Who doesn’t love chocolate? Of course, there must be someone out there that doesn’t delight in the copious consumption of that wonderful confectionery creation, but certainly none of them were at the grand opening of Chocolate Works on May 2.
Located at 916 Old Country Rd. at the Gallery at Westbury Plaza, Chocolate Works is a chocolate lover’s dream come true and part of an east coast franchise that is currently growing by leaps and bounds. Chocolate Works specializes in hand-crafted treats of a staggering variety, and all of it is prepared right on the premises, according to Garden City franchise owner Richard Benchuk of Jericho.
“We focus on making kids happy here,” Benchuk said. “We have two full-time chocolatiers on staff constantly making stuff, and our own enrobing machine, which is like a mini-chocolate car wash with a conveyor belt that covers things in chocolate. It’s really a lot of fun here.”
Walking into Chocolate Works, for lack of a better description, is essentially like walking into Willy Wonka’s personal candy vault; everywhere you look, there’s some delicious sugar-laden treat that you’ll want to instantly shove in your mouth. From truffles and fudge to chocolate-covered pretzels and cookies to a chocolate fountain and bins of candy you can scoop into bags at will, no sweet-related stone is left unturned. At times it almost seems too much—as if such a thing could ever be said of chocolate—but, as Benchuk said, it’s one of the few affordable luxuries left to people in these harsh economic times.
“This is a multi-tiered business…we have chocolate, candy, ice cream and more…it’s not like a yogurt shop where you depend on one item, so this place is always jammed,” he said. “You may not be able to afford that BMW, but you can always afford to get yourself that pound of chocolate. It still gets you satisfaction. It may not be the greatest thing for your diet, but everyone needs a treat once in a while.”
Chocolate Works originally opened their doors a week before Christmas 2014; however, a busy holiday season combined with the harsh winter weather forced the store to hold off on their grand opening until the spring. That day, the store was packed and free samples of their delicious, decadent wares were given out to all in attendance.
Benchuk hasn’t always slung truffles for a living; in fact, he noted that his previous professional life was about as far removed from the world of candy as one could get.
“I used to own a dental supply company…it was a family business, so Chocolate Works is a total 180 from there,” he said. “I eventually sold the business and sat around for six years playing golf. I eventually broke 180 and said that it was time to do something else, and whatever that was, I wanted it to be fun and I wanted to smile. And this totally provides that.”
In addition to everything else, Chocolate Works boasts of a number of specialty gift items as well, with some bordering on inspired; among those are actual chocolate pizzas and corporate-themed trinkets such as chocolate business cards.
Benchuk’s daughter Julia, age 12, said that her social life certainly experienced a bump once her father got into his new business. After all, how many kids can brag that their parent owns their own chocolate factory?
“It’s a lot of fun…all my friends always want to come by after school for play dates,” she said. “Plus, I get to work here decorating and dipping things like strawberries into chocolate and making chocolate pizzas and stuff. It’s really cool.”
Chocolate Works can host a number of social events, including birthday parties, workshops, and ladies’ nights out, as well as a whole host of services to the community, Benchuk said.
“We work with a number of special education groups, including people with cerebral palsy and autism…we have workshops where we show them how to make chocolate and other things,” he said. “That’s so rewarding…when you have a kid who has a disability come up to you and say that this is the best day of their life, it makes it worthwhile.”
Find out more about Chocolate Works at www.chocolateworks.com.
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