Before John Kelly ever opened the doors to its factory in 2004, people were knocking, lured by the scent of hot chocolate wafting into the street.

That first factory store off Sunset Boulevard went on to become a hit with Hollywood’s elite. Among them: Leonardo DiCaprio, who favors walnut caramel cluster with Mediterranean sea salt, and Renee Zellweger, who founders John Kelson and Kelly Green say is a big gifter. And they say Aerosmith singer Steven Tyler once came in for a kitchen tour and stayed for an hour, fascinated by the process of making chocolate.

“He loved it and bought a lot of chocolate for a Music Cares event,” Kelson said during a visit to Honolulu in October. “These people are artists so they love and appreciate the artisanal quality of what do.”

John Kelly quickly gained renown for its rich truffle fudge, and soon afterward its salt-topped bars were featured in the Los Angeles Times and Martha Stewart magazine, and became the company’s signature.

Not bad considering that Kelson and Green had no experience making chocolate. They had, however, always enjoyed the truffle fudge made by a friend who “made the best choco­late we’d ever had.” With backgrounds in luxury retail and marketing, they wanted to introduce that fudge to the world.

They ended up buying their friend’s family recipe and were in business, targeting the high end of the chocolate economy.

“It was always about quality of ingredients and always achieving great taste, not just marketing points,” Green said. “I wasn’t interested in anything that wasn’t top quality.”

In 2009, John Kelly’s dark chocolate with French gray sea salt won a gold Sofi Award for outstanding chocolate from the Specialty Food Association.

Diners at Neiman Marcus’ Mariposa restaurant will be able to discern the qualities that garnered that award when the two founders host a chocolate dinner March 27. Wine pairings will be by master sommelier Patrick Okubo and dessert by Mariposa pastry chef Wendy Nakamura.

With their chocolate already carried in NM’s Epicure department, the pair expressed the idea of working with Mariposa chef Lawrence Nakamoto and sent him a batch of their chocolate for experimenting.

Nakamoto said he was both intrigued and intimidated.

“I’d never done anything savory with chocolate before, so it was a challenge, but being out of my comfort zone also made it fun.

“I like chocolate, but I’m not much of a dessert person and usually don’t like savory-sweet foods like pineapple ham or Hawaiian pizza.”

Nakamoto said he appreciated the distinctive flavor profiles of John Kelly chocolates, from truffle fudge bites with peanut butter and Himalayan pink salt, to dark chocolate with habanero and jalapeno.

“When I tasted the chili bar, I knew I wanted to do a mole sauce,” he said. “The quality of chocolate is there and their flavors are really balanced. My main concern was to avoid having the chocolate overpower any dish.”

Since starting work on the menu, the chef said he’s been approached by other chocolate purveyors who want to offer collaboration dinners. He’s in tasting mode now and says, “I already have a few ideas.”

The menu for the John Kelly chocolate dinner:

>> Macerated fig bruschetta with crispy prosciutto, arugula and dark chocolate balsamic. Pairing: Taittin­ger Prestige Rosé

>> Roast chicken with spicy pepper chocolate mole and Sweetland Farms goat cheese polenta. Pairing: Masi Amarone Costasera Classico

>> Smoked filet mignon with blue cheese and salted chocolate drizzle, with roasted fingerling potatoes and vegetables. Pairing: Cakebread Cellars Cabernet Sauvignon, 2016

>> Hazelnut torte with hazelnut chocolate. Pairings: Taylor Fladgate 10-year tawny port and Fonseca 20-year tawny port