The Hot Chocolatier brings chocolatey delight to the Southside
It’s hard to pinpoint just one thing that makes Chattanooga unique. We’re a city thriving with out-of-the-box activities, venues that host extraordinary performances, and top-notch eateries, and one of those top-notch eateries can be found on Market St. We’ll go ahead and wish you luck on managing to pull yourself away without a bag full of artisan chocolates and a cup of homemade hot cocoa.
Of course, we’re talking about The Hot Chocolatier.
“We expected business to slow in the warmer months, but people just kept filing in,” says owner Wendy Buckner as we sip our coffee and cocoa respectively. It’s no surprise that every day (now including Sundays!) is a busy day for employees of The Hot Chocolatier.
I was gifted a cup of Salted Caramel Hot Chocolate on my way in and was more than happy to do my duty as a writer—because what’s an article without research, right?—and drink my cup dry despite the warm January weather.
Salted Caramel is just one of the twenty plus flavors of hot chocolate served, among the equally popular S’mores Cocoa and two perfectly romantic Valentine flavors, Pistachio Rose and Lavender Vanilla.
It’s the perfect afternoon stop for a hot cocoa and a snack, but stop by for Valentine’s to up the romance and take home chocolatey delights! Or, be the responsible spouse in your relationship, and skip the line that will surely be trailing through the store by calling in your order ahead of time.
“You can pay for it over the phone and just pop in to pick it up,” says Wendy. They’re offering the ultimate chocolate gift by allowing you to choose from their assortment of handmade, artisan chocolates, truffles, chocolate covered marshmallows (also handmade) to make the perfect chocolate basket for your loved one.
“We have a range of basket sizes to choose from. You choose what you want in it, and we’ll put it together and make it pretty for you!” says Wendy. They also offer the traditional heart-shaped chocolate box, filled with mouth-wateringly delectable truffles. Add a tin of sipping chocolate to take home the warm romance that is this thick, decadent cocoa.
The Original sipping chocolate is all the dark chocolatey goodness of The Hot Chocolatier’s handmade dark chocolate, that you mix with warm milk to provide a rich, dreamy cup of cocoa that’s far beyond a powdered mix (unless you’re buying that powdered mix at The Hot Chocolatier, as they offer that more traditional route as well.)
Or if you’re looking for something original, with maybe a bit more kick, go with The Hottie sipping chocolate, which offers a mix of dark chocolate chunks, cayenne, chipotle, and ancho peppers.
Both sipping chocolates come with heating directions on the label, so have no fear that you can whip up a cup of hot cocoa with the best of them, just from the convenience of your kitchen.
It may seem impossible to think that The Hot Chocolatier could possibly serve more than everything listed above, but they do. They serve cupcakes and full size cakes, the most popular being the lusciously layered mousse cakes, as well as coconut macaroons and French macarons, shortbread cookies to match the season, and more.
Pop a conversation heart cookie into your spouse’s chocolate basket as a sweet and sappy throwback to the days of elementary school Valentine’s.
With The Hot Chocolatier’s chocolates rounding out your Valentine’s evening with a sweet bang, you really only have one job: don’t forget the dinner reservation.
The Hot Chocolatier
Mon-Thurs — 11am-8pm
Fri-Sat — 11am-10pm
Sunday — 11am-5pm
1437 Market St ∙ Chattanooga
(423) 266-3066
www.thehotchocolatier.com