There’s a growing epicurean movement in the Dairy State – and it has nothing to do with beer, cheese or brats. It’s fine chocolate. “It is becoming an artisan craft, just like Wisconsin beer and cheese,” says Julie Waterman, owner of Waukesha’s Indulgence Chocolatiers. Taste-testing the Dairyland’s best chocolate would be a time-consuming, high-calorie task, so we’ve done the savoring of a sampling across the state for you. And enjoyed every last bite.
Eau Claire: Obsession Chocolates
A former chef, Rebecca Flynn, owner of Eau Claire’s Obsession
Chocolates, handcrafts her truffles from ingredients that could
easily be growing outside the door. “When I started making chocolates,” says Flynn, “I looked out at my herb garden.” The fine chocolates, infused with local, organically grown herbs, butter and fruits, are all exquisitely decorated, like the raspberry cardamom truffles, fashioned into butterflies with iridescent wings.
Get your fix: In-store: 310 Water St., Eau Claire; 715.514.1720,
obsessionschocolates.com. Also available at select Eau Claire retailers.
Our pick: Double Chocolate with Cocoa Nibs, Raspberry Cardamom Butterfly, Force Noir, Strawberry Fields Forever
Kohler: Craverie Chocolatier Café
Come for the Euro-style café cuisine, stay for the Kohler Original
Recipe Chocolates. And then ask them to roll you out the door.
Craverie doubles as Kohler’s on-site chocolate kitchen. Watch Kohler chocolatiers ply their trade, then pick up some Original Recipe Chocolate goodies, including signature Garden Ganache or Rare Facets truffles and Terrapins (Kohler’s fancy name for “turtles”).
If your idea of heaven includes endless platters of chocolates that are yours for the tasting, visit Kohler’s annual In Celebration of Chocolate event, Friday, November 12, at The American Club.
Get your fix: 725 Woodlake Road, Kohler; 920.208.4933,
kohlerchocolates.com.
Our pick: Don’t make us choose.
Madison: Bacco Chocolats
The chocolates here are based on “nature’s alchemy.” Award-winning chocolatier David Bacco incorporates the five elements – earth, air, fire, water and spirit – into his confections. A “fire” chocolate includes exotic spices for heat. A “water” chocolate utilizes juice, pulp and liqueur, including essence of raspberry, passion fruit, mango, pomegranate, apple cider and lemons. Bacco’s shop is like an edible art exhibit, and each piece of art, that is, chocolate, is a sight to behold. And taste.
Get your fix: In-store: At Hilldale Shopping Center, 550 N. Midvale Blvd., Madison; 608.233.1600; davidbacco.com.
Our pick: Passion Fruit-Vanilla or Thai Peanut Butter
Madison: Gail Ambrosius Chocolatier
Tucked away in Madison’s eclectic Atwood neighborhood on the city’s East Side, the focus here is fine dark chocolate – the choice of aficionados and nutritionists. Crafted into beautiful truffles, bars and gold-bellied Buddhas, Ambrosius’ award-winning chocolate is selected for its terroir, or the flavor profile unique to where it was grown.
Get your fix: 2086 Atwood Ave., Madison; 608.249.3500, gailambrosius.com. Also available at select Madison-area stores and restaurants.
Our pick: Buddha! Buddha!
Menomonie: Legacy Chocolates
Legacy’s Mike Roberts believes that chocolate is the world’s most perfect food – nutritionally. “It provides everything the human body desires,” says Roberts. “You might not know it intellectually, but the body knows what’s good for it.” But that’s only if you consume Legacy’s high-percentage
(85% or 99%) cacao. Legacy also offers Potion No. 9, a delectable chocolate sauce that co-owner Cathy Roberts first cooked up for her husband Mike in 1979. “Heaven in a jar,” says Mike.
Get your fix: 632 South Broadway, Menomonie; 715.231.2580,
legacychocolates.com.
Our pick: Potion No. 9; any truffle made of 99% cacao
Milwaukee: Omanhene Cocoa Bean Company
Milwaukee’s chocolate sister-city would have to be in Ghana, where Omanhene (pronounced Oh-man-hee-nee) president and Whitefish Bay native Steve Wallace spent time as a foreign exchange student. Ghana’s chocolate ranks among the best in the world because of government involvement in the precise care of cocoa beans, plus ideal climate and topographic conditions. Wallace imports processed – not raw – beans direct from the east African country some 5,500 miles away. Why? Because raw beans would have lost their magic by the time they got here, he says.
Get your fix: 414.744.8780, omanhene.com. In-stores: Available at Pick n’ Save, Sendiks, Outpost and some specialty coffee and café retailers.
Our pick: Mint Hot Cocoa Mix
Oshkosh: Oaks Candy
Ambiance can affect the desire for chocolate, and at Oaks Candy, the mood shifts to something more playful and reminiscent of the “good old days.” This old-fashioned candy store has colorful bins of bulk drugstore candies and vintage glass-topped candy counters showcase a sea of chocolate concoctions. Oaks’ chocolate roots date back to the 1890s with its bestseller the Melty-Bar, which contains a whipped milk chocolate center dipped in milk chocolate, and is dubbed the “aristocrat of candy bars.”
Get your fix: 1206 Oregon St., Oshkosh; 920.231.3660, oakscandy.com.
Our pick: Anything with a “melty” center: Melty-Bar or Malty-Melty.
Watertown: Rock River Popcorn
It’s the ultimate pairing: popcorn and chocolate. Just a year old, Rock River Popcorn drizzles its flavored popcorns with chocolate, resulting in a textural taste sensation. The most popular flavor, says co-owner Kari Barnes, is Chocolate Covered Grasshopper, which combines mint-flavored popcorn with dark semi-sweet chocolate. “It’s the perfect after-dinner treat,” says Barnes.
Get your fix: 311 S. Third St., Watertown; 920.206.7510, rockriverpopcorn.com.
Our pick: Orange Chocolate
Waukesha: Indulgence Chocolatiers
At Indulgence, Julie Waterman combines Belgian chocolate with all-natural ingredients to re-create the decadent truffles she enjoyed while backpacking through Europe with her husband. Indulgence has 12 signature flavors along with a new line of chocolate bars in flavors like Mayan Spice and Coconut Curry. “Just unique enough to try, but not so weird you don’t want to,” she says.
Get your fix: Stores: Sendik’s and both Milwaukee-area Outpost stores. For special orders, contact the Waukesha kitchen at 262.510.9980; indulgencechocolatiers.com.
Our pick: Caramel Fleur de Sel, a dark chocolate truffle mixed with caramel and sprinkled with sea salt
Story … almost done. Energy waning. Reserves … running low. Madison-based freelancer … Amanda N. Wegner … needs … more. Chocolate. Please. Send … choco…
Read this story and more comforting pieces in the Wisconsin Trails Jan/Feb issue, out Jan. 12!
