Gabriella Cugno been referred to as the real-life Willy Wonka before, but now she can fully lay claim to that title. The Welsh chocolatier is the mastermind behind the sweets in Wonka, the new film starring Timothée Chalamet that imagines the origin story of the beloved storybook candy wizard.
Unlike previous Willy Wonka films, all the chocolates the actors put in their mouths were edible. Cugno ended up crafting some 2,000 pieces throughout the production—everything from tree bark to flowers, mushrooms, teacups, and Wonka’s new invention, Hoverchocs, all handmade with natural ingredients and accommodating dietary restrictions. And she made sure they were delicious to boot. “It’s amazing to have the opportunity to unleash your creativity and link it with chocolate,” she tells Vogue via video call from her production kitchen in her hometown of Cardiff.
Though no larger than one’s palm, these props carried significant emotional weight in the movie—something Cugno was all too aware of: “I knew they would be important because the candy is what I remember from the original film. The Everlasting Gobstopper and the chewing gum—I could really imagine eating those things.”
A 30-year-old award-winning pastry chef who’s worked in high-end hotels, restaurants, and patisseries in England and Wales since she was 15, Cugno chatted about how she conjured Wonka’s chocolates from only the script, how certain pieces took three weeks to make, and how she whipped up an edible teacup in just two hours.
Vogue: How did you first get into chocolate?
Gabriella Cugno: I’ve always loved sweet things, cooking, and eating. It’s just in my bones. I’ve been very creative since I was little, and cooking was a big thing in my family. Art and food are so connected, and I love the whole creation process. From a box of paints or a pantry of ingredients, with imagination and skill, you can create a beautiful painting or an incredible plate of food. I didn’t think I would be able to connect them as literally as I do now.
Why chocolate?
Chocolate is so universal, most people love it, and there’s so much variety. And it’s an absolutely amazing ingredient to use as a material. I do a lot of painting and sculpting with chocolate.
Do you approach it more from a place of art or flavor?
Typically with cooking, flavor is the most important thing. Obviously, in the film it was totally different; the design was the first thing—it couldn’t be compromised. These had to be the most magical chocolates in the world. I took that responsibility seriously. Then I worked backwards to figure out how to make them out of chocolate. But I wanted flavor to be key as well.
How much about the chocolates was in the Wonka script?
I had the title and description—for instance, the Silver Lining was filled with condensed thunderclouds and liquid sunlight. And the action it does—it makes you go, “Huh!” At the start, that was all I had. At that point, I didn’t know about any other production design elements, so I had to just use my imagination.
Where did you find inspiration?
From the character Willy Wonka himself. He’s very literal—in the original film, he was mixing something and was like, “That needs a kick” and put a trainer inside, or he said, “It needs some heat” and put a coat inside. I knew it had to be what it says. The Silver Lining needed real silver and to be really bold. And understanding the emotions behind the scenes helped as well. The Silver Lining was in a sweet scene, so that was reflected in the golds and silvers. For an evil scene, I would think of using blacks and reds and navy blues.
How did you figure out what director Paul King was looking for?
The first time I met Paul was the first time he saw my chocolates. It was very nerve-wracking because I didn’t know what he wanted, and I’m not sure he really knew what he wanted either. I made around 8 to 10 chocolates and 5 varieties of each chocolate for him, all quite different. At this stage, I didn’t know if Willy Wonka would be wacky or emotional or very simple and classic. I watched carefully what Paul gravitated to and eventually got a really good grasp of his style for Wonka: balanced, friendly, kind, magical, colorful, whimsical, and humorous.
What was the most time-consuming piece to make?
The Delayed Hoverchocs had lots of elements and a huge amount of detail. They took three weeks of long days just to make 80. The blue flowers [from which Wonka takes a large bite in the film], each one took one day to make. Each had 250 to 300 petals individually stuck on. I’d made 15 of those for the entire film, and I started to get nervous on the 11th take. Luckily we got it in the 13th take! I couldn’t just run off and make another one immediately.
What was the biggest challenge?
The fragility of the chocolates. I had to make it known that these were so fragile and time-consuming to make so people didn’t just pop them in their mouths. Also on films, things change on a daily basis, but as a chef, you want to plan your days in advance for efficiency. If you stop halfway through with chocolates, your work can be ruined. But in film, you have to be on your toes and prepared to make things happen.
Halfway through shooting the biggest scene of the whole film, Paul asked me to make a teacup for Willy to drink from. I had two hours, so it had to be done by hand and very quickly. I went into the kitchen, which was right on the set, and looked around. I had made loads of flowers for the film and realized if I took the middle out of the flower, that could be the vessel. And then I had to make a handle that was sturdy enough—what if Timothée has warm hands and it breaks? You’ve got to think through all these things, but luckily it all went fine.
There’s a scene involving swimming in chocolate that I was surprised to learn was in part real chocolate.
I made loads of buckets of chocolate. And we filmed in winter, so real chocolate solidifies within seconds. We had warming plates and hobs, big pans, all keeping it at the correct temperature to stay liquid.
Did Willy Wonka play a role in your desire to make chocolate?
Definitely! I’ve watched Willy Wonka the Chocolate Factory loads of times since I was little, and what Wonka does is think outside the box. And he shared the joy with everyone. That’s what I love.
Will you be making anything sweet for Christmas?
I’m making chocolate dessert for my whole family, a really big chocolate fondant. The key is using really good chocolate—I get mine from a company in Trinidad and Tobago. It’s simple, super decadent, and everyone loves it.
