{"id":3691,"date":"2013-07-07T09:33:55","date_gmt":"2013-07-07T16:33:55","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/chocolatebythebay.com\/magazine\/?p=3691"},"modified":"2022-10-24T13:38:21","modified_gmt":"2022-10-24T20:38:21","slug":"cruz-ing-for-chocolate","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/chocolatebythebay.com\/magazine\/outsidechocolate\/cruz-ing-for-chocolate\/","title":{"rendered":"Cruz-ing for chocolate"},"content":{"rendered":"

It might seem strange that a beach town is home to an artisan chocolatier who has made the top ten list of several influential publications, but Santa Cruz, south of SFBA, has been home to Richard Donnelly\u2019s award-winning fine chocolates for 25 years. And the most recent top ten list he was on is National Geographic Magazine\u2019<\/em>s\u00a0The 10 Best Chocolatiers in the World<\/a>, in the\u00a0third edition of their Ultimate Guide for Travelers,<\/em> released April 3, 2012.<\/p>\n

\"donnelly<\/a>
Donnelly Chocolates’ unassuming storefront on CA Hwy 101 in beachy Santa Cruz.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Feeling the love<\/h3>\n

It\u2019s not just the international jet set that likes his chocolate; locals voted Donnelly Chocolates<\/a><\/strong> their favorites in the\u00a0Best of Santa Cruz Good Times<\/em> 2011 contest.<\/p>\n

We saw the love ourselves when we stopped by on a recent visit. The retail shop is small (the better to experiment and hand-make chocolates in the much larger kitchen in the back), and it was non-stop customers the entire time we were there.<\/p>\n

Nevertheless, Richard Donnelly was happy to answer any and all questions, make suggestions, and hand us samples while serving other customers and greeting some like the long-time friends they have become. The store has a very laid-back, comfortable vibe, with prominent displays of hand-dipped chocolate bars vying for attention beside the more traditional display case of truffles and bonbons. There\u2019s even a freezer case of hand-dipped ice cream bars, a gourmet spin on that quintessential summertime treat.<\/p>\n

Folksy vs. refined<\/h3>\n

The balance between the experimental side with a wabi-sabi aesthetic (best represented by the hand-dipped chocolate bars) and the filled bonbons descended from European traditions (with a heavy representation of alcohol fillings) also extends to the experience of eating the chocolates.<\/p>\n

Richard said they use\u00a03 types of European couvertures, including Valrhona, matching the type to the flavoring\/effect they want to achieve; and the chocolate shells are shiny & even-tempered. Flavored bars also have a nice snap. Traditional, high quality chocolate, as you would expect for the price.<\/p>\n

But all that perfect chocolate is the platform, and the flavoring\/fillings cover a wide range. Some, like \u201cspicy pepper\u201d are very flavor forward. Others, like \u201cchewy coconut,\u201d are about the texture. Then others you\u2019d expect to be a blast, like the ginger, are very subtle with only a little bite at the end.<\/p>\n

(And I have to admit, the bonbon I thought would taste weird did. Richard said, rose was a flavor that women like, but I thought it was like eating perfume and not in the edible-flower range.)<\/p>\n

\"more<\/a>
Fresh bonbons are laid out on a table in the back ready to fill simple boxes or clear plastic bags.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"rose<\/a>
The day’s batch of bonbons included rose.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Little hot shots<\/h3>\n

Donnelly Chocolates offers a \u201cflight\u201d of liquid-center chocolates. While alcohol based, they were not what I expected, hollow chocolates injected with liquor\/liqueur. Instead the flavored interiors start out solid and become liquid through a natural chemical process inside the chocolate \u2014 like individual mini aging barrels of spirits. As a result, the fillings we tried didn\u2019t have a pronounced alcohol burn, while still having strong liqueur flavors. Warning: They can be messy \u2014 Richard told us we had to eat them in one shot \u2014no biting or sharing.<\/p>\n

We tried the Limoncello and Pr\u00e9vu, which is a new sparkling liqueur from France made from vodka, cognac, berries, herbs and spices. It wasn\u2019t sparkling by the time I tried it, but it was a lighter, wine-like flavor, which Richard described as a sweet filling popular with men who don\u2019t usually care for sweet.<\/p>\n

\"todays<\/a>
The day’s chocolates are laid out on a table behind the counter.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Interesting flavors<\/h3>\n

According to Richard,\u00a0the most interesting items they sell are the Spicy Pepper Chocolate Bar (\u201cMy favorite,\u201d he said. \u201cI put it in my hot chocolate every day.\u201d), the Chinese Five Spice Dark Chocolate Bar, and the Fresh Ginger, Cardamom, and Chipotle Ganache-Filled Chocolates.\u00a0But the biggest seller, he told us, is the dark chocolate sea salt caramel hand-dipped bar. I believe it: the dish emptied out while we were there, and Richard refilled it, all the while continuing our conversation without pause.<\/p>\n

