Cleveland Chocolate Co. Indulges Your Sweet Tooth

Rebecca Hess has found a way to hit that sweet spot Cleveland’s been missing. In February, the former co-owner and chef of Arcadian opened Cleveland Chocolate Co. in the old Fairmount Creamery building with a focus on scratch-made, single-origin chocolate bars ($7). Choose from 15 different flavors, such as the 79% single-origin dark chocolate bar made with cacao beans from Haiti, which features notes of blueberry, honey and butter. Or go a more inventive route with the white chocolate orange poppy seed bar, which comes studded with candied orange rinds, or the strawberry hibiscus bar that’s tart and tantalizing. “I treat it just like I would treat food,” says Hess. “The flavor profiles really change drastically from bean to bean and country to country, so there’s already a lot of flavor and different notes and characteristics you’re going to pick up on. It’s a matter of finding that balance.” clevelandchocolate.co