Meet Journey Shannon, Owner Of Noir d’Ébène Chocolat et Pâtisserie

Press release from the City of Evanston:

Journey Shannon, as she is affectionately known by the community, was born and raised in Evanston and is the owner of local business Noir d’Ébène Chocolat et Pâtisserie.

Raised by a mom from Louisiana, Journey Shannon’s youth was filled with large family gatherings full of food and celebration. This is how she discovered the magic of food and community.

Journey Shannon’s parents were self-employed and instilled in her the creativity and entrepreneurial spirit that often coincides. As Journey Shannon says, “you become what you see and experience.”

Journey Shannon left Evanston after graduating from Evanston Township High School to attend Southern University. While there, she had a neighbor who would share homemade sweet potato pies. This inspired her to begin baking and experimenting with confectionery chocolate. Her creations were so good that her classmates began buying them.

After her experience at Southern, she returned to Evanston and began taking classes at Oakton Community College. She spent her time outside of class making sweets and bringing them around to local businesses who offered to carry them. At this point in time, she was having fun being creative, but there was no business intent behind her efforts.

Eventually she traveled to Hawaii where she ended up meeting the owner of Madre Chocolate at a local farmers’ market. After speaking with the owner, she went to visit the chocolate shop and met other chocolatiers at a chocolate convention. She was so inspired by her experience that when she returned home to Evanston, she bought equipment and began practicing what she had learned.

Journey Shannon has now been making delicious chocolate for the past 10 years and still finds it to be a fun and creative process. In order to improve her baking skills and learn more about business, she attended the Culinary School at the Illinois Institute of Art.

In November of 2020, she officially opened her chocolate and pastry studio, Noir d’Ébène Chocolat et Pâtisserie located at 1309 Chicago Avenue. Noir d’Ébène Chocolat et Pâtisserie, which received a Made in Illinois recognition earlier this year, specializes in bean-to-bar chocolate, artisanal pastries, salads, meals and sandwiches.

Through her store, she has been able to get to know more of the Evanston community beyond what she knew growing up in the 5th Ward. Her goal is to help spread love, light and joy and inspire happiness through her business on a daily basis.

This press release was produced by the City of Evanston. The views expressed here are the author’s own.