Kimberley Chocolates
Chocolatier since 1994
My name is Joseph, and I started Kimberley Chocolates to produce high quality chocolates in Sydney. I held a BSc in Food Science, and wanted to make great chocolate more accessible to our community, including by combining it with flavours like chilli, lemon myrtle, and quandong (Australia's 'native peach'). Kimberley Chocolates won the gold award at the Royal Easter Show Chocolate Competition, and I started to appear on the media more often. People started contacting me to learn more about chocolates, and I realised that there is a great need for chocolate education, and that's where our chocolate workshops started.
I also spent some time in the laboratories of perfume houses before, where I gained some interesting skills in fragrance making, which I love to share.
My teaching style is playful and fun, and very hands on - the more sampling and laughing that happens, the better!
(69)
For Ultimate Chocolate Making Class
By Eleni Tsounias (attended on 22 Jun 2019)
The teacher was easy to speak too easy to understand. A bit more hands on would have been better so each of us having our own equipment and following teacher. The area was not as clean as it should have been mostly the floors but over all I did feel worth the knowledge gained, the information given. In end we all did take a lot of made chocolate home.
For Ultimate Chocolate Making Class
By Matthew Leung (attended on 22 Jun 2019)
Incredible fun! Thank you for such an amazing event and making my mum’s birthday so much fun
For Fun Chocolate Truffle Workshop
By Aiden Destefano (attended on 21 Jun 2019)
Joseph and Connie were fantastic and so were my truffles at the end! Would definitely recommend - especially if you love chocolate!
For Make Your Own Fragrance / Perfume Workshop
By Alicia Druery (attended on 15 Jun 2019)
Joseph is a lovely teacher and very helpful. He made sure we went home with a perfume we were happy with. Thank you for a great class.
For Make Your Own Fragrance / Perfume Workshop
By Russell Fedorowicz (attended on 16 Jun 2019)
Loved the class. Wish there were more location options maybe say Parramatta?
Good amounts of materials maybe could've had some more niche ingredients but overall great variety.
Very good value for money and the instructor was very lovely and extremely knowledgeable.
Labelling on ingredients could have been better, more scientific descriptions as options for more learning.
Would recommend to others.
For Make Your Own Fragrance / Perfume Workshop
By Anna Alexandratos (attended on 16 Jun 2019)
Although late the class was set out to simplify the creation process in stages the paper given out helped us map out the quantities of each scent with ease. I thoroughly enjoyed the turkish delight ans was amazed we got to take home 2 bottles and create different scents.
For Make Your Own Fragrance / Perfume Workshop
By Gzing Saadi (attended on 15 Jun 2019)
Loved the class! Our instructor Joseph was extremely knowledgeable and kind. Got to make some amazing perfumes , I made one scent for my partner and one for myself . We loved every second of it !
For Fun Chocolate Truffle Workshop
By Mohammad Shahidullah (attended on 8 Jun 2019)
Great class , fun environment and enjoyed the whole process of making chocolates from A to Z ... highly recommended for anyone who loves chocolates and wants to learnt the history and hands on approach of how to make it .. this could be something really interesting ....
For Ultimate Chocolate Making Class
By Caitlin Stephens (attended on 25 May 2019)
Great class! Both Joseph and Connie were very knowledgeable and accommodating. Would highly recommend to all.
For Make Your Own Fragrance / Perfume Workshop
By Erin Sanderson (attended on 19 May 2019)
Awesome hands on class! Joseph was a great facilitator and very knowledgeable about blending fragrances.
For Fun Chocolate Truffle Workshop
By Nadia Manneh (attended on 11 May 2019)
Good class, took my niece as a birthday present, she loved it! only thing to change would be to have a smaller class.
For Fun Chocolate Truffle Workshop
By Hamish Toohey (attended on 11 May 2019)
Great teacher, welcoming environment and lots of fun. Will recommend to friends and family. Thanks.
For Fun Chocolate Truffle Workshop
By Billie Le (attended on 11 May 2019)
Great class! Was really happy with the end products. Very friendly teachers and was a very informative class.
