Robert Steinberg (chocolate maker) facts for kids

Robert Wayne Steinberg (born March 4, 1947 – died September 17, 2008) was an American doctor. He is best known for starting Scharffen Berger Chocolate Maker in 1996. He created the company with his friend and former patient, John Scharffenberger.

Early Life of Robert Steinberg

Robert Steinberg was born in Boston on March 4, 1947. His parents were Arthur and Selma Levinson Steinberg. His mother was an elementary school teacher. His father was a psychologist. Robert's father passed away from Hodgkin's disease when Robert was a child.

Robert earned his bachelor's degree from Harvard University in 1969. He then got his medical degree from the University of Connecticut in 1974. He first came to San Francisco for a medical internship. He stayed in the area and worked as a family practice doctor for about twenty years. He had offices in San Francisco and Ukiah, California.

Starting Scharffen Berger Chocolate

In 1989, Robert Steinberg was diagnosed with lymphoma. This is a type of cancer he fought for almost twenty years. Doctors thought he had a 50% chance of not surviving ten years after his diagnosis. He realized that being a full-time doctor would be hard with his treatments. Because of this, Robert started looking into his own interests and new career paths.

A friend introduced Robert to chocolate making. The friend gave him a large book about how chocolate is made. Robert loved food and cooking since he was a child. The idea of making chocolate really caught his attention. After his diagnosis, Robert traveled to Lyon, France, in 1993. There, he became an apprentice at a small family chocolate maker called Bernachon for a few weeks. His new interest in chocolate later took him to countries where cacao grows, like Trinidad and Tobago and Venezuela.

From Doctor to Chocolatier

Robert returned to California after his time at Bernachon. He soon met his neighbor and former patient, John Scharffenberger. John was selling his winery at the time. Robert gave John a sample of the French chocolates from Bernachon. The chocolate had been in Robert's pocket for a while. But John said it "tasted better than anything I'd ever had." The two soon began talking about working together.

Robert and John set up a test kitchen in Robert's home. They experimented with about thirty different types of chocolate. They used simple tools like a mortar and pestle, a coffee grinder, and even a hair dryer. The hair dryer helped them keep the chocolate smooth and flowing.

In 1996, Robert and John opened a small chocolate factory and factory store in southern San Francisco. They made their first chocolate products there. They used several old German chocolate machines to make small batches. Their new small business was called Scharffen Berger Chocolate Maker. They used John Scharffenberger's well-known name in the San Francisco Bay Area.

Growing the Chocolate Business

Scharffen Berger Chocolate became popular when Americans started wanting better quality, special foods. People were becoming interested in fine wine, coffee, and chocolate. Scharffen Berger chocolate bars were known for being a bittersweet chocolate with strong fruity flavors. They quickly became popular. Their products soon appeared in supermarkets and special stores in the Bay Area.

More and more people wanted Scharffen Berger Chocolate. This led the company to move to a bigger factory in 2001. The new factory was in Berkeley, California. It also had a cafe and a gift shop. The company also made more products. They added ganache, caramel, mints, hot cocoa, and chocolate-dipped fruit.

The Hershey Company bought Scharffen Berger in 2005. Hershey's then started selling and distributing Scharffen Berger Chocolate. They marketed it as their high end product line.

Robert Steinberg's Passing

Robert Steinberg passed away on September 17, 2008. He was 61 years old. He died from lymphatic cancer. He was survived by his mother, Selma Levinson Steinberg, his sister, Nancy Steinberg, and his stepsister, Judith Margolin.