Charles Chocolates: Putting Pleasure First
Charles Chocolates Small Bars photo credit Tamara Palmer
At the Charles Chocolates factory in San Francisco, Chuck Siegel and his longtime team produce all-natural, handmade confections that are as visually appealing as they are delectable. Siegel started his first chocolate company in nearby Emeryville in 1987, and he launched Charles Chocolates in 1994. He leased the current factory in 2019. The company has had its ups and downs but is going strong in part thanks to a strong vision and philosophy about chocolate.
Products
Charles Chocolates pavés photo courtesy of Charles Chocolates
Charles Chocolates has a robust catalog of products that includes milk, dark and ruby bars with eye-catching inclusions, chocolate-covered nuts, pavés, chocolate-covered Peanut Butterflies, and edible chocolate boxes of confections, to name a few.
There are also seasonal specials, like the company’s technicolor chocolate bunny that somehow made its way into Paul McCartney’s backyard last Easter. Siegel doesn’t know how that happened, but as a serious fan, he was delighted that McCartney shared a photo of the bunny in his newsletter.
Philosophy
Chuck Siegel photo courtesy of Charles Chocolates
“The number of things that we play with in the kitchen that never see the light of day is much larger than the things that do,” says Siegel. “Finding those really wonderful combinations isn’t that easy, but it's probably one of the most important things we do, because that’s what tells our story as Charles Chocolates. We only eat chocolate for pleasure and because of that I really firmly believe that chocolate should never be challenging. It should never be something where we take a bite and say, ‘I’m not sure if I like this.’ Every single time, it should be, ‘This is wonderful, this makes me feel good, this tastes great.’ So the combinations of flavors that we use and ingredients that we use with chocolate tend to be accessible. Our core mission is to create really fantastic chocolates that are always a pleasure to eat.”
Chocolate & Nuts
Charles Chocolates Gianduja Blocks photo courtesy of Charles Chocolates
Siegel likens being asked about his favorite Charles Chocolates products to having to pick his favorite child.
“I get asked this constantly, and I think about it a lot,” he says. “What I realize is a lot of it changes from day to day and hour to hour. There are certain things in the morning I like. There are certain things in the afternoon I need.”
Gently pressed further to identify one of his products that he may have a problem liking maybe a little bit too much, he admits that he has a particular weakness for his Gianduja Blocks, made of hazelnut praline blended with gluten-free feuilletine flakes (which are crispy and sweet crepes) and dark milk chocolate and then coated in bittersweet chocolate.
“Anything hazelnut and chocolate tends to be something I’ve always gravitated towards,” he says. Fellow fans of this combo should consider the company’s Triple Chocolate Hazelnuts, which reveal layers of flavors as they melt in your mouth, the Salty-Sweet Hazelnut Bar with 65% bittersweet chocolate and the Candied Lemon and Hazelnut Bars, which are available with milk chocolate or bittersweet chocolate.
Siegel is known for his confections using nuts which he makes by using the panning method for coating. His other nut products include Triple Chocolate Almonds, Triple Chocolate Hazelnuts, Mint Chocolate Almonds and Toffee Chocolate Macadamias. One of his signature confections are the aforementioned Peanut Butterflies, a play on the word peanut butter, the chocolate bonbons filled with peanut praliné.
Charles Chocolates Edible Box photo courtesy of Charles Chocolates
Another signature is edible chocolate boxes, containing bonbons. Each are decorated and they change with the seasons.
Looking Forward
Charles Chocolates Don't Make Me Snicker Bar photo credit Tamara Palmer
Currently, Charles Chocolates and California Eating are hosting a contest to give one lucky person the chance to design their own custom milk or bittersweet chocolate bar with inclusions and receive 100 bars. The winner will be picked at random from the entrants who have signed up for the Charles Chocolates mailing list to have a call with Siegel to help determine the kosher inclusions that will be used. Enter here for a chance to win and start thinking about what your dream chocolate bar could be! The contest ends at midnight Pacific Time on July 4, 2024.
Later this summer Charles Chocolate will be one of the featured vendors at the Outside Lands music festival as part of Taste of the Bay Area, where he first wowed crowds in 2009 with treats such as homemade Gourmet S'mores and hot chocolate. This year his ambitious lineup includes Brownie Hot Fudge Sundaes, Churro Tots, and Thai Iced Tea in addition to his Gourmet S'mores.