Yum had a chance to stop into chow chocolat yesterday, a recent addition to the block of Main Street between Goodell and West Tupper. I had seen queenseyes development posts about the up and coming business (here, here and here), but was anxious to check out the goods myself.
chow chocolat’s space is stunning. Exposed brick, high ceilings, sleek fixtures, plush furniture, and an open floor plan set it apart from the pack. Additionally, its offerings make it a unique addition to Buffalo’s scene.
Owners Scott and Jaclyn Wisz are best known for the delicious and attractively packaged baked goods they sell at some of the areas most popular farmers markets, including Elmwood-Bidwell, East Aurora and the Downtown Country Market. Those familiar with their products will recognize the cookies, biscotti, scones and brownies that line the counter at chow chocolat. As talented a baker as Jaclyn may be, she found herself bored with the lack of creativity involved in baking and decided that a chocolate course at New York’s French Culinary Institute would spice up her life and the Wisz’s inventory, and it has.
The chocolates are stunning, and worthy of a post all their own. From the simple and most basic offering of single origin chocolates from Venezuela and Peru to the more exotic Coconut & Curry bonbons, chocolate lovers of every caliber can find something here to fall in love with. Sold by the piece, each chocolate is blended by hand using a combination of Valrhona and Belcolade chocolate and every bonbon is hand molded and hand decorated. Some sport the new and very trendy transfer technique that transforms chocolates into little canvases, others are airbrushed by hand with pearlized cocoa butter, leaving behind a richly colored lacquer. Shapes and flavor range from milk chocolate eggs dressed in soft greens and blues to hot pink lips made of chocolate laced with habanero spice.
Also available are handmade marshmallows, intense and deeply satisfying fruit gel candies, a thick and creamy “tasting chocolate” and more. Equally impressive are the fair trade organic coffees, brewed to order in a French press, and, if you’re on the go, served in paper cups made of corn products and therefore entirely biodegradable.
chow chocolat opened its doors quietly a few weeks ago and has yet to celebrate its official grand opening. They’re busy perfecting their product, tweaking their offerings and production and feeling out their customers. So far visitors are as impressed as I was, and–like I did–have suggested the addition of just two or three lunch items with a French feel to provide sustenance to those of us in search of a savory nosh before a dip into the many luscious indulgences for sale.
chow chocolat
731 Main Street, Buffalo 14203
716.843.4388