During the era in which I came of age–you know, good paying job, nice house, nice whip–there was nothing like stopping at the first floor confectionary counter following a shopping spree at Neiman Marcus!
Back then (say, 1990-2000), I was head over heels in love with Joseph Schmidt chocolates. The egg-shaped truffle delights of this San Francisco based, European trained chocolatier, were simply off the chain! The flavors were rich and creamy, not to mention simply gorgeous at which to stare.
With today’s entrepreneurial business model being to build a unique brand then sell, Joseph Schmidt’s chocolates did just that, selling to a subsidiary of Hershey in 2005. By 2009, Hershey–a company that recently made news for its program of hiring immigrants brought to the USA and paid cheap labor to make it’s chocolates, decided to eliminate the Joseph Schmidt brand altogether in 2009. All 150 American employees of the 16th Street production and retail store in San Francisco, were forced to find work elsewhere, which begs us all to pay attention to the real issue surrounding immigration, which in most cases proves quite profitable to big businesses here in the USA.
Nowadays chocolates have taken a turn. Sure, the thought of chocolate truffles will always ignite a spark in the eyes of the true chocolate aficionado, especially at John Kelly Chocolates.
Kelly’s signature item is called “Truffle Fudge,” due to its creamy consistency, will make you close your eyes and forget all about sex–for the moment! But how about the modern day addition of carmel and French Grey, Mediterranean, or Hawaiian Red Alaea sea salt? That’s how they get down at John Kelly, where you can partake of the pleasure of his chocolates from as little as $6.50 for a single flavor gift box, to a $99 gift tower assortment. Honestly, these are some of the freshest, most delicious, creative chocolates I have experienced in a mighty long time!
In Los Angeles, John Kelly has stores in Hollywood and Santa Monica, in addition to the lobby of to the JW Marriott Hotel, which is also shared by the Ritz-Carlton Los Angeles. But wait, an online order will ship practically anywhere, to anyone that you desire.
Bottom-line here, a more delicious chocolate you may never find. And if you do, let me know!
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