thePULSEChocolate Like You’ve Never Tasted ~ or Seen ~ Before
By Elise French
Not making chocolate part of our Indulge issue just wasn’t an option. And we haven’t come across anyone who elevates chocolate to quite the level of indulgence that 2 Chicks with Chocolate does.
Elyissia Wassung and her mom Barbara, also known as “Chick 2,” combined their entrepreneurial spirit and love for chocolate to form 2 Chicks with Chocolate, immersing themselves in the world of the everyone’s favorite confection. And make no mistake, these ladies don’t stop with your run-of-the-mill chocolate bar. In fact, they describe their company as “Willy Wonka meets Build-A-Bear meets ‘Sex in the City.’” They enlisted the talents of Patrick Coston, a celebrated artisanal chocolatier and renowned pastry chef as their Master Chocolatier. Patrick is responsible for developing all the delectable new lines for the company. If Patrick’s name sounds familiar to some of your foodies out there, that’s because he was indeed a judge on the “Food Network Challenge.”
Patrick is known for his expertise with flavor ~ just one bite (although who can stop at just one bite!) of any of his confections and you’ll know why. Gourmet Magazine has called Patrick’s chocolates “A box of bliss”. In 2002, Patrick was recognized by USA Today as one of the nations “Top Ten Artisanal Chocolatiers.” In that same year, he was honored as one of the “Top Ten Pastry Chefs in America” by Pastry Art & Design Magazine (an honor he again received in 2003) ~ very impressive for someone who was self-taught! Patrick and his creations have been included in a long roster of magazines, books, and television shows including Bon Appétit, Gourmet, Food Arts, Grand Finales: The Art of the Plated Dessert, and “Food Nation with Bobby Flay.” He is currently working on a book of his own ~ Pastry, Desserts & Chocolates ~ to be published by Prentice Hall.
But enough about the people behind the chocolate (which, by the way, contains no preservatives or additives) ~ let’s get to the good stuff!!
Now, we all know the saying that “Variety is the spice of life.” We also know that chocolate is the most perfect gift in the known universe. Put those two thoughts together and what do you have? The “Create Your Own Box,” which gives you the option of including any combination of 17 flavors which include: cranberry, pumpkin, pecan spice, blood orange caramel (absolutely to die for!!!), Pear William, cinnamon caramel, egg nog caramel, spicy merlot (heaven!), raspberry, and brown butter.
Want to create your own custom chocolate bar? “My Bar” lets you create your ultimate chocolate bar fantasy, starting with the bar base (white, milk, or dark), then the “Get Nutty” toppings which include macadamia, cashews, hazelnuts, and many more, then one of two “Get Gooey” fillings, caramel or peanut butter, and then…hold on to your sweet tooth, more goodies from the “Get Some Texture” list which includes crisped rice, oreo crunch, pretzel crunch, toffee crunch, Pop Rocks, mini marshmallows, and sea salt! (And if you like the idea of Pop Rocks, try the Rock-n-Pop: chocolate covered popcorn with toffee crunch and Pop Rocks!)
The Coco Crush Collection is chock full of eight thick, delicious bark choices ~ the coffee bark with espresso sea salt is beyond description, and the coconut lime bark is absolutely exceptional (but then again, so are all the flavors!).
Like to drink your chocolate? Try the 2 Chicks’ Fire & Ice Cocoa ~ it’s a delicious rich chocolate base mix with cinnamon, clove, nutmeg and a few other secret spices, all sent to you in a cocktail shaker. The Fire & Ice Cocoa Mix has all those same ingredients and can be enjoyed hot or cold.
Are you a chocolate purist? Then the Cocoa Tiles with Nibs are for you ~ 58% Venezuelan dark chocolate topped off with cocoa nibs. Think that the combination of wine and chocolate sounds just about as heavenly as it gets? Then try The Wine Collection: The Spicy Merlot Bon Bon starts with a delicate 38% milk chocolate shell that is filled with a smooth, velvety milk chocolate ganache infused with merlot, cinnamon, orange, with a touch of black peppercorn on the finish. The Cabernet Caramel (my personal favorite) is enveloped in a 58% dark chocolate shell. Inside you’ll taste a touch of wine and smooth caramel and just the slightest hint of salt on the finish. The Collection comes in the limited edition wine bottle bag and makes an elegant gift ~ even if that gift is for you, from you!
In a nutshell (no pun intended), if you are a chocoholic, 2 Chicks with Chocolate is your dream come true.
All the yumminess (which, by the way, looks as good as is tastes ~ each piece of chocolate truly is a piece of art) is available via www.2chickswithchocolate.com and their edible collections are offered at T.J. Maxx and Marshalls nationwide, Macy’s Herald Square, Century 21 and The Chocolate Library (St. Mark’s Place in the Village) ~ as well as shops in Atlantic City including Harrah’s, Caesar’s and Bally’s.
