Chocolatier Enjoys Freedom To Create Sweets

Almost anything edible can also be dipped in chocolate, by Linda Hills’ standards, at Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory, 31 S. Northwest Highway, Park Ridge.

“We are constantly dipping pretzels, Oreos, graham crackers,” said Hills, the “host” at the chocolatier.

“We kind of dip anything you can think of in chocolate. (Even) potato chips. We’re also dipping Twinkies. We make cookie dough from scratch, turn that into a ball and dip it in chocolate.”

Hills, the franchise owner celebrating her sixth anniversary in Park Ridge, is busy revving up for the Halloween  sales rush, on top of regular rush orders for parties and weddings.  She wouldn’t be doing anything else, even though creative chocolate concoctions was the furthest thing from the Des Plaines resident’s  former career.

“I was a research scientist doing construction forensics for Construction Technology Laboratories in Skokie, for 20 years,” said Hills.

“Then I decided I wanted to change careers and do something I was passionate about. I was always a baker and a cook. I used to make chocolate and candies when I was a teenager. That’s when I thought I’d open up my own chocolate business. “

Hills found both quality and flexibility with her parent company.

“I did some research on Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory as a franchise business,” she said. “You have some creative freedom. You can make all kinds of different treats.  Halloween’s coming up. As long as we cook with their chocolates to keep the flavor up, we have a lot off freedom to make mummies, Frankensteins, spiders, a lot of different chocolate treats you won’t find anywhere else.”

A caramel and fudge assembly line

The sight of Hills and her staff at work is nearly as interesting as the end result.

"We make about 70 percent of everything ourselves,” she said. “We make caramel ourselves in a big copper kettle in front, so you can watch us make caramel apples, or dip apples. We make fudge, and we have a big marble slab in the front of the store.”

Hills opened at a time when healthy eating was increasingly emphasized. Then the economy tanked.

“What I found is that everybody likes to treat themselves or the people they care about well at least once in awhile,” she said. “Everyone in moderation. You might as well indulge in something high quality. Over the years people are tending to eat dark chocolate because of the higher concentration of anti-oxidants.”

And Hills survives tough times by immersing herself in the local business community.

“You just have to keep modifying your product, be a part of the community,” she said. “I’ve been on the board of directors of the Chamber of Commerce, and have been chairman of the retail committee. The more people see you out there doing things, they know you’re a part of the community. That’s helped a lot.”

Hills started out working seven days a week. She’s cut herself back…only a little bit. With big orders, she’ll put in 14-hour days.

A question comes up from customers and friends about her sweet tooth.

“A lot of people think you get tired of it, eating it every day,” Hills said. “I don’t get tired of it. I eat at least a quarter pound of it every day.”