I am Gloria Riker, the Chocolatier and owner of Riker Chocolates.

From my childhood I enjoyed delicious sweets and homemade food made by my mother.  Before long I was in the kitchen baking bread and cookies.  My experience with chocolate during that time was limited to chips in cookies or spread on the top of my sub par toffee.  

Many years later a friend invited me to join her and some friends to make chocolates.  We hand dipped fondant centers in chocolate tempered with a Chocovision tempering machine.  It was all new to me, but fun!

Later our family received a box of handmade chocolates from this same family for Christmas.  My interest was piqued.  For the first time I thought I might be able to make something like that.  

I’m a native of the San Francisco Bay Area.  Another native to the area is Guittard Chocolate company.  Circumstances worked out that I began to work with Guittard to order wholesale chocolate for me and my friends.  I discovered that chocolate had so much more variety than the standard bag of chips from the grocery store.  I became more interested in the varieties of chocolate as well as the biology and chemistry that made chocolate work how it does.  

When it came time for my children to earn money for summer camps we decided we’d sell chocolates and cheesecakes. Before long we had also delivered our own boxes of Christmas chocolates.  

My first education came from hours of reading eGullet posts from skilled and helpful chocolatiers who had already mastered what I was trying to learn. It also included reading texts of master chocolatiers, Ewald Notter, Peter Greweling and Jean-Pierre Wybauw. 

In 2024, I graduated with honors from Ecole Chocolat’s Professional Chocolatier Program.  During this course I learned new techniques and gained confidence in my skills.  

For years I’ve thought about dedicating more time to chocolate, but my priorities have been elsewhere.  Then, life shifted to allow space.  I enjoy learning and can’t wait to see what new chocolate adventures come next.  

Aside from my interest in chocolate, I relish the joys of family life as a wife and mother of five children.  I enjoy teaching about Jesus in Sunday School.  I can sometimes be found swimming, cycling and running in preparation for my next triathlon.