A Delicious Fudge Chocolate Created by John Kelly Chocolates In Los Angeles
If you’ve been watching my stories on Instagram, you know the last couple of weeks has been an adventure. I went to Las Vegas for the Latin Grammy’s then headed to LA to work on a few projects then I went to New York for three days and headed to Miami. While in LA, I had to go on a chocolate run and visit John Kelly Chocolates since the month before when I went too late and it was closed. I visited a beautiful boutique on Beverly Hills called John Kelly Chocolates. The store is luxurious, and the smell of chocolate was intoxicating. The display was filled with large pieces of chocolate covered fudge and beautifully displayed boxes. I told them I was visiting from New York, and I’m obsessed with chocolate. They gave me a call the next day and invited me to their other location in West Hollywood where they create their wonderful chocolate fudge and other wonderful flavors.
I went to their West Hollywood location and met with one of the owners’, John. He was so sweet and told me the story of how he and his husband started their chocolate business. John’s husband, Kelly used to make his family’s fudge recipe and they started experimenting with different flavors. John worked in luxury fashion and his husband worked in advertisement. They decided to use their knowledge in their field and created their chocolate brand in 2004. They handcraft their chocolate in their West Hollywood location, it's gluten free, Kosher and they have a few vegan options. They’ve won several awards for their chocolate and their most popular, Dark Chocolate with French Grey Sea Salt won the sofi Awards.
John invited me to the back and tour their kitchen. Though the space was small it had multiple rooms where his team was making fresh batches of fudge, decorating, packing, and shipping. Even though I had my mask on, I could smell the rich chocolate and fudge. I was trying my best not to grab the chocolate to devour it. John took me to a small room where the famous fudge was being created. The young lady was mixing the fudge then poured it on a sheet pan to shape and cool it. John grabbed a spoon dipped into the pot of the warm fudge and handed it to me. I took a bite and went to heaven. I was so excited that John and the young lady started to laugh. I had another bite left and I savored it. It was perfection! We went to another room where the team was hand decorating the chocolate. The chocolate was going through a conveyer belt and as it came out the chocolatier would decorate it with his hand, the symbol he created was the flavor of the chocolate.
John shared how his chocolate brand is one of LA’s Best Handcrafted chocolates and I can attest to this. I watched his team as they meticulously worked in the back, and he introduced me to one of his team leaders who oversaw quality control. He insured that each piece of chocolate was consistent. Each piece must be the same size in cut and covered with the correct amount of chocolate. They have a variety of chocolate flavors from salted and spicy to fruit covered chocolate. Most of their chocolate is dark, which I prefer, and they have large fudge bars and as I mentioned before a few vegan options. If you are adventurous with chocolate, they have unique flavors such as applewood smoked caramel, Thai coconut curry with curry salt, dark chocolate bar with habanero & jalapeno and more. Their packaging is also elegant and makes a lovely gift. Though John Kelly Chocolates has three locations in Los Angeles you can also find their chocolate at Neiman Marcus, Whole Foods in California, a few California wineries, a few California hotels gift shops, and you can order their chocolates as corporate gifts too.
I was about to leave, and I thanked John for taking the time in giving me a tour and sharing his story. It was such a lovely experience and I truly enjoyed seeing the process. Before I left John said, I think before you leave you need to take a 16-piece box of chocolate of your choice. I already had purchased several pieces the day before but how can I say no to chocolate. There were so many options, and I didn’t know where to start. Their fudge pieces are substantial so I knew that I would have enough chocolate for the next two weeks. The chocolate is so rich that even though I might have an addiction, one piece could satisfy your taste buds. I looked over their perfectly cut chocolate and began to pick flavors. They wrapped my choices in their beautiful bronze box with a bow and placed it in their elegant shopping bag.
If you don’t know what to get someone this holiday season or want a unique corporate gift John Kelly Chocolates is a great option. They have unique flavors; you are going to get quality chocolate and you will be supporting a small brand. And if you go to LA don’t forget to visit one of their three locations for a luxurious chocolate experience.
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