Valentine's Sweets
Chocolatiers elevating the cocoa bean
Much like the Film Chocolat, which follows the story of a mother-daughter duo that moves to a small French village and opens a chocolate shop, North Carolina boasts a number of successful women chocolatiers.
The film is often lauded for its cinematic representation of strong women characters and female-driven narrative. In a similar trajectory, SUE PAPACH and her oldest daughter, KATIE, moved to Wilmington and opened SO SWEET CHOCOLATES, which, like Chocolat, garnered some Academy Award recognition.
Some of So Sweet’s signature creations were included in the celebrity gift bags at the 2004 Oscars ceremony.
“I made a little gold box with our name on it and two pieces of chocolate in each for the stars,” Papach says. “It was really neat to read the reactions from the people that had the chocolate like Sharon Stone and Paris Hilton.”
So Sweet Chocolates specializes in hand-painted confections. During the early stages of her chocolate career, combining the techniques of cake decoration and her experiences painting cabinets built by her husband, Papach began honing her craft of painting chocolate.
Each piece of chocolate is made with 100 percent cocoa and poured into a variety of molds depending on the theme or vision of the day’s batch. The molds are then painted using specialty brushes and essential oils.
Seashells, surfboards, and flip-flops are among some of the molds that the business uses to create pieces that reflect the beach culture of coastal North Carolina. Beach Chocolate Bingo, a staple treat of the So Sweet brand, combines butter caramel corn, pretzels, three kinds of chocolate, nuts, and a milk chocolate surfboard. Coastal Living magazine featured the sweet and salty bundle, making it an instant top-seller.
For the holiday season and inevitable spike in business that comes with, So Sweet Chocolates makes pumpkins, silver bells, Christmas trees, and even solid seven-and-a-half pound milk chocolate turkeys.
Papach also commissions brand-specific chocolate logos and designs for businesses and organizations including a mold of the University of North Carolina Wilmington’s Seahawk logo and chocolate footballs for the New York Giants.
“Everything we do basically starts by asking the customer what they are looking for,” she says. “Then we go from there.”
So Sweet Chocolate’s most recent venture is the creation of Ms. Gypsy Daisy Lee, a vintage pink-and-white camper that underwent renovation and conversion to become a chocolate shop on wheels.
“I can create inside the camper, and it’s my own space,” Papach says.
Ms. Gypsy Daisy Lee has ventured into the Wilmington streets a handful of times. The business on wheels parks outside of local storefronts, creating and selling hand-painted treats straight from the camper.
“I would like to have a fleet,” Papach says. “A fleet of little pink and white campers, just cruising around, going to events and putting my product out there.”
Other successful women chocolatiers in North Carolina are DOROTHY LEE and daughter TARA CAPPS of DEE LEE'S DELIGHTS and DIANE WASNEY of DOVE CHOCOLATE DISCOVERIES.
Dee Lee’s Delights, a Newton Grove-based chocolate business, specializes in old-fashion, hand-dipped recipes. The company strives to use recipes that are evocative of chocolate making’s rich history and personal connections with each individual customer.
“We’re big on bringing a memory to someone,” Capps says. “So if they taste the chocolate for the first time and say, ‘This makes me think of my grandma,’ or ‘This makes me think of when I was little,’ then we’ve reached our goal.”
Save for one item on the shop’s menu, every piece is hand-dipped and encased in chocolate.
“Every piece is different, and they’re not flawless,” Capps says. “But we like for it to look handmade.”
Diane Wasney of Dove Chocolate Discoveries is using chocolate in ways that stray from tradition. Some of the items in her repertoire include chocolate martini mixes, white chocolate-infused vinaigrettes, and a Sweet N Smoky Chocolate BBQ sauce.
The company specializes in catering chocolate parties. Wasney brings the ingredients to the event, and the attendees participate in all steps of the production including preparation, creation, and tasting.
“Helping others become chocolatiers is the best part,” Wasney says. “You can eat your mistakes if you make them.”
One Sweet Festival
The annual Wilmington Wine and Chocolate Festival, a fundraiser benefitting New Hanover County Senior Centers, kicked off again January 30 and runs through February 1.
The marketplace features food demos, kids activities, and samples and products for sale from chocolatiers including Papach, Capps, and Wasney.
The festival takes place at the Coastline Conference and Event Center, 501 Nutt Street, and marketplace tickets are $10-$15.
www.wilmingtonwineandchocolatefestival.com
To view more of photographer Erik Maasch, go to www.websta.me/n/emaasch