For Fun Chocolate Truffle Workshop
By Jess Mitchell (attended on 11 May 2019)
The teacher and Connie were very knowledgeable and personable. We did exactly what the description of the class says - so I was prepared and pleasantly surprised at how easy it was. The pace of the class was slower than I would have liked but understandable for the class size and the process. It was so lovely that I have signed up for the ultimate chocolate making workshop.
For Fun Chocolate Truffle Workshop
By Samantha Foster (attended on 26 Apr 2019)
Really enjoyable class, very professionally run in a top quality facility. Joseph and Connie are lovely and super-experienced, so they make it look easy as they take you step-by-step through the molding process. It was a big class (26 people), which was fine and gave good opportunity to meet and chat with others. We were each given a mold and made a tray with 3 different fillings - all of which were delicious!
The only reason I haven't given this a 5-star is because I'd have liked to have seen the full process of chocolate-making, whereas this class focuses on molding of filled chocolates. There is another class that shows the full process (which I will sign up for!).
For Fun Chocolate Truffle Workshop
By Camille Joyce (attended on 26 Apr 2019)
This course was very fun. The class was full of a mixture of couples, friends and family (like in my case!). The teacher explained everything very well and I liked that we all had the chance to use the professional chocolate making machines for the experience but they also told us how to make the chocolate at home without all the equipment. The chocolate also ended up being some of the best I have ever had!
For Make Your Own Fragrance / Perfume Workshop
By Renee Cipollone (attended on 20 Apr 2019)
I’m really happy with the fragrances but would have been better to have less people as it was too crowded.
For Make Your Own Fragrance / Perfume Workshop
By Teresa Rolfe (attended on 16 Mar 2019)
I got this workshop as a birthday present and I was not let down! Joseph was informative, bubbly and took the class to a new level - a proper teacher makes all the difference and he certainly made the drive from Canberra worth it. The venue was clean, large and workable for what we were doing. The treat of Turkish Delight upon arrival was also appreciated!
Although I didn't purchase this course for myself I still think it was worth the money and would buy it again and would buy it for someone else. I went with another family member but we met some lovely people so I think it is also nice to go solo and meet new people in a friendly environment.
I learnt a lot about the history of fragrance, and what scents go well together and what may be too potent. Not only did I leave knowledgeable but I left with two custom bottles and I now get complimented daily on my creations.
A charming experience which I highly recommend. Thanks Joseph you were fabulous!
For Fun Chocolate Truffle Workshop
By Max Danielewicz (attended on 6 Apr 2019)
Joseph and Connie are really great hosts. We had lots of fun and eat very tasty chocolate.
For Ultimate Chocolate Making Class
By Marianne Passafaro (attended on 30 Mar 2019)
The class was informative, fun and the chocolate was delicious, we made lots of chocolate truffle balls & chocolate ganache which we were able to take home and share with our friends & family who were very impressed.
For Ultimate Chocolate Making Class
By Miranda Bryce (attended on 30 Mar 2019)
This was really fun. The pace of the class was a little slow for me but it was fun. I was on my own and felt fine without having a friend there. Left with lots of chocolates and great skills I can use at home.
For Ultimate Chocolate Making Class
By Mary Sriskandarajah (attended on 30 Mar 2019)
Excellent. Enjoyed every minute. I was waiting to find a teacher and Joseph was very good. I will recommend to anyone interested.
For Ultimate Chocolate Making Class
By Anea Roque (attended on 30 Mar 2019)
The class was very nice. Joseph is a great teacher. He and his assistant Connie are very knowledgeable. I really enjoyed my time there and also learned a lot.
For Fun Chocolate Truffle Workshop
By Sally Macdonald (attended on 29 Mar 2019)
Soooo much waiting around doing nothing. 20 people in the class, twice what would’ve worked well I think. Came home with one small box of chocolates, had one tiny cup of hot chocolate, and 4 small strawberries dipped in chocolate. Just felt like we did nothing for more than 3/4 of the time we were there. People left the group to sit and play on their phones!! Had to get dinner afterwards as we were starving.
For Make Your Own Fragrance / Perfume Workshop
By Jo Berton (attended on 16 Mar 2019)
Hi Joseph,
Many thanks for such an enjoyable class. We love the fragrances we created. The setup was smooth with just enough people in the class to allow movement all around the tables.
