Growing up in India, Santosh Tiptur had a favorite chore: biking to the market to collect groceries for his parents and five siblings, returning with bags of fresh produce.
“I enjoyed sourcing high-quality, fresh ingredients,” he said. “I started testing new dishes, making cakes.”
He’d had Cadburys as a child, he said, but when he tasted an éclair, the “real chocolate” revealed his calling. He wanted to understand more about chocolate, so he learned bakery and confectionary technology, then landed a job with a Swiss chef.
“[The chef] was really talented and specialized in chocolate, which is where I got the inspiration not just for eating but making anything you want with chocolate,” he said.
Today, at Tiptur’s award-winning Leesburg restaurant, The Conche, chocolate plays a leading role. Think braised short ribs with cocoa in the broth and 64% dark chocolate. Or scallops with a cocoa nib crust and white chocolate cauliflower puree.
“It’s a little sweetness and depth of flavor, a combination of sweet and salty and a little acidy that makes it stand out,” Tiptur said of the scallops, which are served with fresh green apple and fennel salad with pickled watermelon radish.
When he opened in 2017, he had to convince Leesburg residents that The Conche was more than a candy store. And what, after all, IS a conche? The name, he said, is part of the allure.
“I wanted to create curiosity of what it is,” he said, recalling his discovery of the machine in a chocolate factory in Switzerland. “It’s the main machine used to create chocolate. Without it, you cannot have chocolate.”
Soon, the word was out: The Conche was not just for chocolates but a restaurant drawing rave reviews, attracting people from all parts of the region.
Culinary Curiosity
Before The Conche, Tiptur had a chocolate-themed restaurant in Washington, D.C.: Co Co. Sala. But after commuting for a decade, he wanted to open something closer to home.
Earlier, Tiptur had worked as a pastry and bakery chef for large companies, had the opportunity to shadow talented chefs, and took classes throughout Europe and at the Culinary Institute of America. He spent almost five years as corporate pastry and bakery chef for Cunard Lines cruise ships, gaining extensive knowledge of international cuisine and discovering many different ethnic desserts and foods.
Then came five years as the executive pastry chef at the Ritz-Carlton San Juan. It was, he said, a game changer.
“It gave me a lot of exposure; I was recognized and was named one of the Top 30 pastry chefs in America [in 2013],” he said.
He appeared in several Food Network shows, winning all episodes of the 2016 Halloween War 6.
“Before getting into the competition on Food Network, I had already done several professional competitions, which are completely different from TV competition,” he said. “My first on Food Network was an experience, but I soon learned you could have six cameramen hovering around you, and you had to stay focused on what you’re doing. It was a fantastic experience being on TV and getting exposure and meeting so many talented chefs coming together and challenging each other.”
With a range of experiences, a willingness to try the unexpected, and an array of unique offerings, Tiptur has created his own, chocolate-themed niche in the culinary world. The Conche earned Loudoun County Chamber of Commerce’s Destination Business of the Year award in 2020 and the New or Expanding Business of the Year award from the Leesburg Economic Development Commission in 2022.
The success of The Conche led Tiptur to expand: In 2020, he opened La Prensa, a tacos and tapas bar in Sterling. Continuing in the vein of naming restaurants after culinary tools, La Prensa is the press used to make tortillas.
Two years later, he opened The Conche Studio in Sterling, where his team makes chocolates, cakes and desserts, and offers pastry and cooking classes for children and adults, as well as summer camps and corporate team-building activities.
The Studio is growing fast, distributing products throughout the country.
A Leesburg Local
Tiptur said that many of his customers tell him they appreciate another option to enjoy fine dining in Leesburg.
“Leesburg has changed so much,” he said. “It’s become a destination, and a lot of development is happening. We have the most diverse foodies in our area who appreciate what’s in the area, because they don’t have to go to D.C.”
He said he’s always curious when it comes to cuisine, and he loves to try different restaurants. Some of his favorites include Ellie Bird in Falls Church and El Presidente, a Mexican restaurant in D.C. “Anything new that opens up, I go and check it out,” he said.
Back in Leesburg, Tiptur rarely finds a day off between his three businesses, but when he does, he enjoys motorbiking or working on his car. “I feel completely distracted and in a different zone when I’m washing my car or changing the oil or detailing it,” he said. “I’ve done enough traveling in life. I plan to take trips down the road, but my focus now is the business.”
His wife Ramya also works in the business, handling paperwork and one of the sophisticated chocolate machines. Their three children are in high school and college.
Tiptur’s commitment to his community means he assists a variety of local charities, including Loudoun Laurels, Learning Adventure Bus, Cake4Kids, Loudoun Literacy Council, Dulles South Soup Kitchen, Loudoun Habitat for Humanity and the Leesburg Volunteer Fire Department.
Passing On A Passion
One of Tiptur’s favorite experiences is sharing his love of chocolate and baking. With an open kitchen, children in the restaurant can see him work through a window. The pastry chefs will bring children into the kitchen to decorate a plate, while parents take photos and videos.
“That doesn’t happen everywhere,” Tiptur said. “That’s a start, all these small things.”
Some of the children who’ve participated in his summer camps, building cakes in the form of dinosaurs, dogs or dolphins, have gone on to culinary school, and several have returned to work for him.
“It shows how we inspire young kids who came in at 9 or 10 years old,” he said. “I’m glad to inspire a lot of younger chefs who want to be in the industry, and I’m so proud of my team for contributing that to younger chefs.”
For young chefs considering following in his footsteps with a place of their own, Tiptur said patience was key to his journey. “Never lose hope,” he said. “It takes you through a wild ride. Things change so fast, and you need to adapt and understand your customer base and what they want. Chefs think of what to put together, but will everyone like and understand that combination? You have to play it safe yet still be interesting.”
And those from greater Loudoun County have indeed found The Conche to be interesting and left adoring reviews on Yelp, Open Table, TripAdvisor and other sites.
“Being in Leesburg is the best decision I made,” Tiptur said. “People really appreciate what we do, and it keeps the staff motivated. We are a place people bring loved ones or friends for an experience, to celebrate. I see smiles, and that’s why we work hard: to create memories people talk about for years to come.”