Buy Ohio, Give Ohio : Ohio Chocolate!
Submitted by Anthony Fossaceca on Tue, 12/08/2009 - 12:47pm.
Over the last few days, we've recommended great Ohio-made products you can give for the holidays. A complete listing is here in our fancy Buy Ohio, Give Ohio holiday shopping section.
Today, let's talk about food. Ohioans love food. We especially love chocolate. And as most of us know, Ohio is home to two nationally respected chocolate manufacturers - Cleveland's Malley's Chocolates and Canton/Akron's Harry London.
Harry London was founded in 1922 as a side job while Harry London (duh) worked at a local steel mill. As his reputation grew, London made chocolate his life's work. 87 years later, the brand and the chocolate are respected nationwide.
A few years later, Mike Malley opened his first candy operation with a borrowed $500 (during the depression) and turned a former deli on the corner of 134th and Madison into what has eventually become one of Cleveland's most recognizable brands. From the long lines of cars backed up on Brookpark Rd. during Easter season to the thousands of CHOC oval bumper stickers plastered on cars throughout the region, Malley's, like Harry London, is an Ohio instituton.
If you're looking for gift ideas, check out the Dark London Mints or Caramel Presents at Harry London or the Dark Chocolate Raspberry Christmas Bells at Malley's. Either way, you can't lose - and Ohio workers have more to do this winter.
Ah! Chocolate! My favorite subject.
Malley's makes a very nice product. I have never been to Harry London.
Two of my favorite places in the Cleveland area are Sweet Designs in Lakewood and Lilly Handmade Chocolate in Tremont. Sweet Designs has most of my regular favorites like candied orange peel in dark chocolate and they ship. Lilly makes a small, delectable selection of truffles and candy pieces that are constantly changing and they sell specialty wine and beer to go with them. A couple of examples: the forty winks is fresh lavender flowers in a bittersweet chocolate ganache with a candied violet petal on top. The Cinn-A-Bunny, which I can vouch is delicious, has Vietnamese cinnamon fresh ground ginger, fine sea salt, clover honey and vanilla bean in bittersweet chocolate.
Sweet designs, 16100 Detroit Ave., 216.226.4888 or 800.660.419, http://www.sweetdesigns.com/
Lilly Handmade Chocolates, 761 Starkweather Ave., 216.771.3333, http://www.lillytremont.com/
Can't Believe I Forgot!
Anthony et al, there's another great Ohio foodie connection from my hometown I forgot to tell you about: Marie's Candies!
Order online at http://www.mariescandies.com/.
Marie's specializes in artisan chocolates, and has been producing high-quality chocolate in West Liberty since 1956. During the 1990s, they purchased the old West Liberty railroad depot, moved it to the edge of town, and now use it as their retail store.
Marie's has been endorsed by noted Ohio food critics, including Jim Ellison (AKA CMH Gourmand), who has done a terrific write up of the place here.
So, if you happen to be in West Central Ohio, take the trip down U.S. Route 68 and check it out!
You people are making me
You people are making me hungry. Damn!