Ligaya Chocolate is an artisan chocolate shop that specializes in handmade chocolate pralines and bars. Our workshop is based in Arlington, Virginia. Ligaya is the Filipino word for ‘happiness’, which chocolate always brings.
My name is Mike. I moved to Belgium for my wife’s job and became obsessed with the brilliant chocolate makers that were found in every neighborhood in Brussels. While being a chocolatier wasn’t necessarily something I wanted to add to my already long list of commitments, I knew I couldn’t live without daily access to the sublime Belgian pralines and didn’t want to be stuck eating the sugary, oily junk that filled our vending machines, next to the Cheetos and Powerade.
After taking an initial class with my mentor Alain (his shop Bomma Flora has the most transcendent bean to bar chocolate, if you’re ever in Belgium), I spent the next few years learning. I picked up a lot of my technique about molding and flavors at Chocolate World and spent a lot of time just learning about flavors and absorbing common sense from my teachers at Mi Joya and Laurent Gerbaud himself. They were all so generous, and never gatekept the knowledge that made them so successful.
Now, after moving back home to the States, I’m setting up my workshop here in the DC area, doing limited batches for the community. While I don’t want to neglect my formal training from my time in Europe, my goal is to keep experimenting with the flavors of the Philippines, and all my family’s travels throughout Asia.