For Make Your Own Fragrance / Perfume Workshop
By James Zagarella (attended on 16 Mar 2019)
Thoroughly enjoyed workshop. Joseph provided some interesting knowledge and background to fragrances. The workshop was enjoyable, creative and very hands on. I’m eager to book in again. James
For Make Your Own Fragrance / Perfume Workshop
By Pamela Manouras (attended on 16 Mar 2019)
This class was so much fun, Joseph is so well knowledged about perfume and made it interesting and enjoyable. Thank you so much!
For Fun Chocolate Truffle Workshop
By Jen Wong (attended on 9 Mar 2019)
Joseph conducted the class well. Venue was very small. Class was overbooked. After I booked the class, I was requested to come to an earlier class on the day, which I declined. The class was a very large class with people everywhere. 30+ crowded in a small space. It's communial style cooking.
There's four steps: fill premade melted chocolate in moulds (top of choc), put filling in, close up the choc, remove finished product from mould.
My mould was dirty. It was previously used by another person. It made me feel very unhygenic and made me wonder who touched it with their grubby hands (majority had their gloves off by the last stage, so we were all using our bare hands). There was two queues to fill the mould. Filling was all premade. You huddle around two tables again waiting your turn. I personally did not like this process. I thought we were going to make chocolates from scratch. This class was just putting the chocs together.
You get hot choc and nibblies while waiting for your finished product.
Due to size of class and hygiene, it's not for me.
***
Reply from the teacher:
Thank you for your feedback although you have played with the truth a little.
- The area is around 60 square meters
- We had 28 participants and three teachers, around 9 people per teacher.
- We had a class in the morning, some of the moulds were used. Each person is provided with a pair of gloves to wear. The mould is only soiled with chocolate. When you are working with chocolate you wear gloves, the only residue on the mould is cocoa butter. The cocoa butter will help the chocolate to release from the mould.
- I did not see any participants without gloves, if I do see them without gloves, I will ask them to put the gloves on. If you were concerned, you should have asked one of the three teachers to ask the glove free participants to put the gloves on.
- The summary of the workshop on the website is well set out, you make chocolate filled truffles in a mould. The process of making chocolate from the cocoa mass to chocolate it will take from 36 hours to 48 hours. We do not have accommodation for people to stay overnight.
- You did not mention how much your partner enjoyed dipping Strawberries, Turkish Delight, and Marshmallow in chocolate and eating it.
- The summary of the workshop is set out as follows.
- A brief history of chocolate.
- Each one will receive a mould to make filled chocolate.
- Three ganaches are provided to choose from.
- We talk about how chocolate is made and open
For Make Your Own Fragrance / Perfume Workshop
By Naomi Feigl (attended on 16 Feb 2019)
An enjoyable experience - and learned a lot too. A great way to celebrate a birthday, friendship, Valentines Day or simply an afternoon with an old friend and making new ones.
For Make Your Own Fragrance / Perfume Workshop
By Marilina Ripoll (attended on 16 Feb 2019)
The class was so much fun! Joseph is informative, lovely and super helpful in defining my 2 perfumes. We got to take home 2 bottles of our own signature scent!
For Make Your Own Fragrance / Perfume Workshop
By Kerrie Candles (attended on 15 Feb 2019)
A great way to spend a Friday night. Learnt a brief history on perfume then the rest of the night was spent making your own personalised scents. I wore one of my creations and have had a few compliments already! Thank you for a great workshop.
For Make Your Own Fragrance / Perfume Workshop
By Jenny Stanojevic (attended on 15 Feb 2019)
Joseph knows his stuff! He was patient and so willing to share his passion. The class was very engaging and lots of fun!
For Make Your Own Fragrance / Perfume Workshop
By Nathan Collett (attended on 15 Feb 2019)
After a brief history and theory introduction it was straight in to making our own perfumes. The instructor provided good feedback on how to balance our perfumes, but otherwise let us experiment with the range of bases, perfumes and oils provided.
For Make Your Own Fragrance / Perfume Workshop
By Elle Gibbons (attended on 16 Feb 2019)
While Joseph was perfectly nice I was hugely disappointed with this workshop and I thought it was very expensive for what it was. I paid $100 for this class because I genuinely wanted to learn something about how to make perfume not to just throw a bunch of scents together in a bottle and hope for the best.