Only in Santa Cruz<\/h3>\n

I haven\u2019t seen hand-dipped bars from other chocolatiers; they are short, chubby, slightly irregular bars, stuffed with various fillings. Cross-section samples of each bar are displayed in the case to help you make your choice.<\/p>\n

We had to try the fast-moving Dark Chocolate Sea Salt Caramel. It\u2019s all about the caramel: chewy, almost stick to your teeth caramel. The chocolate and sea salt are just there to deliver that caramel experience. They enhance it, but are definitely supporting players. I can see why it\u2019s so popular. It is very satisfying if you are a chocolate-covered caramel lover.<\/p>\n

We also tried the Chewy Coconut Log, which combines a fat finger of coconut with a dark chocolate shell and a dusting of toasted coconut. It\u2019s a less sweet version of a Mounds Bar, with a way better chocolate shell.<\/p>\n

\u201cDipped chocolate bars are a huge percentage of the business,\u201d Richard said. \u201cAnd they’re easier to make than truffles.\u201d<\/p>\n

Keep coming back<\/h3>\n

While Donnelly Chocolates have been around long enough to be an institution, the place has a very entrepreneurial feel to it. All the chocolates are handmade in small batches, so daily offering vary and new items appear regularly. When we were there, Richard told us he was ordering a new machine so they can make chocolates almost from scratch. Just short of bean to bar, Richard plans to start making some chocolates with Valrhona cocoa instead of the couverture, and making chocolates with sugar alternatives, including sugar-free sweeteners for diabetics. \u201cPeople come in every day asking for diabetic chocolate,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

They also sell hand-dipped ice cream bars, chocolate chip cookies, and cookie and brownie mixes. The ice cream for the bars comes from Marianne\u2019s, another local institution, that\u2019s been churning out great homemade ice cream for over 50 years. The bars are popular, and Richard said they are planning to move all ice cream bar production to Marianne\u2019s to be able to increase production and get it into stores.<\/p>\n

\"packaging\"<\/a>
Donnelly Fine Chocolates’ packaging, AKA a blank canvas.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Go with the flow<\/h3>\n

If you\u2019re thinking of giving Donnelly Chocolates as gifts, be warned: Packaging is minimal, with a DIY\/small carbon footprint feel. Bars are wrapped in clear plastic sleeves, closed with the ingredient label. Boxes are simple white squares, unadorned except for a plain gold border. Product keys are B&W xeroxes of hand-drawn chocolates and descriptions. And when it\u2019s hot outside, the cold packs Richard puts in your plain brown goodie bag are small frozen bottles of Kirkland water in their own plastic sleeves.<\/p>\n

If you want to give them as gifts, I suggest you embrace the DIY, wabi-sabi nature of Donnelly Chocolates and decorate the packaging yourself. The box tops are little blank canvases (and already framed in gold), the clear bar sleeves lend themselves to sticker art, and you can tie them all up with pretty ribbons.<\/p>\n

I think Mr. Donnelly would approve.<\/p>\n

Richard Donnelly Fine Chocolates<\/a>,\u00a01509 Mission St., Santa Cruz, 831-458-4214.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Chocolates with a laid-back beach town vibe overlaying some serious traditional European chocolate-making and edible experiments<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5,"featured_media":3775,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[58,13,169],"tags":[30,175,435,514,517,516,515,144,518,383,384,381,385,75,386,79,331,387,204,64,1074,382],"class_list":["post-3691","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-american-chocolate","category-outsidechocolate","category-reviews","tag-artisan","tag-caramels","tag-cardamom","tag-chipotle","tag-coconut","tag-five-spice","tag-ginger","tag-hand-dipped","tag-handmade","tag-ice-cream","tag-limoncello","tag-national-geographic-magazine","tag-prevu","tag-richard-donnelly","tag-rose","tag-santa-cruz","tag-sea-salt","tag-small-batch","tag-sugar-free","tag-valrhona","tag-veteran-sfba-artisan-chocolatier","tag-wabi-sabi"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/chocolatebythebay.com\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3691","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/chocolatebythebay.com\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/chocolatebythebay.com\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chocolatebythebay.com\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/5"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chocolatebythebay.com\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3691"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/chocolatebythebay.com\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3691\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":35876,"href":"https:\/\/chocolatebythebay.com\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3691\/revisions\/35876"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chocolatebythebay.com\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/3775"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/chocolatebythebay.com\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3691"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chocolatebythebay.com\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=3691"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chocolatebythebay.com\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=3691"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}