There’s something magical about a chocolate shop, especially around the holidays, and here on the North Shore we’re spoiled for choice when it comes to locally made, decadent, hand-crafted chocolates. There’s an option for every taste and preference, from ancient, Mesoamerican-inspired drinking chocolates to confections that combine chocolate with art and technology. In addition, supporting local chocolatiers is more important than ever right now, since a failed cocoa crop has rattled the industry the world over. Luckily, it’s easy—and delicious—to do exactly that. Here are four chocolate shops worthy of your holiday list.
Kakawa Chocolate House, Salem
Salem is steeped in history, so it makes sense that Kakawa Chocolate House would set up shop in the heart of downtown, right next to the Peabody Essex Museum. The shop, which originated in Santa Fe and opened its Salem outpost in 2018, specializes in historically inspired drinking chocolates that are a bit like turbo-charged hot cocoas.
“Chocolate’s history is 5,000 years old, and for 95% of that it was only a drink,” says co-owner Bonnie Bennett. “We have 18 different elixirs that span chocolate’s history.”
They often taste wildly different than anything our modern palates are used to, like the ancient Mesoamerican-inspired Mayan Full Spice Elixir, a bittersweet blend of spicy, herb-infused cocoa, or the French Baroque-style 1692 French Lavender Elixir, which recalls the drinking chocolate that might have been served in the Versailles court. The Salem shop also takes inspiration from the city’s role in the 18th Century spice trade with its white chocolate and black pepper-spiced Salem Spice Elixir.
In addition to the drinking chocolates, visitors to the Salem shop can also find items for gifting (and snacking), like truffles, caramels, mendiants, chili chocolates, and more, not to mention “a little bit of time traveling” via chocolate.
“It’s great to understand where it comes from, what the roots are, what it tastes like,” Bennett says.
Winfrey’s Fudge & Chocolates, Rowley
Winfrey’s Fudge & Chocolates just celebrated 45 years in business, and the secret to their longevity isn’t much of a secret at all: Consistently making delicious, handcrafted chocolates with the same love and care that they’ve always done.
The business, which started as Winfrey’s Fudge in 1979, has expanded a lot over the decades, adding chocolates to the confectionary lineup in the 90s, along with buttercrunch, caramels, creams, and turtles.
But their fudge, especially their chocolate fudge, is still “tried and true,” says Jill Winfrey, who owns the business with her two brothers, Mark and Scott Winfrey. The chocolate fudge is their number one seller, and with 30 different flavors, people still think “fudge” when they think of Winfrey’s.
“We pride ourselves on a very good, creamy fudge made with great ingredients from a local dairy farmer,” she says. “Everything is handmade to order. We make fudge every single day.”
They now have four retail stores, including their newest shop in Middleton, which opened in 2021. But they still stick to the same traditions that have made Winfrey’s a longtime favorite, from their beautiful “Gold Cup” assortment of boxed chocolates to cooking in copper kettles.
“It’s all made by hand, from scratch,” Winfrey says.
M. Cacao, Amesbury
When a chocolate shop has a “head of chocolate innovation and development” you can be sure to expect great and unexpected things. That’s exactly the case at M. Cacao, where master pastry chef Delphin Gomes and owner and former robotics engineer Michael Nichols have teamed up to create a business that marries chocolate with art, technology, and innovation.
“We both love to do new things, push the boundaries, innovate,” says Nichols. “We’re just having the fun and rethinking how we do chocolate and doing things that other chocolatiers are not really adventurous enough to do.”
What that looks like in practice is certainly nothing most people have seen before. For instance, their signature Expressio box, dubbed “the first ever chocolate video box” allows people to gift a box of chocolates that doubles as a personalized video or photo slideshow. Art collides with chocolate with ArtBars, where the uniquely flavors chocolate bars provide a “canvas” for recreating Andover artist Michele Bourgeau’s works.
The innovations and incredible flavors don’t stop there. M. Cacao also offers a variety of chocolate collections, ice cream, drinking chocolates, and pastries, as well as hands-on classes. It’s all aims to think of new and exciting ways to tell stories with chocolate.
“We’re always looking for the best next thing,” Gomes says.
Harbor Sweets, Salem
The familiar gold-foiled Sweet Sloops are a beloved staple at Harbor Sweets, thanks to their iconic sailboat shape and delicious combination of almond buttercrunch toffee covered with white chocolate, dipped in dark chocolate, and dusted with pecan spindrift.
“One thing that’s so unique about the almond buttercrunch is that everything here is so handmade,” says Erin Clarke, marketing director. “It’s actually stirred in copper kettles using a wooden spoon in our kitchen. The butter crunch has been so popular, we’ve been able to use it in other chocolates across our brand as well.”
But there’s a lot more to Harbor Sweets than its beloved buttercrunch, especially now that it’s under new ownership. In addition to familiar staples like caramels, truffles, cocoa, and chocolate assortments, Harbor Sweets has several special collections that celebrate distinctive flavors, heritage, culture, and even causes. For instance, the Salt & Ayre Chocolates invoke a “culinary adventure” inspired by flavors and salts from around the world, such as Thai ginger and chai, while the honey-infused Gather Chocolates line raises money and awareness for the Pollinator Partnership.
They’ve also added brand new products, like barks, turtles, and creams, as well as specialty boxes like The Chocolate Night Before Christmas Storybook, which opens like a book and contains 28 foil-wrapped chocolates along with the beloved poem.
“It’s pretty spectacular when you’re going to celebrate with your family,” says Colleen Norvé, president.