What do you get when you have a family of foodies, a love for chocolate, and an entrepreneurial spirit? You get Saratoga Chocolate Co. of Saratoga Springs, NY. This week I chatted with Allison Rose, who brings us behind the scenes of her chocolate making process, and shares a bit about why she left her career to become a chocolatier.

HOW’D YOU GET STARTED? Allison shared that she’s from a family of foodies. She woke up one Christmas morning and said to her husband, “How about Saratoga Chocolate Company?” In less than two weeks, she had registered the business, obtained domain names, and started “developing in earnest”.

WHERE DO YOU GET YOUR FLAVOR INSPIRATIONS? Allison tries to find the right combinations of flavors to augment the tasting experience. Everything they make at Saratoga Chocolate Co. is something that she loves. She leads with her palette and has FUN!

AND WHAT’S YOUR FAVORITE HERE? Allison is a sucker for milk chocolate, and loves the Passion bar, which is a milk chocolate with passion fruit powder blended into it. As she says, “It gives you a bite of Hawaii at the end.” With that being said, she loves dark chocolate as well, with it’s exciting flavor dimensions and healthful benefits.

SO FOR THE RECORD, IS CHOCOLATE HEALTHY? Not all chocolate is created equal and dark chocolate is always going to be healthier. The higher the percentage of cocoa, the lower the percentage of sugar the bar contains. Dark chocolate is very high in magnesium and antioxidants, and is a natural mood lifter.

DO YOU EVER GET SICK OF CHOCOLATE? Her short answer was NO. If she could eat two things for the rest of her life, it would be chocolate, and her mom’s chocolate chip cookies.

Saratoga Chocolate Co.’s retail shop is located in the Saratoga Marketplace on the lower level. Their amazing products can also be found at farmers markets throughout New York, and in over 100 locations throughout the state. Their bars, barks, cocoa, and other gourmet chocolate goods can also be found at www.saratogachocolateco.com .