New Cheshire Chocolatier Sweetens the Season

The name of the town's new chocolate shop, "Cocoashak," is a pun on the name of veteran chef Chris Koshak who's now a full-time chocolatier.

Koshak on Thursday opened what he calls a "fine yet fun chocolate shop" with his wife Jennifer Lucia in the Cheshire town center. Koshak began seriously studying the alchemy of chocolate-making seven years ago.

"It is a chemical process," Koshak said, explaining the technique of "tempering" chocolate. "You have to raise the temperature, lower the temperature, then raise it up a little again, or else it turns gray and streaky." 

"It's what makes the hard outer coating -- what makes it nice and shiny as opposed to a regular dull chocolate," Lucia said. "It all tastes the same, but it's prettier."

Cocoashak specializes in handmade chocolates, truffles, and other confections. Bearing no resemblance to shelves of mass produced chocolate in the grocery store, the sleek mirrored showcase at Cocoashak is stocked with handmade concoctions.

From pecan-peanut pralines to chocolates glistening with iridescent sheens, Cocoashak offers gourmet treats made on site. Their truffles mix surprising combinations: dried fruit, coconut, and pumpkin seeds; vanilla cognac; and "Coconutty," a coconut and coconut milk truffle rolled in – what else? – coconut.

"The pistachio is a big hit with people," said Lucia. She was busy shaping scoops of mojito-flavored filling to join the shop's imminent "drunken truffle" flavors, including margarita, Grand Marnier, Bailey's Irish Cream, and other liqueurs.

The dark chocolate globes studded with pistachios are one of Lucia's favorites as are a new seasonal creation: pumpkin pie truffles. "That is so awesome," said Lucia, offering a sample of the lightly dusted gold orbs. "If you like pumpkin pie, that thing just melts in your mouth."

Koshak uses no preservatives and is able to get most of his ingredients from North American suppliers. He and Lucia have a long list of future projects. "We're going to be doing dipped apples, caramel and chocolate and that sort of thing. ...Some dipped fruit," Lucia added. "Blueberries covered in chocolate are absolutely delicious."

The owners are also trying to trademark a new creation. "We're calling it a Truffle Puff.  It's a cream puff shell, but instead of filling it with cream, we fill it with chocolate ganache, which is the truffle filling. Then we dip it in chocolate. It's more of a dessert thing than just a two-bite piece of chocolate."

The shop's offerings will change with the seasons. "Around Christmas I'll do a candy cane truffle, gingerbread, that kind of thing," Koshak said. Other ideas range from chocolate-covered potato chips were a hit at the recent Cheshire Fall Festival.

Koshak will also introduce "a sipping chocolate" with pre-Columbian origins. "It's kind of like a hot chocolate, but it's real chocolate, not a powdered mix."

"It's thick and delicious and it has hot pepper and cinnamon in it, so it's the original Aztec version of hot chocolate. We're going to have little four-ounce cups of that. Any more is too much."

The shop is already becoming a hit with residents for whom the idea of "too much chocolate" seems like an impossible word combination.     

"The caramel is creamy and the chocolate divine," said Lauren Blackwell, a Cheshire Town Hall employee.

Tasting an amaretto truffle rolled in almond flakes, Mary Thompson-Kelly, also a town employee, agreed. "It's rich – just the way I like it."

Cocoashak will hold a grand opening at their shop on October 9.