What's in your Chocolate Box?

Chocolate treats from four of Seattle's gourmet chocolate companies—Theo specializes in organic fair-trade chocolate; Fiore is artisan chocolate in the Italian tradition; Oh! Chocolate was crowned Seattle's Favorite Chocolatier in 2006 by the Seattle Times; and Chocolat Vitale is known for its European-style sipping chocolate. I'd never heard of sipping chocolate before—it's basically a melted candy bar served in an espresso cup—but now I love it and I highly recommend it to everyone.

Everyone?

Everyone.

Have you tried everything in the store?

Practically, yes. We only opened two weeks ago, but the two weeks prior to that we were stocking shelves and sampling chocolates so we'd know what we like and we'd be able to help customers with their selections.

What have you learned about chocolate since working here?

I've mostly been amazed with how flexible chocolate is—it goes well with so much. Theo makes fig and fennel truffles, basil truffles, and my favorite, balsamic-strawberry truffles, which don't sound nearly as wonderful as they taste. And Vitale makes chocolate teas that you can brew at home. The day we sampled that for customers, it sold out.

Do you have regular samplings?

Yes, chocolatiers from our four chocolate companies usually come around on Friday and Saturday afternoons to do demonstrations and samplings. Last week they were making fresh truffles on the counter.

What's the most popular item in the store thus far?

The mini cupcakes by Sugar Rush Baking Company in West Seattle (we also stock pastries, gelato, and other sweets made by local companies). They fly off the shelves.