Even in hard times, most of us can afford one small piece of chocolate to sweeten our outlook. And with the arrival of Suess Chocolates & Pastries [0] to Madison Valley, we now have another charming chocolate shop to help lift our spirits.
Opened early last month, Suess is owned by German-born Dennis Haupt, a former air traffic controller, and his business partner, David Hua, who worked in technology. The shop's name is German for "sweet" and was inspired by the chocolate that Haupt's grandmother once made, which he describes as "intense, but not as sweet as American chocolate."
Haupt and Hua make handmade truffles (up to $2) using Scharffen Berger 70-percent-cacao dark chocolate, and creamy Callebaut milk and white chocolate from Belgium. Their ganache-filled confections range from simple flavors like hazelnut and caramel sea salt to the inventive and adventurous peppered pineapple and raspberry wasabi.
Suess also sells traditional German confections such as marzipan and Mohnkuss -- a whipped marshmallow covered in chocolate or coconut -- as well as strudel, streusel and kaesekuchen, a decadent cheesecake made with quark instead of cream cheese.
The inviting shop is spacious, with a subdued yellow wall and plenty of tables for eating and chatting. It's also family-friendly, offering a kids' table, play area and an open invitation to children 3 and older to come behind the counter free of charge and dip a marshmallow, pretzel or Oreo in a vat of chocolate.
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