Valrhona Chocolate: Seeking big blocks of it

Does anyone know where I can buy the industrial size boxes of Valrhona in LA?

Whole Foods Market, 11737 San Vicente Blvd, Brentwood, [phone], currently has a three-tiered display stand of a variety of Valrhona products at the front of the store near the vinegars and olive oils. As of this evening there were three giant packets of cooking-style blocks, one Cocoa Pate, over six and a half pounds, $86.25, the other two Dark Chocolate Coffee-Flavoured, also over six and a half pounds, about $73. There are other Whole Foods Markets around the place, maybe one closer to you and with other choices - Whole Foods stock seems to vary slightly from store to store. I'd call first.
I can also confirm the Trader Joe's sighting of the regular-size blocks, well-priced at 100 grams for $1.99.

Try Grace's cake and baking supplies in the WLA-Mar Vista area. I bought some there a few years ago for a flourless chocolate cake, as well as the gold leaf referred to in an earlier post.

Does anyone have an address and/or phone number for the Grace's cake and baking supplies mentioned here? I checked the West L.A. phone book, white and yellow, and spent some time searching on the web, both with no luck.

Mibad! I gave you the wrong name. It's Gloria's, 310/391-4557, and if my faulty memory is any better at locations, it's on Sawtelle around Venice. Sorry for the bum steer. Hope this makes up.

Can't help you with big blocks, but I've noticed that Trader Joe's has bars for less than half the price you'd pay for the same thing at Oakville Grocery and similar retailers.

Try Surfas in Culver City. Call first, 310-559-4770. This is a gourmet warehouse paradise. Don't forget to get some gold leaf for your chocolate.

Would someone care to enlighten those of us who aren't familiar with the stuff what Valrhona chocolate is, where it comes from, and why we would go out of our way to find it?

1. It tastes really good.
2. It comes from France.
3. It will put your truffles, flourless chocolate cakes, souffles, ganaches, tortes and mousses over the top: Valrhona's intenselyh fruity chocolate flavor is basically unsurpassed, although the hard-to-find Venezuelan chocolate El Rey can be even better and Scharffenberger is awfully darned good. Plus, just having a 5-kilo block of the stuff in your cupboard--the knowledge that you can make an awesome flourless chocolate cake literally anytime you want--promotes a sense of bourgeois contentment like almost nothing else.

First, thanks to all for the responses - I couldn't get in touch with the bakery place, but Surfas is perfect for me. While Whole Foods has Valrhona, they don't have the specific type that I'm looking for. And on that point, my own view is that Valrhona makes by far the finest chocolate for any kind of dessert purpose - the flavor is really magnificent. They make many types, but in my opinion, the two best are Guayana and Caribe - these are both 60-70% cocoa, for true intensity, whereas the more common types are 30-40%. These two chocolates are truly delicious and not terribly expensive if you buy the 3kg boxes. Chocolate keeps for quite a while, so I like to have it around.

I've also used Scharffen-Berger and been very pleased with the results, but have only seen it in 9 oz. blocks at Bristol Farms. It has an extremely high cocoa content, which makes a noticeable difference in baked goods. They have a web site you can check out.