We all know the old adage, “When life hands you lemons, make lemonade.” Well, for one chick it meant forgoing the lemons in favor of some crock-pot chocolate! This is where the story of 2 Chicks and Chocolate began. Known as “Chick 1” Elyssia Wassung tells the story of how her Mom, “Chick 2,” got into a car accident when Elyssia was just a young girl. In order to make a living, her mother starting making chocolate in a crock-pot and sending her out to sell it in their Queens neighborhood. After an unfortunate robbery, the business was ended. Fast forward several years, Elyssia decided to leave her corporate profession and continue on with her mother’s tradition of making chocolate (just “hipper”). With the help of Master Chocolatier, Patrick Coston, a Food Network Challenge Judge, and Lead Chocolatier, Stephanie Vazquezthat, 2 Chicks with Chocolate was born.
Although they have been wholesaling and retailing their chocolate products for awhile, the Chicks now have their very first store located in South River. Their grand opening event was where my husband and I were able to sample and see just how sweet the 2 Chicks are!
As we walked in to their corner location, I was mesmerized by all of their tantalizing displays. We first sampled a Fire & Ice Martini/Hot Cocoa mix, sans alcohol. As the name implies, it starts out cool then finishes ever-so spicy, perfectly. From there, we migrated toward their Toffee & Bark display and sampled away. The Toffee Time lived up to its name with remarkable deep toffee flavor. The Tree Hugger was also an addictive item with the combination of blueberries, nuts, craisins and dark chocolate. Also of note here was the Pretzel Palooza, which features Himalayan sea salt contrasting the sweet and creamy chocolate coating.
We were then drawn to their beautifully displayed wine collection chocolates. Although pricier than most other items, they offer customers a chance to try something very unique and would be a great gift for the wine-lover in your life.
While checking out each display, we were offered more sweet treats to try. Among my favorites was a chocolate cupcake, courtesy Blue Sheep Bakeshop in Green Brook. Lucky for you, 2 Chicks has a partnership with them so you can easily find and enjoy their baked goods in both locations.
Another area of the store I found intriguing was the Popcorn display. Although I didn’t try any, the idea of chocolate covered popcorn with toffee crunch and Pop Rocks has me anxious to get back there again.
Definitely worth mentioning, were the ridiculously cute and fun items; ready-to-make Smores (pictured above), candy-coated pretzels, and the chocolate-dipped Peeps were just a few of their almost-too-cute-to-eat product line.
Last but certainly not least, was their chocolate glass display case. The chocolates presented were simply gorgeous. Each flavor both unique to the eye as, I’d assume, to the palate. With the copious categories of flavors offered, it is sure to satisfy every sweet tooth on the planet.
Visit the Chicks at www.2chickswithchocolate.com to see all the goodies they have to offer, including wholesale/retail items, custom/private label, chocolate happy hour and specialty gifts. Additionally, a sugar–free line is available.
2 Chicks with Chocolate is located at 8 Martin Avenue, South River, NJ.
Gina Glazier is a born and raised Jersey Girl. She recently earned her Master’s degree in Reading & Literacy and currently teaches 5th grade. Gina lives with her husband Matt who is her number one fan and shares in her passion for the culinary arts, minus the cooking part! Her “culinary life” became a reality a few years back when she was chosen to be a guest ofThe Star Ledger’s Munchmobile. This ignited Gina’s desire to be around food and all its counterparts all the time, meaning restaurants, cookbooks, TV shows, cooking, etc. Gina says her “biggest and most monumental experience” was being a part of The Star Ledger’s Pizza Patrol two years ago where she traveled the entire state, eating at 3, 4, sometimes 5 pizzerias a night for just about 6 months! You can check out her Hungry Teacher adventures, on her blog www.ahungryteacher.blogspot.com.
