Chocolateer Confections

-By Meghan O'Brien

Chocolateer Confections, "Chicago's Chocolate Boutique," offers much more than an indulgence of truffles. It offers a sense of community to the consumer.

This small business was formed three years ago when owners Stuart Bander and Perry DiGirolamo "naturally gravitated towards one another's strengths" according to Bander.

Bander's 20 years experience as a French-trained pastry chef and DiGirolamo's computer and business smarts create a partnership made in heaven.

Bander loves his job because no one ever leaves his store unhappy. DiGirolamo enjoys the fact that no two days are ever the same and that he spends his time making new friends.

Chocolateer Confections sells the finest handmade truffles, ice cream, chocolate barks and clusters, cookies, wine, coffees and gift baskets. There are stores in Lincoln Park and Old Town.

This small business consists of four employees, the owners and two others. Bander and DiGirolamo work at the stores on a daily basis, and Gary Simms, the gentleman who makes the many of the truffles, has been working with them since "they laid down the floor in the first shop," he says.

Bander describes the main clientele as "young upwardly mobile adults living in the area." Bander and DiGirolamo had a specific market in mind when opening up the company, understanding that they needed to be located in an area where people were willing to pay for an indulgence. Truffles are approximately $1.20 each, $20 per one-half pound (approximately 16 candies), $20 a pound for barks, chocolate fruit, chocolate pretzels.

The candies are expensive because they are made from the finest ingredients and the process of making them is time consuming and difficult. Bander and DiGirolamo buy ingredients for the chocolates from different parts of the world including Ecuador, Venezuela, Australia, and Africa, just to name a few.

"The process takes patience," Bander says, "It is long and tedious and everything is done by hand."

Making a batch of truffles takes about three days. The "Grand Cru," coated in gold, is the finest and richest of all the truffles.

Large candy franchises cannot give the customer the unique attention that Chocolateer Confections provides. The customer service here is top notch. Bander and DiGirolamo have, in the past, handed out free samples of the truffles so that customers know they will be happy with the product they are purchasing. The owners are truly concerned about customer satisfaction and will do whatever it takes to provide it.

They know their customers by name and speak fondly of them. Bander and DiGirolamo recall memories of Mikey, the 4-year-old boy, who comes in regularly and loves pistachio flavored ice cream. Simms, describes a woman named Pam who recently told him that the store is "her new favorite place." DiGirolamo speaks of, Marcus, the biker, always has ideas for new types of ice cream, ideas that they do try.

Taking ideas from clients is "what makes it fun" according to DiGirolamo. In fact, one of their best selling ice creams, The Kitchen Sink, was a suggestion made by a customer/friend. The Kitchen Sink is an ice cream made with all the left over truffles that were not perfect enough to sell. Instead of throwing them out, put the truffles into an ice cream, and voila, The Kitchen Sink was born.

Simms loves the fact that his customers are positive and that everyone is always happy and in a good mood. Much of the customer's happiness is created from the employees themselves. The atmosphere of Chocolateer Confections is one of friendly service and concern for consumer satisfaction.

Paula Lueras, a new customer of Chocolateer Confections believes that this store has the best candies in town.

"The truffles are by far the best I have ever tasted. The feeling you get when you eat them is incredible, I don't think I will buy chocolates any where else again," she said.

"Even the atmosphere here is great. It's a cute shop where I can just sit down and read for a couple of hours without being bothered," Lueras said.

Bander and DiGirolamo believe in being friendly with everyone, including competition. The Lincoln Park location, which sells coffee, is located right next to Starbucks. Simms says, "We love the Starbucks people, we get along great."

Mary Burhans, an employee of the Starbucks next door, claims that she buys candy from the store at least three times a week. "They have the best vanilla ice cream and the people there are super friendly. Perry, Stuart, Gary, and Pauline, they are all super-friendly, they are like a family," she says.

Chocolateer Confections is located at 1212 N. Wells in Old Town and at 3066 N. Lincoln in Lincoln Park. Both locations are open seven days a week and store hours vary depending on the time of year. To order the chocolates call 1-866-234-COCO or visit the website at www.chocolateerconfections.com

Homepage