Local Love on Main Street: Le Rouge Artisan Chocolates by Aarti
Aarti Khosla from behind the counter at Le Rouge Chocolates, 190 Main Street. Customers wait their turn to enter Le Rouge Chocolates on Valentine's Day. While orchestrating the shop’s holiday orders and taking stock of what was left, Aarti Khosla took a pause when asked how business was this year. “I’m just so humbled” she said softly as her eyes watched the customers waiting for their turn at purchasing her chocolates.
Aarti Khosla owns and operates Le Rouge Artisan Chocolates, a local shoppe located on the garden level of 190 Main Street, next to Joe’s Pizza. Khosla describes her sweet story as starting traditionally in the private business sector, and due to her mother’s good cooking and her own “foodie Genes” - she left the corporate world and jumped into her new role as gourmet chocolatier, opening Le Rouge in Westport in 2014.
Valentine’s Day is particularly special in the chocolate world, with a line outside her cozy storefront even on the afternoon the day-of the holiday. Customers at Le Rouge humbled Aarti this year as social distancing forced them to wait outside while waiting to purchase their loved-one’s treats; not one person complained about the delay. Aarti said that business was busier on Saturday than on Sunday, theorizing it could have been due to a forecast of bad weather and families leaving for vacation on Sunday.
Some of the few handmade chocolates left on Valentine’s Day. Regardless, the community turned-out to support this local business - one that supports the community just as much.
Through a program named “Give a Little Love”, Aarti hand-makes $8 chocolate hearts that customers are encouraged to give to neighbors, friends, family, and other community members as an act of kindness - with 10% of the sales going towards a charity. In 2020, Le Rouge was able to donate $4,800 to various local non-profits.
During the pandemic, Aarti wanted to continue to give back to her community by putting a smile on others’ faces. She successfully made and donated 2,625 chocolate hearts to every single senior graduating from Bridgeport’s 5 high schools, and to hundreds of frontline workers, in addition to nearly 600 other chocolate items donated to other local community members. The project was a labor of love that surely made the triumphs and little victories a little sweeter.
According to her website, Aarti was born in India and has lived around the world - gaining an appreciation for flavours and people she was able to meet throughout her travels. With her chocolates and her dedication to helping others - the Westport community is lucky to have had her land right here on Main Street.
Le Rouge Artisan Chocolates can be purchased online or from the Main Street storefront.