it all!

Original artwork by Jolisa Robinson, Gavriani-Falcone Team Marketing