In one very quick year, Albert’s Petite Sweets has grown from a kitchen-based passion into a full-fledged chocolatier business. And its owner, Albert Daniels, has garnered clients that have ranged from local scores like the Convention Center to massive corporate entities like Marvel.
“I don’t want to be viewed as this space where people just see chocolates and candies and think, ‘That’s cute,'” Albert said. “Everything? I make this myself, from beginning to end. I am a proud chocolatier and confectionier.”
How Albert’s Petite Sweets arose out of struggle, curiosity, and bringing joy
If there is one thing to say about Albert, he is unquestionably, outwardly tenacious—as in wildly tenacious. He worked at Equinox. He was a personal trainer. And perhaps one of his most rewarding endeavors? He worked at a career college as a kinesiologist teacher. (Given his passion for health, it is clear that Albert has a deep sense of control regarding the intake of the sweets he creates.)
“Life was good—that’s where I was at,” Albert said. “And then I got a call while I was on vacation and it my student telling me the college had closed. They filed for bankruptcy with no notice. 500 students, all crippled with debt and no degree. All of us teachers jobless… And then it just rained.”
And by rain, Albert means rain. Returning from vacation jobless, a drunk driver slammed into his car, totaling it. And his landlords—a husband and wife—had opted to divorce, forcing Albert into a situation that made him homeless. All in a single week. And for Albert, maybe it was the universe, perhaps it was God—either way, something was telling him he needed a major shift.
“My whole family was against the idea of me making confections,” Albert said. “It was kind of mocked so I used that as a driving force. I told myself, ‘No, my mom is wrong. My siblings are wrong.’ I refused to let my family be right. Even when I was homeless for a brief period of time, I told myself, ‘You got this.’ Every. Fucking. Day.”
The expletive is felt when you hear him: Invited to stay with a friend, Albert honed and homed in on what would be his future craft.
The talent behind Albert’s Petite Sweets has brought on clients ranging from Disney to the Natural History Museum
“It was then that I brought it up to God,” Albert said, “asking Him to let me know if this was my path.”
Many hints—God-given or otherwise—dotted Albert’s pathway to becoming a chocolatier. The real inspiration that brought Albert to the world of sweets was cake pops. At a Starbucks. He, like many obsessed with them during their peak, found them endearing. Deciding to take the little treats on for his co-workers at Equinox, 40 hours had passed and he told himself, “Never again.
“At least, that what I said before I brought them into work,” Albert said, laughing. “And then their joy came. That was infectious, seeing people love something you created. My head immediately asked itself: ‘I wonder what would happen if I got really good?’ I didn’t get to ask myself that question again until I had to.”
The elevated, if not outright artistic, character of chocolate-making caught Albert’s eye. The skill. The precision. His focus became formidable. Michael Strahan was a customer, followed by Disney, who called asking for Groot chocolates for a Marvel event. Or what he says, “The thing that put me on the map.” This was followed by the Natural History Museum wanting dinosaur creations. Private events calling for curated chocolate displays were sponsored by local organizations like Meet LB and Visit LB.
Slowly but surely, Albert’s Petite Sweets has expanded into a full-on chocolate brand—and one that is for and within Long Beach.
The amazing chocolates behind this equally amazing space
Albert’s Petite Sweets has been inside Partake Collective for a year with a two-year lease—and this was all the while Albert was still working at Apple. (That was a job he left just last month as he formally takes on this project full time.)
“I’ve gone from not even knowing how to make one chocolate to making thousands,” Albert said. “I do have a five percent error rate but I am working on eliminating that. And getting downstairs to somehow control the temperature better,” he said, noting that his chocolates lose their high-gloss when stored improperly, giving a frosted character.
It’s just one of many nerdy notes Albert has about his chocolates. For his vegan offerings, for example, he uses a deodorized coconut oil as a binding agent instead of the traditional cream or butter, giving them an incredibly creamy feeling in the mouth. He sources his ingredients from brands that have been tested on the daily across the past few years of his adventure.
And the flavors? Wildly bright, eyebrow-lifting concoctions that surprisingly work beautifully together. Passionfruit and guava combined with a coconut caramal. Extra tart calamansi with a deep dark chocolate. Pistachio ganache with berries. All encased in delicately glossed, highly stylized chocolates. It is the chocolatier that Long Beach has long yearned for since the departure of Romeo Garcia—and certainly, Albert lives up to if not exceeding that expectation.
The future of Albert’s Petite Sweets
“Full-steam ahead,” Albert says, laughing as he points to a calendar hung on the wall of his sweet little chocolate-making hideout in Partake Collective. On it? Nearly every day filled with some type of event, special order, cooking class, and hopefully, another television appearance. (He appeared on Hulu’s “Baker’s Dozen” two years ago.)
He will be hosting a bonbon-making class with Abbey Metcalf of (the underrated) Locali Seasoned come Oct. 11.
Albert’s Petite Sweets is located inside the Partake Collective, located at 456 Elm St. You can pick up chocolates in the space’s public market or order them online through Albert’s website.
