An exceptional chocolatier and ambassador of the Jaeger-LeCoultre maison, Mathieu Davoine embodies passion and artisanal precision at their highest level. Through his eyes, chocolate is far more than a delicacy it is a living, demanding material that he loves to elevate through his creativity and audacity.
Chocolate is a living and demanding material. What fascinates you the most about working with it?
For me, it’s a material I’ve learned to discover, and I truly fell in love with it. It’s something I already loved eating as a child. What I adored when I discovered the craft is that chocolate can be worked in its solid state, in liquid form you can even sculpt it… There are no limits. And that is precisely what interests me and challenges me every day.
What are the essential values needed to be a master chocolatier?
I think you need to be passionate, just as you find that same passion in watchmaking. Without it, you can’t practice these crafts, because we work on weekends, during the holidays, we start early in the morning… You also need to be meticulous and creative. It’s that creativity that drives us every morning.
You work with exceptional cocoa, much like watchmakers selecting the finest materials. How important are the origin and the quality of the ingredients to you?
First of all, we source our cocoa with respect for the farmers, their land, and their history. We know that there are still large-scale productions in the world that exploit child labor, and that is something we do not tolerate. We carefully select our producers, and they are fairly compensated. Then, we are very attentive to quality and traceability. When you understand all the work required to extract this material, you have a duty to work it with the utmost respect.
You are an ambassador for Jaeger-LeCoultre. As we know, fine watchmaking and the art of chocolate-making share an obsession with detail. How does this precision translate into your work?
For me, this precision can come down to a single degree during cooking. I have a very strong relationship with time. You’ve tasted, for example, Le Galop des Bois, with mushroom. Its infusion is done in exactly 8 minutes no more, no lessotherwise the flavors change completely. There is also a gustatory precision that allows us to find the perfect balance, the one that pleases the greatest number of people.
How did your collaboration with Jaeger-LeCoultre come about?
I was contacted by the Jaeger-LeCoultre teams to join their Made of Makers program, which brings together different talents. For me, it was an incredible opportunity to express myself, to create things that we can’t necessarily offer in the boutique, because the flavors or textures are too specific. The idea is to break the codes, to surprise, to encourage people to dare. So yes, it’s an amazing collaboration for me.
Is the world of fine watchmaking one that you are fond of? Has it influenced some of your creations?
Of course. As a Swiss chocolatier, one naturally takes an interest in watchmaking. Switzerland is both the country of chocolate and of watchmaking. They are two artisanal crafts, driven by passion and precision. I had the chance to visit the Jaeger-LeCoultre manufacture in the Vallée de Joux, and that visit inspired several of my creations. As an anecdote, at the end of the day I was given a small jar of honey produced in the valley. I wanted to use it, but not in the classic way… In the end, I worked with the pollen. These are creations nourished by encounters, experiences, and collected fragments.
If you had to translate the essence of Jaeger-LeCoultre into a chocolate creation, what would it look like?
It would undoubtedly be Le Galop des Bois, which I presented today. It’s a bold creation, a little unconventional—just like Jaeger-LeCoultre watches, which are unlike any others. I too used two unexpected flavors. Ninety-nine percent of people would think that these savory ingredients don’t pair with sugar. But I wanted to demonstrate that you can put mushrooms in a dessert and that it works. The goal is to push boundaries, to cross the frontiers of taste.
What are the next challenges you would like to take on?
My next big challenge is in 2026. I will be taking part in the Culinary World Cup with the Swiss team. I am responsible for a sculpture in chocolate and sugar… So potentially becoming world champion! The training is very tough, but it’s a goal that motivates me enormously.
