Christmas came early for this chocoholic as I attended two chocolate store launches in the span of a week! What was interesting about the two openings was that they couldn’t be more different in that the first event was a small independent artisanal shop and the second was the latest opening by a 92 year old candy manufacturing company with more than 200 retails stores across the country. And yet, they were the same because they both focused on the importance of quality and customer service. Now, what could be sweeter than that.
First – there was the opening of Michelle Haut Chocolat at The OC Mix in Costa Mesa. Their chocolates are handmade daily using all natural ingredients in Laguna Beach. I’m a fan of dark chocolate so I really enjoyed Michelle’s custom concoctions especially the truffles (yes all of them) and the petit domes with sea salt, and another one with rose petals. According to Michelle, “Our chocolate is a custom blended 73% bittersweet chocolate from Belgium. We use only the freshest and purest ingredients from around the world. There are no artificial ingredients, additives, or preservatives.”
A few days later I was invited to the opening of the largest See’s Candies retail shop! Located at the Tustin Marketplace in Orange County, it is also See’s first concept store. From the retro uniforms of the people behind the counter to the black and white tiled floor, stepping into the See’s Candy store is like stepping back in time – a time when quality and tradition meant something. And of course, there was the delicious candy – and so much of it!
Enjoy this little Ptch video I created from that night.
