Photograph by George Sakkestad
Holly and John Ross specialize in Belgian chocolates at their new shop in downtown Los Gatos.
By Anne Gelhaus
Holly Ross was never a big fan of chocolate until she tried some Belgian confections while on vacation. She was taken by their flavor and freshness.
Unable to find anything similar near their Saratoga home, Ross and her husband, John, decided they would sell Belgian chocolates themselves. Their store, Chocolate Dream Box, opened last month in Los Gatos.
The Rosses acquire their
merchandise--handmade pralines, creams and truffles--from the Belgian Chocolatier, a local company that imports its chocolate from Belgium. The employees who make the candies also come from that country, as does the machinery they use to create the confections. Holly says the chocolates differ in several ways from mass-marketed American candy.
"Since they're European chocolates, there are no peanut-butter cups," she adds. "Most are made with fresh butter and cream, and some only have a shelf life of 30 days.
"European truffles aren't like the huge American ones that are almost more than you can fit in your mouth," Holly says.
"You can be satisfied just eating one or two," John adds.
The Dream Box is usually closed on Mondays and Tuesdays, but the Rosses plan to open every day next week to accommodate Valentine's Day business. Their 25-piece box ($21) includes one of each variety of chocolate, and those whose loved ones take their chocolate in more moderate doses can purchase a small teddy bear holding a four-piece box for $10.50.
True chocoholics can put smaller candies into containers made of chocolate and shaped like Dutch wooden shoes, baskets or hearts. All the boxes are made from molds, and some are hand-finished to resemble wood grain.
Holly points out that the chocolate boxes don't necessarily have to contain more of the same.
"If you bought a ring for your girlfriend," she says, "you could give it to her in a heart-shaped chocolate box."
Chocolate Dream Box, 309 N. Santa Cruz Ave., Los Gatos.
395-4343. Hours: Wed. and Fri.,
11 a.m.-6 p.m.; Thu., 11 a.m.-7 p.m.; Sat., 10 a.m.-6 p.m. and Sun.,
10 a.m.-5 p.m.
This article appeared in the Saratoga News, February 7, 1996.
©1996 Metro Publishing, Inc. All rights reserved