Category Archives: US-based chocolatiers & chocolate makers
North Dakota chocolatier salutes the seasons
Our last post was a salute to a Winnipeg chocolatier who really knows how to celebrate the season. Those chocolate turkeys are amazing!
Our post this week profiles the Widman Candy Company who has been making great chocolate in North Dakota and Minnesota in the northern United States since 1911 with the opening of a tiny shop in Crookston, Minnesota. A detailed story about Widman’s Candy Company can be found on my website in the story archives at this link.
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exploring chocolate in Missouri
I was really pleased with the chocolate findings in Missouri. Considering Branson is a small community of less than 10,000 permanent residents, they are very lucky to have an innovative chocolatier offering a very creative range of chocolate treats. Chocolat Hand Crafted Artisan Chocolates is owned and operated by April and Shane Heaton, who in themselves, have a fascinating background. Shane is originally from British Columbia, Canada, and chief chocolatier, April, was born in Korea. April’s Asian heritage can be felt throughout the shop, which is stylish and somewhat Zen. Her chocolates offer a wide range, from the playful (inspired by the fact that the Heaton’s have a young daughter who can often be found playing in the shop) to the serene. I would have liked to have seen more dark chocolate offerings, but April confessed that it’s been a hard sell converting the sweet tooth of Branson residents and visitors from milk to a darker chocolate. Even the dark chocolate at Chocolat at 60% cocoa is not quite dark enough for me. But that’s not to say I didn’t like it most of it. I was inspired by April’s playful approach to chocolate and you can’t help but feel good when you’re admiring the playfulness of her creations. There are gourmet Smores, a variety of chocolate covered pretzels, and about 20 varieties of Bella rounds that sell for just $1. So a trip to Chocolat won’t break the bank! A word of caution: I find the Mayan variety of Bella Bar to be much too peppery for my taste. The packaging says “an infusion of spicy chile and cinnamon in dark chocolate.” I could hardly taste the cinnamon and the chile pepper was far too hot for my taste, but for the most part, I’m not someone who likes …
