Great Ocean Road Chocolaterie readies for rocky road festival

TEN years ago, Allan Grandjean had never heard of rocky road. Now, as head chocolatier at the Great Ocean Road Chocolaterie, he spends months crafting inventive flavours for the annual Rocky Road Festival.

“Rocky road is definitely not something that we have in France,” Grandjean said.

“At first, I thought it ‘What is this?’

“I was very intrigued, but I actually really fell in love with it.”

Grandjean said he enjoys both the flavour combinations and the texture of rocky road.

“For me, texture is very important – the crunch of the nuts, the chewiness of the jellies and the softness of the marshmallow is what makes it quite special,” he said.

The chocolatiers have been working hard to create exciting flavours for the festival. (From left) Kamel Blasco and Liana Macanas. Photo: Nyah Barnes.

Overseeing product development across the chocolateries, Grandjean said the process begins well before the festival, with hundreds of ideas gathered from across the business.

“I always get everyone in the team to talk to everybody in the business,” he said. “I’ll get a big list of hundreds of different ideas.”

From there, the list is refined into a range of flavours that are both playful and unexpected.

“I’m really trying to find some special ones,” Grandjean said. “Something a bit crazy, and really do a twist on it.”

The festival celebrates a treat that remains distinctly Australian. It’s a dessert the French-born Grandjean says still surprises visitors from overseas.

And while chocolate and marshmallow form the foundation, the rest is open to interpretation. The team enjoys a lot of creative freedom.

The Rocky Road Festival runs for the duration of May, with new flavours complimenting the classic ones. Photo: Nyah Barnes.

“Chocolate and the marshmallow are the two things you can’t get away from,” Grandjean said. “After that, some of them have got nuts, some of them don’t have the jelly.”

This year’s highlights include a Dubai chocolate pistachio flavour and a s’mores-inspired rocky road layered with burnt marshmallow and biscuits.

These layers, Grandjean said, “breaks the code of what a rocky road should look like”.

Each flavour has been given a creative road-themed name and will be available from 1 May.

Grandjean also offered a tip for home cooks: avoid liquid ingredients and temper the chocolate rather than simply melting it, as this helps it set properly.