Chocolate shop open in downtown Branson

Chocolate owner April Heaton shows her handcrafted chocolates and chocolate dipped strawberries. BDN photo by Kia Stacy

By Kia Stacy
BDN Staff Writer
kstacy@bransondailynews.com

Charlie Bucket might have dreamt of seeing the wonders of Willy Wonka’s chocolate factory, but that is probably because he never tasted one of Chocolat’s handcrafted artisan chocolates.

So maybe Chocolat can’t boast a chocolate waterfall or an army of Oompa Loompa’s to create the perfect piece of candy, but it does have two very hardworking women that dedicate their days to making edible works of art.

April Heaton and her mother Debra Ioannides opened Chocolat at the beginning of May inside the Chappy Mall on Commercial Street in downtown Branson.

The creative flavors, Heaton said, came from having worked in the restaurant business for so many years. She and her family owned a Mexican restaurant downtown called Pepper Bellies in the days before Branson Landing. The rest came from The Sweet Grenada, a chocolate cafe in Emporia, Kan., where Heaton “learned how to work the chocolate.”

And the work certainly paid off. Chocolat has a variety of artisan chocolates such as green tea, peanut butter creams, peppermint, key lime, various caramels and a house specialty called Aztec Gold, which has a hint of honey and cinnamon and a kick of ancho chile. Other succulently saccharin creations are chocolate dipped Oreos, apples, pretzels, s’mores and, of course, strawberries.

And a sweet that is popular with people of all ages is the chocolate mice. The chocolate dipped maraschino cherry and Hershey Kiss complete with almond sliver ears are almost too cute to eat. Heaton said the “mice take forever” to make but admits “they’re fun because they’re so cute.”

And the chocolate isn’t only to eat; customers can drink it, too. In addition to a generous selection of teas, Chocolat specializes in European drinking chocolate, a treat so rich it invites a sugar rush after only a few sips. Customers can also drop in and stay a while and enjoy some fondue while having a cup of tea.

“It’s a place for people to come hang out,” Ioannides said.

And Chocolat offers the perfect opportunity for sharing since customers can create gift baskets of any size for any occasion.

Ioannides said the gift baskets are completely unique since customers can “pick out everything they want.”

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