Chocolate De Luxe brings handmade kosher luxury to Netanya

Netanya's Independence Square now boasts Chocolate De Luxe, a boutique chocolate store and café that opened just over a year ago. Founder Esther Arbov has created a high-end experience with sleek modern design and colorful displays of handcrafted chocolates, pralines, and other creations.

Arbov, a 57-year-old ultra-Orthodox woman from Tel Aviv, embarked on this new venture after a long career as a kindergarten teacher and preschool manager. Feeling she had accomplished enough in education and finding retirement unfulfilling, Arbov sought a change. The COVID-19 pandemic provided the unexpected time and impetus for her to explore her long-held interest in cooking and hosting, which evolved into a passion for artisanal chocolate-making.

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I’m not someone who can just sit at home and do nothing.

She honed her skills through professional training with chocolatier Ronen Aflalo, developing recipes for handmade pralines that quickly gained popularity among family and friends. Encouraged by her son, who owns a restaurant, Arbov decided to establish a boutique store. Chocolate De Luxe combines meticulous craftsmanship, premium ingredients, and strict mehadrin kosher certification, specifically under Badatz Eda Haredit Jerusalem.

This certification positions the boutique as one of the first in the region to offer such high standards of kashrut in handmade luxury chocolates. Arbov recognized a significant gap in the market, noting that while gourmet chocolate is increasingly popular in Israel, high-kosher luxury food options remain limited, particularly within the haredi community.

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The response from early customers was immediate, and demand steadily grew.