The class was poorly conceived - we weren't educated about how scents fall into different categories e.g. floral vs woody vs oriental, nor were we given any guidance on which scents worked well together, nor were we advised on ratios or volumes. The only scent mentioned was Jasmin and that because it was very strong to only add one drop at a time. Well what about the others?
Most of us needed to get our perfumes 'fixed' which was not surprising because we were adding in scents based on how each one smelled, not on how it would work with another scent. We queued for Joseph's help and invariably we were told to add one of his pre-mixed perfumes. Or he would say: "Do you know what you put in there? You need to repeat it." The answer is no because a) we weren't told to keep a track of what we were doing, b) weren't advised to bring a notepad and pen so that we could keep track and c) essentially told at the start of the class that ratios etc didn't matter.
The class also lacked structure and organisation. There were 13 or 14 students - too many for us to all comfortably have access to the table and scents. I'd recommend putting the base notes, heart notes and top notes on different tables so that they don't get mixed up and it would allow for better movement of people.
For Fun Chocolate Truffle Workshop
By Alice McCann (attended on 7 Feb 2019)
We had a work team building day at the Chocolate workshop and Joseph made it a very fun day.
Venue was easy to find and good street parking available. Our chocolates turned out beautiful and it was a lovely treat to take home to family and friends. Thank you from the Gilbarco team.
For Fun Chocolate Truffle Workshop
By Penny Neale (attended on 2 Feb 2019)
It was a Christmas treat for my 9 year old grandson- we both really enjoyed it.
For Ultimate Chocolate Making Class
By Erika Frey (attended on 26 Jan 2019)
Joseph is very knowledgeable and generous with his knowledge. He has a great interest in chocolate but also teaching. The class was not too fast which gave me time to talk to the other participants. I’m thinking about doing the class again just because it was so much fun. And you come home with a STACK of chocolates!
For Ultimate Chocolate Making Class
By Louise Ashcroft (attended on 26 Jan 2019)
A very friendly and relaxed atmosphere. Gorgeous gourmet chocolate used with expert guidance and advice.
For Make Your Own Fragrance / Perfume Workshop
By Dannise Martin (attended on 28 Jan 2019)
Joseph was a great teacher. The group was very happy with this workshop. It was fun and great to take home 2 bottles of fragrance that we personally blended ourselves. Expect a lot of fun more than learning about making perfume. Joseph does give a background to perfume history and touches on the top, heart and base notes but its only a 2 hour class and most of that time appropriately goes into the blending process. Joseph will help with the end product if it needs a little more of this or that. Fun and interesting!
For Ultimate Chocolate Making Class
By Jabir Mursalin (attended on 26 Jan 2019)
Enjoyed playing with chocolate. Joseph was excellent and so do the other participants. A memorable experience.
For Fun Chocolate Truffle Workshop
By Sunny Seo (attended on 3 Jan 2019)
It was a great fun class and Joseph is a sweet chocolatier. The children love him and his class.
For Ultimate Chocolate Making Class
By Ying Ho (attended on 22 Dec 2018)
Pretty fun and informative. We all got a chance to try making chocolate hands-on and got some helpful tips for practising at home.
For Fun Chocolate Truffle Workshop
By Scott Middleton (attended on 21 Dec 2018)
Very enjoyable class, Joseph and his team made it fun and interesting. I highly recommend this class!
For Fun Chocolate Truffle Workshop
By Beth Pastore (attended on 8 Dec 2018)
A wonderful experience. Learned so much and enjoyed the chocolate making and tasting. Would highly recommend this class.
For Kids Chocolate Workshop (Private Groups)
By Cindy Boole (attended on 8 Dec 2018)
My 10yr old daughter and her friends said it was the best bday party ever.
For Fun Chocolate Truffle Workshop
By Anita Teyjas (attended on 8 Dec 2018)
Joseph made the class fun and informative. The chocolates turned out to be very tasty and full of flavour. Class recommended for anyone looking to learn how to make chocolates!
Anita
For Fun Chocolate Truffle Workshop
By Marcus Tse (attended on 8 Dec 2018)
Very fun class, Joseph and Connie are both very lovely people. Not to mention the chocolate is just simply amazing!
