LEESBURG: Chocolate-Themed Restaurant & Shop 'The Conche' From Chef Santosh Tiptur to Open at The Village at Leesburg - Tuesday, May 2nd

Boutique Restaurant to Offer Creative Sweet & Savory Dishes, Decadent Desserts, Walk-Up Window, Chocolate Shop, Interactive Chocolate Lab, Chocolate-infused Handcrafted Cocktails, Cooking Classes for Kids and Adults & More

Chef Santosh Tiptur – a world-renowned pastry chef known for his whimsical sweet and savory culinary creations from award-winning DC-based restaurant and sweet shop Co Co. Sala, including his over-the-top sugar and chocolate sculptures, and numerous appearances on high-profile culinary competition programs on The Food Network (i.e Kid in a Candy Store, Halloween Wars, Sugar Dome, Chefs vs City) – has announced that he will be opening his first solo restaurant venture - The Conche – to the public at The Village at Leesburg on Tuesday, May 2nd beginning with dinner service. Tiptur and team also have plans to announce details on launching happy hour, lunch, brunch, and interactive cooking classes in the near future.

Featuring 2,880 square feet, and seating for up to 76 - with seats for 12 at the bar, and 64 seats throughout the main dining room – The Conche is slated to serve as an interactive chocolate-themed boutique restaurant and shop inviting guests of all ages to engage all of their senses. Tiptur tapped Virginia-based architecture, design, and project management firm Arminco Inc. to handle the aesthetics of the restaurant. Colors and textures in the dining room instantly connect with The Conche’s chocolate-inspired vision boasting textured milk chocolate-colored walls and accents, cozy whipped cream-colored tufted leather banquettes, modern lighting fixtures, and vintage-inspired confection-centric metal posters.

“The Conche is a boutique restaurant designed with one thing in mind: chocolate”, said Zehra Arif, Interior Designer at Arminco Inc. “The name and even the architectural features were inspired by the piece of machinery essential to the traditional chocolate-making process. Our team of designers - including myself, Allison Rasmus, and Alfred Manalang - collaborated to achieve a look that would evoke a rich, luxurious, and intimate feel to compliment the restaurant's theme. The design concept was based on creating a unique dining experience for guests in which they can not only indulge but also experience the chocolate making method in action.”

The dining room features a state of the art 300 square foot ‘Chocolate Lab’ located in the center of the room where diners will be able to observe from all angles – through large clear glass windows and on multiple flat screen TV’s dispersed throughout the dining room – as Chef Tiptur and his talented team create an impressive assortment of handcrafted confections and chocolates from scratch and with artisan precision live. The restaurant also features a working conche machine of which Tiptur had custom made for The Conche in Switzerland of which is on display in the front of the dining room greeting guests as they arrive.

Years in the making, it was in 2015 while traveling and researching for the restaurant that Executive Chef and Owner Santosh Tiptur came across a working conche machine while visiting a notable chocolate factory in Switzerland. After learning about the history of the conche machine and how deeply it impacted the ability to produce consistent and quality chocolate, Tiptur instantly felt the connection to its story and purpose and decided to proceed with naming his first chocolate-themed restaurant The Conche after the very invention that literally helped revolutionize the chocolate industry. It was also during this trip to Switzerland that Tiptur was able to fully understand the painstaking process of making chocolate, the importance of sourcing the perfect cocoa beans, and nurturing relationships with the farmers.

