Chocolatier tastes sweet success

Entrepreneur Aparna Gorrepati comes a long way after rediscovering her passion in chocolate-making

Hyderabad: They say there is no particular age to discover one’s passion and there is always a chance to rediscover your purpose and joy in life. A living epitome proving that to be true is chocolatier and entrepreneur Aparna Gorrepati. Growing up, Aparna wanted to become a doctor like others in her family. But fate had different plans for her. “I was to choose between two colleges to study medicine but that just did not happen and I ended up having a career of 21 years in communications and leadership management,” she says.

After her son was born, Aparna took a break and spent a great deal of time learning to make chocolates. But what started as an expensive hobby, according to her family, turned out to be her true passion. She then travelled all around the world to places like Belgium and the US and brought back with her knowledge related to chocolate-making. She eventually ended up at École Ducasse in France, one of the best culinary schools in the world.

Back in Hyderabad, along with her husband Chaitanya Gorrepati, she started ZUCI, a café in Jubilee Hills that serves artisanal chocolates, and desserts, along with lip-smacking food. Her passion for chocolates now had a name and a brand that soon became an address for the best chocolates and desserts in the city.

“Everybody loves chocolate. But it is important to understand that if you do not treat chocolate well, the chocolate doesn’t behave,” she says, adding that understanding chocolate is the key. Adding a new chapter to her passion, Aparna has opened doors to the all-new Bougainvillea, a two-floor restaurant located above ZUCI with a seating capacity of 230 guests.

“We knew serving only chocolates and desserts is not going to work. With The Bougainvillea and the existing ZUCI, it is now a complete package, a place where people can feel at home in every corner of the restaurant,” she says. From wanting to wear a white doctor’s coat to donning a white chef’s coat, to now expanding her footprint in the restaurant industry, Aparna is living a chocolate dream.