Geneva: The 'chocolate capital of the suburbs'

The town of Geneva is so sweet, isn't it? No, literally. It is.

The tiny Western suburb with a population of roughly 22,000 has more than a dozen businesses that make homemade chocolate treats, from regional chains to specialty bakeries and restaurants.

“This community is so unique. It really is a chocolate community ... and it is the chocolate capital of the suburbs,” said Chicago chocolate expert Valerie Beck, who used to give chocolate tours in Geneva before launching her own chocolate consulting business, Chocolate Uplift.

People would come from all over for the tours, even as far away as Iowa and Texas, to sample Geneva's chocolate.

“In Geneva, we'd go to five or six different shops on every tour, and it's all quality chocolate,” Beck said. “You find things that are made by hand, and made by chefs, and chocolatiers, and people who really know great ingredients.”

Most of the chocolate sellers are within a few blocks of each other, yet they all manage to coexist.

“People like to have unique chocolate ... and every business has their own little niche,” said Laura Rush, communications manager for Geneva's Chamber of Commerce. “It's a matter of, what do you have a taste for?”

This Valentine's Day, that could be a wide range of things, including a chocolate frosting shot, a heart-shaped ganache-covered brownie, a gluten-free chocolate bar, a gourmet truffle or a nutty milk chocolate- and caramel-covered skälie.

Many Geneva restaurants make their own gourmet chocolate creations, too. Chef Andrew Hoelscher at Haché Moderne Brasserie, for example, sells a rich, savory truffle, crafted from French dark noir chocolate. He cooks them down with French butter and heavy cream, and garnishes them with blood orange-glazed milk chocolate and Maldon sea salt.

The truffles are sold in a display case at the front of the restaurant as well as being featured on the menu, and will be included in a special chocolate dessert trio on Valentine's Day — served alongside a scoop of dark chocolate gelato and an espresso cup filled with hot chocolate.

They're making bigger quantities of chocolate treats over at All Chocolate Kitchen. Chef/owner Alain Roby ordered more than 1,500 pounds of chocolate for Valentine's Day, which he'll use to make 200 plated desserts and nearly 3,000 truffles.

Roby is known for his showmanship, and has broken three Guinness World Records for his chocolate and sugar masterpieces, including a 948-pound life-size Eros God of Love sculpture made from white chocolate for the Food Network's “Outrageous Chocolate” special. But customers come to his All Chocolate Kitchen for his Aroma and Eros truffles, made with high-end ingredients such as criollo chocolate from the Ivory Coast, Venezuela, Ghana and Madagascar.

There's a more hometown feel down the street at Graham's Fine Chocolates & Ice Cream. It's the city's oldest chocolate shop — and one that's synonymous with Geneva.

Customers watch the chocolate being made in the front window and see wedding photos of the Untiedt family, which runs the business, hanging on the walls.

“Every product that you find here is made here,” said owner Bob Untiedt. “We don't have one specialty. People like to come in and make up a box of their favorites.”

While Naperville and Long Grove are also popular suburban spots for high quality chocolate, Geneva's number of homemade chocolate businesses per capita makes it unique.

Geneva celebrates its chocolate every fall during Festival of the Vine, a fest that incorporates wine and chocolate.

“You can't even get into some of these shops during the festival, because they're packed,” Rush said. “People are just so darned passionate about their craft, and how they do it. People come from all over.”

The sweet stuff

While not a complete list, here are some of the popular homemade chocolate treats you'll find in Geneva:

Graham's Fine Chocolate & Ice Cream, 302 S. Third St., grahamschocolate.com

Try: Skälies, a turtle-like creation of chopped nuts, held together with caramel and chocolate. Or fill a gift box with an assortment of your favorite chocolate candies.

Sweet Natalie's, 228 S. Third St., sweetnataliesgeneva.com

Try: Gluten-free turtle cheesecake or gluten-free French silk pie. The shop is filled with other “allergy friendly” chocolate desserts.

All Chocolate Kitchen, 33 S. Third St., allchocolatekitchen.com

Try: Sleek Aroma and Eros truffles, made with specialty flavors and high-quality ingredients. There are heart-shaped varieties for Valentine's Day.

Moveable Feast & Co., 321 Franklin St., moveablefeastgeneva.com (closed on Sunday/Valentine's Day)

Try: Deeply Fudgey brownies, also known as “Oprah brownies” because they were chosen as one of Oprah's Favorite Things. For Valentine's Day, they're being covered in chocolate ganache and topped with a little red heart.

The Latest Crave Cupcake & Toffee Shop, 227 S. Third St., thelatestcrave.com

Try: Frosting shots, served in edible chocolate cups, or the Jack-n-Jill cupcake, baked with chocolate chunks, stuffed with a marshmallow, frosted with chocolate buttercream and dipped in milk chocolate ganache.

Hache Moderne Brasserie, 524 W. State, hachegeneva.com

Try: Decadent and rich truffles made with French chocolate. On their Valentine's Day menu, the truffle is part of a dessert trio that includes a dark chocolate gelato and a hot chocolate in an espresso cup.

Preservation Bread & Wine, 513 S. Third St., preservationbreadandwine.com

Try: Chocolate espresso tart, topped with house-made whipped cream.

Cocoa Bean, 11 S. 7th St., cocoabeangeneva.com

Try: Romeo and Juliet cake. The Romeo is chocolate cake and chocolate mousse, with a chocolate ganache finish; and the Juliet is white cake, vanilla bean mousse and raspberry creme brûlée, with a red glaze finish. They come in individual and 6-inch heart sizes.

Kilwins, 407 S. Third St., kilwins.com/geneva

Try: Creamy homemade fudge, including their popular double dark chocolate Mackinac Island Fudge.

The Sugar Path, 315 W. State St., thesugarpath.com

Try: Ma Cherie. It's a chocolate cupcake filled with fudge and a cherry, topped with cherry buttercream and a chocolate-covered cherry.

Wildwood, 447 S. Third St., wildwoodsteak.com

Try: Dark chocolate mousse or chocolate gâteau (French chocolate cake).

Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory, in Geneva Commons, 1308 Commons Drive, rmcf.com

Try: Chocolate-covered marshmallows on a stick, or the chocolate-dipped potato chips.

Rox City Grill (in the Hotel Baker), 100 W. Main St., roxcitygrill.com

Try: Hot doughnut holes, served with a chocolate dipping sauce.

Atwater's Restaurant (in the Harrington Inn), 15 S. River Lane, herringtoninn.com

Try: Chocolate-covered strawberries, or the chocolate ganache cake.

Kernel's Gourmet Popcorn & More, 511 S. Third St. kernelsgourmet.com

Try: Semisweet nonpareils chocolate candies.

Carousel Candies/Silvestri Sweets, 2248 Gary Lane, carousel-candies.com (closed on weekends).

Try: Dark or milk chocolate-covered caramels with sea salt.