French patisserie in San Marcos to host chocolate pop-up next week

Christophe Rull Patisserie in the North City development of San Marcos will host a two-day artisan chocolate pop-up event next week.

Rull, a World Chocolate Master finalist, is partnering with Michelin-trained chocolatier Annaluna Karkar for the event. She’ll be making and selling a variety of hand-made chocolate specialty items and he’ll be serving his fresh-baked pastries.

Last month, Rull opened his first pastry shop near his home in San Marcos. It sells fresh-baked baguettes, macarons, croissants, eclairs, cookies, muffins and much more. Rull hopes to introduce his own signature chocolates to the shop’s product mix, but hasn’t had the time or space to do that yet.

Rull is best known for his starring role in the Netflix baking competition series “Bake Squad” and for his triumphs in chocolate-making and shaping. He won the title of U.S. Chocolate Master in 2021 and came in fifth place in the 2022 World Chocolate Master competition in Paris. He also served as the executive pastry chef at the Park Hyatt Aviara resort in Carlsbad from 2016 to 2021.

For the pop-up, Rull is bringing in his friend Annaluna Karkar, who was part of Rull’s prep team at the 2022 World Chocolate Masters in Paris.

After training in Italy and working alongside Michelin-starred chefs, Karkar founded Annaluna Chocolate, known for its balance of flavor, texture and visual beauty. Her Mediterranean roots and love for natural forms inspire her distinctive aesthetic and flavor combinations.

Among the many items she’ll be selling are sticky toffee and walnut cinnamon baklava bars, almond hazelnut milk and dark chocolate bars with flower decorations, dark chocolate peppermint “stem” bites, and passion coconut owl-shaped chocolates.

The pop-up will take place from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Wednesday and Thursday, Oct. 28 and 29, at 251 N. City Drive, San Marcos. instagram.com/christopherullpro