“My love affair with sweets began when I first experienced chocolate in my life”, said Santosh Tiptur, Executive Chef and Owner of The Conche. “I remember placing a chocolate candy from Cadbury’s called Cadbury Éclairs into my mouth when I was growing up in India back in the seventies – at a time when there weren’t many different chocolate candies available. As a kid, I had always wondered how delicious candies like this were made, and I dreamed that one day I would be able to learn how to make them myself. And since I began my career in the culinary arts, I have also always dreamed of opening up my own place someday. I came close several times to opening my own pastry shop or restaurant, but for some reason life always seemed to push me in another direction, and here I am with over two decades of experience having worked for some of the most luxurious brands and establishments with so much of exposure and experience. I have had the honor of traveling all over the world working with so many talented chefs and top hospitality leaders, and it’s exciting and almost surreal that it’s finally my time to shine as both the executive chef and owner. I am also so very humbled and honored to be able to share The Conche with everyone in the great state of Virginia, in Loudoun County, and beyond, and especially as a proud resident of Loudoun County myself for almost a decade. I want this to be a place where everyone can gather and enjoy a meal, beautiful chocolates, cooking classes, cocktails and everything in between. We want to welcome all ages, families, friends, couples, guests looking to celebrate all sorts of occasions and milestones, date nights, etc. I’m also thrilled to see more original concepts and artisans stepping up to open their own unique businesses throughout Loudoun County. It’s such an exciting time for small businesses!”

In opening The Conche, Tiptur’s goal is to encourage guests to experience fine chocolates as well as help them understand the sophisticated flavor profiles and the characters including the use of chocolate in a wide variety of savory dishes, desserts, and craft cocktail creations available on the menus. To further elevate the experience, The Conche will be using the multiple flat-screened TV’s throughout the dining room to share footage of the actual plantations that Chef and the restaurant are actually sourcing their high quality cacao beans and ingredients from. When Tiptur designed the menu, his focus was on being able to help the guests understand how delicious dishes are simply by reading the menu, and once their dishes are served, for them to realize how sweet and savory combinations incorporating chocolate truly create the perfect combination. The menu consists of many familiar dishes recreated with a pastry chefs perspective of plating while incorporating various textures and temperatures along with artistic plate presentations.

An interactive experience for all ages, The Conche will showcase an assortment of creative chocolate-infused sweet and savory dishes, desserts, and a signature beverage menu featuring decadent drinks such as Tiptur’s famous frozen hot chocolate, and a variety of chocolate-infused handcrafted cocktails. The restaurant will also offer a playful kids menu including dishes such as Parmesan Crusted Chicken Tenders, Garlic Butter Fries with Zesty Tomato Dip, Crispy Bacon Mac & Cheese, Aged Cheddar, Fontina & Provolone, and Grilled Cheese, Artisan French Style Country Bread, Sharp Cheddar, Broccoli White Cheddar Soup, to highlight a few.

Sweet and savory dishes from The Conche’s dinner menu include Poke Ahi Tuna, Tapioca Tater Tots with Chocolate Dates and a Tamarind Glaze, Cocoa Nib Crusted Diver Sea Scallops, Cocoa Rubbed NY Strip Steak, Spiced Lamb Flat Bread, to highlight a few. And with desserts always serving as focal point when it comes to master Chef Tiptur - guests will be able to indulge in extravagant signature desserts like the Conche Entremet - a celebration cake consisting of a sour cream dark chocolate cake, Maracaibo chocolate cream, bourbon vanilla bean ice cream, various toppings for textures, warm chocolate fritters, and a large dome of chocolate will be on top and then will be poured with hot chocolate sauce, and caramel sauce.

Chef Tiptur and team will also be announcing details on launching a variety of interactive chocolate-making classes for both kids and adults, and the restaurant is also excited to welcome those looking to celebrate a wide variety of occasions and milestones including birthday parties, anniversaries, corporate team building events, and The Conche will also be offering one-of-a-kind wine, beer, champagne, and chocolate tasting events open to the public.

The Conche will be open for dinner service 4:00PM to 9:00PM Tuesday through Thursday, and 4:00PM to 10:00PM Friday and Saturday. The Conche will also be launching happy hour, lunch, and weekend brunch in the near future. The Conche's Chocolate Boutique will be open Monday through Sunday from 12:00PM to close. 

Reservations are available and recommended and private events can be booked by calling 703-779-1800 or 703-462-3325, or emailing Contact@The-Conche.com

*** SPECIAL OPENING DAY OFFER ***

To celebrate opening day on Tuesday, May 2nd, The Conche will be offering the first 100 guests a special card good for one free specialty chocolate drink per month for an entire year!

The Conche is located at

1605 Village Market Blvd., Suite 108, Leesburg, VA 20175

 www.The-Conche.com 703-779-1800