I’ve always had a sweet tooth, though “sweet tooth” feels insufficient—it’s more like a full-body devotion to chocolate. During high school in Peru, I’d slip Sublime bars into my pocket as a special treat: pure dark chocolate chunks without the distraction of nuts or raisins. These rich, complex notes are what made cacao the currency of Aztec emperors and Spanish conquistadors. Chocolate’s exotic history in the New World—from sacred ritual beverage to European aristocratic indulgence—mirrors my own relationship with it: reverent, essential, deeply personal.
Over the years, I’ve discovered three chocolate destinations that each represent a different facet of this ancient art form. These aren’t casual stops—they’re pilgrimages.
Vosges Haut-Chocolat embodies luxury in its purest form. Founded in Chicago in 1998 by Katrina Markoff, Vosges revolutionized American chocolate by introducing unexpected global flavors: Indian curry powder, Greek olive oil, Italian hazelnuts, edible gold leaf from Germany. Even their signature purple boxes exude prestige and artisanal care. Each truffle tells a story—“Travel the World Through Chocolate” isn’t just a tagline, it’s a philosophy. The impeccable quality and exquisite flavor combinations make every visit feel like an occasion.
Mayana Chocolate in Wisconsin offers something entirely different: the exotic made intimate. Husband-and-wife team Daniel and Tamara Herskovic—he a trained chef who studied with chocolate masters across the United States and France, she an interior architect and event planner—create confections that defy category. Their candy bars literally raise the bar, packed with indulgent, taste-bud-thrilling flavors found nowhere else. Their hot chocolates incorporate techniques and ingredients from their world travels, each cup a passport stamp in liquid form.
Shane Confectionery grounds everything in history. Nestled in my favorite neighborhood of Old City, this is America’s oldest continuously operating candy shop, a living museum of Philadelphia’s role as the nation’s confectionery capital. Brandied cherry cordials, whiskey caramels, handmade dark chocolate peanut butter cups—these aren’t nostalgic recreations but actual traditions kept alive on century-old equipment. Every visit, I fill bags with nonpareils and chocolate-covered nuts and coffee beans to nibble on my flight home.
Nothing captures delicious memories quite like chocolate—but perhaps nothing captures love quite like it either. Madame du Barry, the legendary mistress of Louis XV, famously began every morning at Versailles with a cup of hot chocolate, served by her attendant at precisely nine o’clock. She understood what we still know today: chocolate is a language unto itself, one that speaks of devotion, pleasure, and the intimate rituals we share with those closest to us. Whether slipped into a pocket as a secret indulgence or presented in an elegant purple box, chocolate transforms ordinary moments into meaningful exchanges. Each bite becomes a marker in time, a reminder of places visited and pleasures savored—and of the people who made those moments worth remembering.
https://www.vosgeschocolate.com
https://www.mayanachocolate.com
https://shanecandies.com
Photos | Vosges Haut-Chocolat · Mayana Chocolate · Shane Confectionary
No products in the cart.