2 Chicks with Chocolate: Need I say more?

Elyissia Wassung's start in the chocolate business came at the age of 9. Her mother, Barbara, was in an auto accident leaving her unable to make the commute between her home in Queens, New York and her job in Manhattan. Barbara had to find a way to provide for her family. Her solution? She began making chocolates in her home. Elyissia would push a shopping cart full of the chocolate confections through their Queens neighborhood going door to door selling what she could to help her mother. Even this early chocolate business was not without risks as Eylissia found out one day when some neighborhood bullies stole her candy and her money! The experience of losing her money and candy that day did nothing to dispel the entrepreneurial spirit which had already begun to stir inside of Elyissia.

Barbara always had high expectations and standards for Elyissia and Elyissia did not disappoint. As a grown-up she embarked on a career in corporate America and it came as no surprise that she was successful. The money was good but Elyissia was miserable. It seems corporate America may have filled her wallet, but it did not fill her soul. Considering her options for a career outside of corporate America, Elyissia realized the logical path for her was a return to her entrepreneurial roots - chocolate!

It seemed like a simple solution, but the details were not so simple. First, there was the choice of a name for her company. Elyissia wanted something unique - for her "Elyissia's Chocolates" would not do! She and a friend who was interested in Elyissia's business were discussing the best options for her brand one night over several glasses of wine when they jokingly came up with the name "2 Chicks with Chocolate".  After the effects of the wine wore off, Elyissia realized that was actually a perfect name! 

Elyissia's friend was not able to join her in the business so that left her with the question of who would be the 2nd chick. Over time she realized the choice was obvious - Barbara! Elyissia's mother was the one who started the chocolate venture all those years ago and she was exactly the 2nd chick Elyissia needed to complete her new venture!

As with any business, the decisions stretched far beyond what to name the business and who should be involved - her business needed something unique to make it a success. Her corporate experience helped her evaluate the options before her. Her epiphany came while she and a friend were having coffee at Starbucks. Why was Starbucks so successful? It was the same thing as businesses such as Build a Bear - consumers want choices, they want to be able to customize their purchases. Elyissia adopted this model and now we get the benefits because at 2 Chicks with Chocolate you can design your own candy bar! Start by choosing your base: white chocolate, milk chocolate or dark chocolate. Then get nutty with almonds. pecans, pistachios, macadamias, walnuts, hazelnuts, cashews or peanuts. Want your bar a little gooey? Add caramel or peanut butter. For the toppings, consider choices including Oreo cookies, coconut, even Candy Canes or Pop Rocks! Bottom line is – you want it, 2 Chicks will create it!

Presently the design your own candy bar feature is offered when you order from the 2 Chicks website. Future plans include shops where customers can go to create customized candies. And, if you are not the creative type, no worries – 2 Chicks with Chocolate’s master chocolatier, Patrick Coston, has created delicious chocolates for you to try. Patrick is an award winning chocolatier and pastry chef who has been featured in numerous magazines including Bon Appetit and Gourmet. In 2002 Patrick was recognized by USA Today as one of the nation’s top 10 artisan chocolatiers. His candies have been described as a “box of bliss”. Whether you create your own or sample Patrick’s creations, you really can’t go wrong when ordering from 2 Chicks!