For Make Your Own Fragrance / Perfume Workshop
By Manja Rhijn (attended on 24 Nov 2018)
Joseph was a very passionate teacher who had a lot of knowledge on perfumes. This activity was super enjoyable and very different I would definitely recommend this class for people who are wanting something a bit unique. You get to go home with two perfumes of your own creation. It was so cool to see how different everyone's creations was. I cant wait to wear my new perfumes out.
For Kids Chocolate Workshop (Private Groups)
By Amanda Sapienza (attended on 2 Dec 2018)
My daughter’s 12th birthday party at Kimberley Chocolates was a great success. The kids enjoyed making their chocolates and freckles and were delighted with being able to take their creations (over 20 of them!) home. Joseph was a lovely and patient host.
For Ultimate Chocolate Making Class
By Ruth Calcutt (attended on 24 Nov 2018)
I enjoyed the practical lessons of chocolate making and look forward to putting my new knowledge into practise .
For Make Your Own Fragrance / Perfume Workshop
By Johnathon Russo (attended on 16 Nov 2018)
The studio was absolutely wonderful - it was great to get an insight into how perfume is made and dabble around and create something for ourselves - our own signature scent!
Joseph was fantastic - very helpful - passionate - clear - and listened intensively! With all the fails in the class he was able to sit down individually and solve the problems. Would definitely do again and recommend to others!
For Make Your Own Fragrance / Perfume Workshop
By Michelle Webster (attended on 17 Nov 2018)
Great class. Joseph was very helpful and interactive. The group were also excellent - chatting together and helping each other.
For Kids Chocolate Workshop (Private Groups)
By Nirosha Karunakaran (attended on 11 Nov 2018)
My daughter and friends had the best time at this class with Joseph for her 11th birthday. An interactive fun class !!
For Fun Chocolate Truffle Workshop
By Jingqi Zhang (attended on 10 Nov 2018)
Nice teacher, made some chocolate, drank some more chocolate and then ate more chocolate dipped strawberries and marshmallows. So worth the price.
For Make Your Own Fragrance / Perfume Workshop
By Karen Baillie (attended on 28 Jan 2019)
Joseph was charming but I felt I didn’t really learn anything new and I didn’t like the fact that most of the “oils” used were synthetic. I was not sure why there were premade fragrances eg Arpege to,which we added more oils.
The venue was nice with easy parking in the surrounding streets.
For Fun Chocolate Truffle Workshop
By James Greer (attended on 13 Oct 2018)
The teacher was very warm and pleasant and we had a lot of fun during the activity. But I feel we should’ve done a lot more for the price we paid. But over all a great experience
For Make Your Own Fragrance / Perfume Workshop
By Danielle Desira (attended on 6 Oct 2018)
Had actually booked this class in as party of a hens party/event and its with my pleasure to say all the girls had thoroughly enjoyed themselves! Joseph's class was incredible and super informative and gave us a brief history of how fragrance came about and much more. Loved how we were able to create a couple of fragrances either for ourselves or for our party and found this was a great take home gift for the girls who attended the event! Joseph was also super accomodating with all the plans prior which made the booking and setting up process with such ease. Would highly recommend the class to those looking for something different and personalised! Thank you Joseph!
For Make Your Own Fragrance / Perfume Workshop
By King Six (attended on 6 Oct 2018)
Our a Table for Six members enjoyed the Fragrance Class on Saturday afternoon. They said it was a lot of fun and very interactive with a great teacher.
For Fun Chocolate Truffle Workshop
By Himani (attended on 8 Sep 2018)
Heaps of fun! Basic but non stressful and super super tasty. Teacher even gave a history of chocolate and the rose hot chocolate was mind blasting.
For Fun Chocolate Truffle Workshop
By Kate Poulgrain (attended on 8 Dec 2018)
Poor location for a work shop as everything looked like it was dirty (rotting flowers in one corner attracting tiny flies, the mould most people used was not clean). Exposed wiring didn’t make the place very nice - or safe looking.
Instructor was too eager to step in and “help” which meant you didn’t get to do a lot yourself. You had no choice in which mould you were using (it was advertised there would be a choice) and no choice in filling.
