Internship leads to career at Le Rouge Chocolates by Aarti

Like Scarpati, Bonya Kleyman stumbled into the chocolate business. The Norwalk native, who graduated from Staples High School in 2016, was given the opportunity to work in the candy industry when selecting her mandatory high school internship. Little did she know, working for Le Rouge Chocolates by Aarti would change the trajectory of her life forever.

“I knew I wanted to work in the food industry. It’s something I’m very passionate about,” said Kleyman. “I felt like Le Rouge was the perfect place to get my feet wet.”

Kleyman worked with Aarti Khosla, founder of Le Rouge Chocolates, for a month and a half during her senior year of high school. She was given responsibilities ranging from forming the chocolates, to email marketing, to photography. 

Each batch of Le Rouge chocolates is hand-painted and decorated with great care, something Kleyman found to be overwhelmingly inspiring.

“She’s keenly interested in the details and has a vast knowledge of chocolate manipulation and creative methods,” Kleyman said. “Working with her has made me passionate about the process as well.”

Khosla’s intricate eye was one of Kleyman’s favorite things about working for her.

“Each product is made by a different process, one may have a gilded coating and another may be formed inside a champagne flute, each treat has its own unique element,” Kleyman said.

Kleyman said working with Aarti inspired her to pursue a career in the food industry, specifically as a food critic. She’s studying linguistics and Japanese at Newcastle University in the United Kingdom, a journey she says, without a doubt, started at Le Rouge.