"We selected to start our business here in VA because the residents are well educated, well traveled, and they appreciate the finer things in life.”

It seems that we are at the cusp of another crazy American success story. God knows we can use more of them these days. Sure there are plenty of good chocolate makers in the world. They are mostly based in Europe where chocolate making tradition dates back hundreds of years.

It seems almost wholly unnecessary to make fine chocolates in the US, right? What would you say if I told you that this is exactly how American wine making was started; against all odds and 4 formidable French wine makers, Haut-Brion, Lafite, Latour and Margaux. You already know how the story ends there, if not read the book by George Taber, Judgment of Paris: California Vs. France and the Historic 1976 Paris Tasting That Revolutionized Wine.Passion seems to be the fuel behind Melanie and Wilhelm Wanders. Melanie is from New Hampshire and Wilhelm is a transplant from Germany. Food has always been a passion of Melanie, where as pastry making has been in Wilhelm’s blood and family for 300 years. They met in a culinary school in North Carolina, married and decided to move to Virginia to start their business in 2005.

Melanie says, “We selected to start our business in Virginia because the residents are well educated, well traveled and they appreciate the finer things in life.” Wilhelm is very proud of their accomplishments and says “We receive our chocolate couverture from France. We are not a bean-to-bar manufacturer or chocolate makers. Instead, we call ourselves ‘chocolatiers’ as we work with fine chocolate to create confections from it.” All of their confections are made by hand in small batches. Imported chocolate is melted, delicately shaped, filled with infused Ganache. They make confections infused with Green Tea, Ginger, Rhubarb and more.

Melanie says they elected to sell their products through small independent businesses, “The small businesses are the backbone of America and the more community oriented we are, the better it is for us.” They recently started to sell their products at Whole Foods Fairfax. Melanie adds “chocolate is temperamental, technical and very scientific.” She says, “A single degree makes a big difference so we infuse science with our love and human touch to achieve fine confectionary.” The walls of their assembly plant in Manassas are covered with pictures of Lucille Ball in her famous scene from the “Confection Assembly Line” episode. I think Lucille would have admitted also, American “Chocolatiers” came a long way. We are happy they decided to set up shop in our backyard.

by Murat Aksu