There was no talk about tempering chocolate (let alone doing it) and the fillings were already made so really the class didn’t make you feel like you come away with any skills to be able to make things at home. Even the final product didn’t look that great (isnt tempered chocolate suppose to have a gloss/gleam to it - this doesn’t).
There was a lot of standing around waiting for other members to have their turn.
Someone turned up late and was given a box of chocolates which was comprised of a collection of all the other participants chocolates AND gets to come back to do the course again. There was no asking if this was alright, it was just presumed. The instructor even made his own batch, why he couldn’t have donated his ones to the late comer was a mystery?
Overall not worth the money and a big waste of time if you are actually attending to learn something. If you want something to do for 2 hrs where you personally don’t do much and walk away with some chocolates maybe this is for you.
Response from the teacher: I am sorry you did not enjoy our class, however please note:
- The factory is in Lilyfield 10 minutes from the CBD. It has stainless-steel benches, tiled floors and white tiled walls, all cleaned, and regularly inspected by the food authority and local council. On the day you attended there was a bunch of basil used for a previous class that was slightly wilted. To my knowledge there were no fruit flies.
- I always help the participants for the first time however, I allow them more freedom the second time.
- We had a class in the morning, where the participants used some of the moulds. The moulds were not dirty but as some of them had been used previously, they had a layer of cocoa butter still in them. The advantage of couverture chocolate is if the moulds have been used the thin layer of cocoa butter that is left on the mould allows the ease of release of the chocolate and the chocolate comes out of the mould easier. This I explained to the class.
- We always allow three ganaches for the participants to use as fillings and everyone has
For Make Your Own Fragrance / Perfume Workshop
By Irene Zarate (attended on 29 Sep 2018)
We had a great time making perfume for my 40th Birthday. Our teacher Joseph was lovely and very informative. I highly recommend this place for a perfume workshop.
For Make Your Own Fragrance / Perfume Workshop
By Rachel Kennedy (attended on 22 Sep 2018)
The fragrance class was heaps of fun! It was very hands on and we were encouraged to be creative, but our teacher Joseph also gave us guidance and he really helped me to understand how perfumes work. His style was very relaxed and he made our small group feel at ease. The class itself was surprisingly good value because we got to take our creations home. I actually want to to do it again so I can come up with more combinations!
For Make Your Own Fragrance / Perfume Workshop
By Jolanta Douek (attended on 22 Sep 2018)
The teacher was great and the class was fun and very hands on. Great experience!
For Fun Chocolate Truffle Workshop
By Sarah (attended on 8 Sep 2018)
Great afternoon spent making chocolate, perfect for a group of friends or a couple. The instructor was friendly, professional and made every member of the class feel welcome. He was very informative and had a thorough knowledge about the making of chocolate and where the ingredients originate from. It was nice to have a product to take home with you.
For Kids Chocolate Workshop (Private Groups)
By Sarah Scott (attended on 9 Sep 2018)
We organised a birthday for our eleven year old with 6 of her friends. Joseph was brilliant , entertained the girls solidly for two hours and chocolates were fantastic. A very happy afternoon.
For Fun Chocolate Truffle Workshop
By Varun Mulavineth (attended on 8 Sep 2018)
We had an amazing experience. Joseph and Connie were great. We learned how to fill chocolate as well as the history of chocolate. Would definitely recommend this as it makes an excellent gift or team event.
For Make Your Own Fragrance / Perfume Workshop
By Areyan (attended on 18 Aug 2018)
This is a fun interactive informative sensory fest.
Should have brought my 13 year old but got to go home with scents and a little more clarity about what I like and confirm what I don’t like. Joseph (Teacher) let’s you get on with it and available for questions and suggestions.
For Fun Chocolate Truffle Workshop
By Karen Schoch (attended on 7 Jul 2018)
Had a great time making our own chocolates. Learned a lot, not only about chocolate making, but also about the history of chocolate. The bonus hot chocolate was the best I’ve ever tasted. I hope to do the Ultimate chocolate class too.
For Fun Chocolate Truffle Workshop
By Marco Orso (attended on 9 Jun 2018)
Very nice experience. Good quality of product and good teacher. Lot of fun!
Thank you for having us!
Kimberley Chocolates's classes
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