|
|
March 4, 2005
Never-ending chocolate
Marcelo Makon's new product leads to salivation.
KYLE BERGER
Attention chocolate lovers! Imagine a place where what would usually
hold water was, instead, filled with warm, melted chocolate. A place
where the world's most popular tasty treat oozed out of fountains,
allowing it to delicately smother anything placed under the constant
drizzle.
Well, it might not be Charlie and the Chocolate Factory but
there is a new Vancouver-based company that wants to give you a
sample of what that world might be like, just in time for your spring
parties.
At Grace Chocolate Falls, Marcelo Makon hopes to sweeten any social
event with one of his chocolate fountains. When one of his creations
is up and running, melted chocolate flows down several layers of
the fountain's mini cliffs, allowing those with a sweet-tooth to
dip just about about any food item through the liquid for a home-made
dessert.
"You have to see the faces of the people when they see the
fountains," Makon told the Bulletin. "They see
the melted chocolate flowing down and it becomes very tempting to
try to make different things."
Good for weddings, b'nai mitzvah or any other type of party or reception,
Makon's business can provide kosher dairy and pareve chocolate for
the fountains. And when it comes to dipping, there are almost no
limits to what you can try.
"Children love the interaction with the fountain," Makon
said of the fountain's most adventurous clientele. "They dip
marshmallows, strawberries, bananas, cake or biscotti. Or they pour
it over ice cream or fruit salads.
"This is something that everybody loves and has to at least
try," he continued, referring to the reactions he gets from
fountain-dipping rookies. "People think they are in heaven."
Makon gained knowledge and, more importantly, an appreciation for
chocolate years ago when, while living in Argentina, he worked for
his brother-in-law, who made organic chocolate. He moved to Vancouver
a couple of years ago and saw the fountains pitched as a business
opportunity at a trade show. He soon realized that he was looking
at a product that was fairly new to the Pacific Northwest market.
"The fountains became an attraction in California for big Hollywood
events," he said. "It then became popular in Eastern Canada
but it is quite new here in British Columbia. This is a unique and
new thing. People like something really different."
Although the majority of their business thus far has come from word
of mouth, those mouths seem to have really enjoyed what they tasted.
"We had a very busy holiday season and we are already taking
a lot of reservations for parties well in advance," Makon said.
The company recently debuted their new website, www.gracechocolatefalls.com,
where potential clients can browse around at some of the different
types of chocolate and dipping products.
Makon said that the biggest misconception he has seen since he started
this business, just over three months ago, is how high people expect
the price of renting a fountain to be.
The small fountain, which is appropriate for parties of up to 200
people, costs $300 for the night. The medium size fountain, recommended
for groups of up to 400 people is $400. These prices include the
fountain, the chocolate and whatever foods are requested for dipping.
The service also includes an attendant who sets up and takes care
of the fountain and serves the chocolate. "We have to make
sure that no one is double dipping," Makon joked.
More information can also be found by calling 604-202-1108.
Kyle Berger is a freelance journalist and graphic designer
living in Richmond.
^TOP
|
|
