Chocolate kitchen. From left to right: Lori Goldstein, Shariff Higgins and Erica Townes. Photo by Joey Dominguez
MIDDLETOWN – With edible glitter truffles in an assortment of over 50 colors and wine- infused caramel truffles filled with merlot, a visit to the 2 Chicks With Chocolate boutique is a sweet experience.
Elyissia Chinchilla opened the artisanal chocolate shop in Squire’s Plaza at 1300 Highway 35 South in Middletown in November, 2013, after Super Storm Sandy destroyed the original South River factory. The company, named after Chinchilla and her mother, Barbara, the co-founders, has retail locations in East Brunswick, Somerville and Metuchen. But Middletown is now where all the actual chocolate production takes place, and is also sold.
“We are very flavor-focused,” said Chinchilla. “Not only does the chocolate look beautiful, but it tastes amazing. That’s really important to us, and we don’t use anything artificial in our line.”
There are 70 different flavors of bonbons to choose in 2 Chicks Swiss-chocolate based line. They are made out of high quality ingredients imported from around the world. The types of fillings vary from wine and beer infusions, to classics like peanut butter and caramel, to experimental options like sriracha and cinnamon spice. All of the purées that the chocolatiers use are imported from France.
“We are a European House,” Chinchilla said. “We’re kind of snooty in terms of the cocoa that we use.”
Even the tempering machine they use to give the chocolate its shine and its snappiness is Italian. “It’s our boyfriend from Italy,” Chinchilla joked. “We love him. We talk nice to him.”
Chinchilla and her team strive to supply treats that taste as good as they look. Each candy is hand-painted and splattered with colored cocoa butter, handmade in polycarbonate military-grade molds and then individually inspected by the chocolatiers to ensure its quality. “If they’re not perfect, they don’t go out,” Chinchilla said.
With so many flavors, it might be hard to choose a favorite. Lead chocolatier Erica Townes, 22, is partial to the pear purée-filled dark chocolate piece. Even though she has worked in the 2 Chicks With Chocolate kitchens for four years, she still finds it hard to pick a favorite. “I can’t decide,” Erica said. “There are so many good ones and we made so many new, good ones!”
Chinchilla says the chocolate company is growing. The Middletown store has gone from producing 2,000 pieces to nearly 10,000 pieces of chocolates, and counting, and Chinchilla is looking for talented recruits to help build inventory.
“It’s a very happy industry,” said Chinchilla. It’s continuously fun stuff.”
The boutique has kicked of f a loyalty programs for their repeat customers: purchase a $30 box, and it can be refilled for $18. There is also a loyalty program where you get $10 for every $100 you spend.
2 Chicks With Chocolate is located at 1300 Highway 35 South in Middletown, and is open Monday through Saturday from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. The website is 2chickswithchocolate.com.
– By Joey Dominguez
