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The Chocolate Factory

From their basement, a Snyder couple issues rare sweets into the world

The average American basement functions as a cavernous den filled with unwanted household items and lost mementos. Some homeowners spruce them up by installing mini-bars or guest bedrooms.

Bonnie Stefanie

The most impressive cellar I ever dwelled in belongs to Snyder residents Bonnie and Jamie Stefanie. Theirs serves as the production hub for their online chocolate store, Stuffed Chocolate, Inc. I don’t think a basement has been put to such brilliant use since Prohibition.

On a luminous spring day I bound up the Stefanie’s main walkway and ring the doorbell. Bonnie, a petite woman in her late 60s, opens the front door and greets me with the peppy enthusiasm of a high school cheerleader. I notice she’s sporting a bright-blue brace on her right hand and inquire what happened. She tells me she’s developed acute tendonitis from individually decorating 13,000 ice-wine truffles for a private benefit and packaging them in petite boxes wrapped with ribbons.

She ushers me through a maze of rooms and tells me her husband, Jamie, is already downstairs prepping today’s order: 60 long-stem white chocolate roses for a wedding in Norway. We arrive in an immaculate kitchen and enter a doorway that presumably leads to their basement turned chocolate factory.

We descend into the sweet abyss of the Stefanie’s home and I’m confronted with a glorious site—golden boxes gleam with assorted truffles and chocolates. Plastic bins boasting colorful hues of candies, nuts, and dried fruits align the walls. Before I embark on my chocolate tutorial, I ask the Stefanies a simple question. What makes a truffle so special? “A truffle may be petite in size,” Jamie replies, “but it’s as satisfying as a rich dessert.”

Bonnie and Jamie ask me to sample their newest creations: truffles infused with liqueurs from a local vineyard near Niagara-on-the-Lake. Similar to wine tasting, I’m told I can spit out whatever I find unappetizing. At first bite, I detect blueberry and what tastes like orange chocolate. I’m told the other aperitif used to flavor the truffle is triple sec. So far, the only thing that’s missing from this experience is a cold glass of milk.

The next hour is a blur of tastes, sights, and smells. I assist Jamie as he tests pots of molten chocolate to make sure they properly temper before he begins pouring the viscous liquid into molds. The Stefanies present me with an array of Rochérs, macaroons, gnaches, and cocoa creations enrobed with coconut, caramel, cookies, dried fruits, and nuts. At the end of the hour, I can safely say I’m stuffed. I depart with a tote filled with chocolates and candies that are beautifully adorned and pristinely packaged.

There are only two things that nourish the human soul, the Stefanies tell me. Wine and chocolate. I have to agree.

For more information on Stuffed Chocolate, Inc. call toll free at 866-232-3612 or visit stuffedchocolate.com. Larger orders for weddings, party favors, etc. must be placed in advance. International shipping is available.

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