Tag Archives: Robert Steinberg

According to the Los Angeles Times, Robert Steinberg, physician, who later co-founded Scharffen Berger Chocolate, died September 17 at UCSF Medical Center, near his San Francisco home. He was 61. Dr. Steinberg had lymphatic cancer.
Steinberg and co-founder John Scharffenberger, and their company, played a key role in fostering a new chocolate sensibility in the U.S.; where the idea that chocolate is “a complex and interesting food” replaced the idea that it is merely a “sweet candy.” [Alice Medrich].
Steinberg and Scharffenberger co-wrote a cookbook/memoir, The Essence Of Chocolate. The book, published in 2006, contains 100+ recipes by the two and by noteworthy pastry chefs like Flo Braker, Jim Dodge, Thomas Keller, . . . And, Steinberg and Scharffenberg trace growth of their careers and their passion for chocolate as well.