Peterbrooke Chocolatier Features Art Of European chocolate

Story and photos by Lisa Gallant- Tampa Bay Food Tours Taste Ambassador

Tampa Bay Food Tours welcomes Peterbrooke Chocolatiers to Tampa. We look forward to showcasing this fun interactive spot for chocolate on our tours.

Peterbrooke Chocolatier has recently opened in the Skypoint building in downtown Tampa in the space formerly occupied by Anise restaurant. Franchise owner Jennifer Hill has turned her longtime fandom of the brand into a new family venture shared with two of her daughters, Drew and Sydney. The chocolatier has an intense presence in Jacksonville where Jennifer and her husband Ryan previously resided; the family has felt the void since moving to the Tampa Bay area years ago. After retiring from teaching, it seemed a natural progression to grow the Peterbrooke footprint in the local market.

The new space offers no shortage of options for the chocolate lover or even the chocolate observer; the store is lined with floor-to-ceiling shelves bedecked with decadent sweets that could even double as home décor such as chocolate stuffed pumpkins and local sports paraphernalia – all edible of course! There is a spinning wheel of gelato and two spinning wheels of chocolate and caramel – these you may have to see to believe. The industrious version of the chocolate fondue fountain can be reserved for team building and private parties within the store where guests can learn about chemistry, temperature, and compositions while molding, dipping and setting various goodies to take home.

The liquor license is in process which will allow for various pairings and wouldn’t you guess, chocolate wine - perfect for sipping along the Riverwalk. Registration is open for a variety of events and classes from candy apples to chocolate molds to chocolate pizza decorating complete with an adorable pizza box. Custom orders and gifts are available from a variety of molds to sugar printing; imagine your company business card or logo emblazoned on a delicious treat – now that’s one business card that wouldn’t get thrown away.

Jennifer concluded that the dipped rice krispies treat is one of her favorites and the smothered graham cracker is one of mine though I decided to try a few different options this time around. Pretzels are always a showstopper for me and the choices were myriad: twists, rods, and chunks dipped in white chocolate, milk chocolate, and dark chocolate at every turn. I opted for a bag of the pretzel pals; the combination of sweet and salty just couldn’t be beat. The case of handmade truffles presented some tough choices; the vanilla heart truffle was exquisite and the peanut butter milk chocolate truffle was smooth and dreamy. There are vegan options as well as sugar-free options; you won’t miss the sugar in the nut caramel cluster and the sugar-free peppermint truffle is so potent, your toes will feel the chill. Then reach for the hot drinking chocolate to restore the warmth or better yet, a hot chocolate bomb whereby a heated spherical chocolate literally explodes with marshmallow.

As Jennifer rearranged boxes of chocolates on display, she explained the association with the Rainforest Alliance that promotes sustainability and a living wage for farmers. Sustainable AND essential – all of the Peterbrooke locations remained opened during the various phases of quarantine. Additionally, the store offers a rewards program that is perfect for locals – who doesn’t like free chocolate?

My grandmother used to make some intriguing no-bake corn flake peanut butter cookies and I was inordinately obsessed with them as a child. I spotted a bag of the chewy sweet with an extra ingredient: chocolate of course! This turned out to be my favorite of the day, the nostalgia giving it the extra edge. The new store is full of opportunities for fresh nostalgia and is the stuff of which memories are made. You’re likely to walk in with a smile, and walk out with an even bigger one.

https://www.peterbrooketampado...

Store hours are 10am – 9pm Monday – Thurs, until 10pm Friday and Saturday, and 11am-6pm on Sunday.

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