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Business & Tech

Bigger is Better at the New Chocolations

You can have your chocolate (or cake) and eat it, too; plus see how it is made.

Culinary theater has come to Mamaroneck with the reopening and reincarnation of Chocolations. Owner and professional chocolatier Maria Valente has relocated her chocolate shop from Mamaroneck Avenue in the village to 607 E Boston Post Rd., at the site of the old Phyllis Victor gift store. In the process, she has quadrupled Chocolations' square footage, which now includes an open kitchen so patrons can see how the magic happens.

"Customers were always curious about what was happening behind the curtain," Valente recalled during a recent interview. "And people always remember going to a place on vacation where they saw fudge being made or taffy being pulled on the boardwalk, and I wanted to recreate a similar kind of experience here."

But the tight quarters of the other store simply didn't allow for the expansion of her mind's ideas or her products. "We outgrew the other location very fast and began looking for a larger location," Valente explained. "We wanted to grow our product line. And the parking is easier here, with no meters on the street and a parking lot nearby. We actually get a lot of walking traffic here."

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In addition to the open kitchen, which features clear Plexiglas partitions for easy customer viewing while maintaining quality control, the store also features several bistro tables and chairs to encourage customers to sit and enjoy coffee and baked goods. During my visit on a chilly, damp morning, I sipped a hot cup of tea and a still-warm caramel apple muffin that was flavorful and moist, and lent a cozy aroma to the store. "Very Corny" corn muffins were also featured on the specials board ($1.25).

While expanding the selection of baked goods—cupcakes, muffins, cookies and slices of pound cake ($1.25 to $2.50)—Chocolations will also be adding a greater variety of truffles, bonbons, barks and seasonal and holiday items (chocolates are $24 per pound). Brand new to Valente's offerings made on the premises will be a line of sugar-free chocolates.

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There is now 10 times the amount of potential display space for all of Valente's confections—organized by theme, such as baby, sports, birthday, electronics (yes, she makes a chocolate Blackberry!) and seasonal items, as well as everyday items like chocolate-dipped pretzels and Oreos. Plus, there is a special consultation area to accommodate wedding and party planners.

"Wedding favors and chocolates for corporate events remain one of the biggest parts of our business," she said, adding that now is the time to place orders for the upcoming holiday season. Just this past weekend, Valente fulfilled a last-minute order for an Audubon Society gala at Greenwich Country Club.

Valente will now also be in a position to host events in-store, including book signings, birthday parties, cooking classes or a fun girls' night out. While I was there, a mom came in to confirm Rye Brook's Brownie Troop 2897's trip to Chocolations to earn a badge.

Mirroring the 1,800 square-foot store front above, Chocolations has an equally expansive full basement for storage. Future plans call for Valente to finish off the space and build a commercial kitchen for rent to other cooks and bakers. She hopes to see the dream come to fruition in the next couple of years.

Chocolations' store hours have changed slightly; it is currently open Tuesday through Saturday, from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Plans for a late night are to be determined, and in-store events can take place on Sunday or Monday. Check out the store's Web site, chocolations.com, for a calendar of events, including the Grand Opening Celebration the week of October 16th. 914-777-3600. 

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