Woodbridge has a new source for chocolate, cookies, gelato and espresso-based drinks. Chip in a Bottle, 26 Selden St., will hold its grand opening on Dec. 13 from noon to 8 pm. Samples will be available and there will be a cake cutting.
First Selectman Beth Heller recently visited owner Darrell Nurse to welcome and congratulate him on moving his business to Woodbridge.
Nurse is a trained physical therapist who was looking for a second career. While on vacation he visited a chocolate shop and saw very artistic handmade chocolates. “I thought, ‘I could do that.’ I tried it and it was good. My friends tried it and they liked it,” and now the store is in its second phase. Nurse has had no formal training and has learned by trial and error.
Nurse has entered many International Chocolate Salon competitions and has won several awards, including for spicy chocolate, vegan and hot chocolate bars. All of the chocolates and gelatos are made by hand using real ingredients instead of artificial flavorings. The chocolates are made from bean to bar. Each chocolate is made with its own ganache – some flavors are made by steeping with tea; others are created with real fruit or nuts. Some chocolates can be made within four hours – others take several days.
The micro-batch chocolate confectionary offers more than 30 flavors of hand-painted truffles and macarons. Truffle flavors include salted peanut dark chocolate, lavender white chocolate and smores milk chocolate. Macaron flavors include lavender, Nutella and strawberry sumac. There are also pretzels dipped in chocolate, more than a dozen gelato flavors (including vegan options), cookies and chocolate bars. Everything is made in-house.
In order to maintain freshness and reduce waste cakes, cheesecakes and fruit baskets are also available, if ordered at least 24 hours in advance. Specialty chocolates and gelatos can also be made to order.
In addition to the storefront, Chip in a Bottle also sells online and does delivery in-person or via UPS.
Chip in a Bottle was originally located in Westville but Nurse needed a bigger kitchen and wanted better parking for his clients so he moved to Woodbridge. He likes the Selden Street location because he’s getting walk-in traffic from people frequenting his business neighbors.
Chip in a Bottle is open Monday through Saturday 12 – 8 pm. Visit www.chipinabottle.com for more information.