Buying Guide to California Chocolates

California is blessed with a lot of things, but most people aren’t aware that the Golden State is also blessed with some very fine chocolatiers. Some, such as See’s and Ghirardelli’s, may be familiar to people throughout the country. Others are much smaller and limited to just one or two shops within the state, but they are definitely worth the effort to discover.

See’s Candies was founded in 1921 in Los Angeles, and is perhaps the best known chocolatier in the state. The well-known crisp black and white motif of their boxes and stores reflect both the art deco era and quest for perfect white-glove cleanliness of the time. They are moderately priced and make a fine last minute gift, especially since their assortments come pre-wrapped in their many retail outlets. The chocolates themselves reflect their moderate price and their method of factory manufacture – good enough, but slightly waxy.

Columbia Candy Kitchen uses recipes dating back four generations in the Nelson family. Located in historic Columbia State Park, their headquarters occupies the same shop that has housed confectioners since the 1890s (they added a second shop in The Junction shopping center in Sonora seven years ago). They carefully concoct their creations using the original old equipment such as copper kettles and marble slabs. According to Jennifer McMahon, fourth generation chocolatier, “the pine nut rolls are probably our most unique creation, and we also have the fruit and nut California Cups.” Columbia Candy Kitchen employs three full-time chocolate dippers and one full-time candy maker who also roasts the nuts and makes the ingredients for the hand-dipped chocolates. You can truly taste the difference in these creamy, melt-in-your-mouth delights.