Born in Versailles, France in 1963, close to the famous chateau of King Louis XIV, Emmanuel Laroche grew up savoring the best food and drink that France offers, eventually earning him the American nickname: “Champagne Charlie.” His mother taught him to cook when he was six, starting with a simple yogurt cake, and moving on to Lorraine quiche, from the region his mother grew up. He married a woman who also loved to cook, and during the first four years of their marriage, they never ate the same dish twice!

In 2002 he moved to the United States for his role as VP of Marketing with Symrise North America—a global manufacturer of flavors for the food and beverage industry. He now has more than twenty years of experience in the food and beverage industry, both in Europe and in the US. 

Through his job, Emmanuel has access to a variety of acclaimed people in the food industry. Since 2008, he has attended the yearly StarChefs Congress in New York City. In 2015, Emmanuel developed an exclusive partnership with StarChefs for Symrise and began moderating panel discussions with successful chefs, pastry chefs, and mixologists. In 2018, Emmanuel launched a personal podcast called Flavors Unknown, featuring a series of conversations with trending and award-winning chefs, pastry chefs, and mixologists from around the United States. 

Emmanuel currently resides in New Jersey, which acts as a home base for his travels around the country, conducting tastings, lectures and presentations on food and consumer trends.