Photos by Wendy and Mike Pramik: Anna Stossel
I’ve often wondered how a candy shop manages to keep its shelves and glass-covered cases chock full of sweets. Consider chocolates, for instance.
You walk into a place like the Schakolad Chocolate Factory at Polaris Fashion Place in Columbus and see shelf after shelf of scrumptious-looking truffles, smothered pretzels and cookies, and sweet, molded suckers. Where does it all come from, and how is it made?
Fortunately, Schakolad franchisee Anna Stossel can tell you. Candy connoisseurs both young and old can learn about the history of chocolate and how to make tasty confections while on a hands-on factory tour at the cozy shop tucked into the new lifestyle center at the Polaris mall.
Actually, “factory tour” is a bit of a misnomer. Don’t confuse Schakolad with an operation like Willy Wonka’s laboratory. Tours are confined to the side of the retail shop, where Stossel and others daily make dozens of European-style confections.
All of Schakolad's chocolate is made fresh in the store.
The 1,200 square-foot store is filled to the brim with an assortment of candies, from mint truffles to dipped strawberries to jalapeno-shaped chocolates that contain a dash of cayenne pepper. The shop makes its candies in small batches. Stossel said the entire inventory can be made in three or four days if need be.
This setup provides customers a chance to see up close and personal how chocolate is concocted from bean to bar.
“We will show you how we make everything in the store,” said Stossel, who co-owns the franchise with her husband, Joe Stossel. “Then you get to make something, package it and keep it.”
The Stossel’s store is one of 31 Schakolads in the United States. Based in Florida, the company is named after founder Baruch Schaked, who’s been making fine European chocolates since 1969.
Schaked learned about the business while working for his father-in-law’s factory in Argentina. He later studied the art of chocolate making in Europe. After Schaked retired, he sold his shop to his son, Edgar, who later opened the first Schakolad Chocolate Factory in 1995. Edgar franchised his business, incorporating his father’s method of making chocolates.
Schakolad Chocolate Factory at Polaris Fashion Place
The Stossels carry on the tradition in Columbus and show customers how to make Schaked-style chocolates on the tour, which lasts about an hour and includes a video. Customers can choose from hundreds of molds including a piggy bank and a bride and groom. The cost is from $8-$20 depending on the volume of chocolate that tour participants make. Large tours for up to 30 guests are conducted before or after store hours, and you need to phone ahead to set up a tour.
“We try to customize the tour to fit the needs of our customers,” said Anna. The Stossels opened the store several years ago in the Short North section of Columbus, then moved to the suburbs.
After the tour, participants can grab a bite to eat in one of the new restaurants at the recently opened lifestyle section of Polaris Fashion Place. They include Dave & Buster’s, which has a midway with video games; a British-themed place called The Pub; a Benihana Japanese steakhouse; Cantina Laredo, which features Mexican food; and a Cheesecake Factory.
Make my slice chocolate!
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