Ever look at a piece of art and wonder what it would taste like? I don’t mean the canvas. I’m strictly speaking abstractly here. What would it be like if we could taste the art we love? Well, maybe we can! After all, art isn’t just for hanging on a wall, or being curiously observed and evaluated in a museum. It isn’t defined under some strict code as either painting or sculpture. In fact, art can be whatever you wish it to be! And, in the case of Viktoria Richards, art is 100 percent edible. I’m talking chocolate here, people!
When I first found these sweet little gems, I was perusing a local art show. In the mix of local paintings and sculptures stood a white canvased booth with the name Viktoria Richard’s painted across. Curiosity got the best of me, so I headed in to check things out. Turns out, it was more than I had ever expected to find. Thousands of little thumb-sized chocolates were carefully placed on every table, sitting inside glass cases to keep the precious candies from melting. Had I just walked into some alternate gourmet candy dimension? It was a treasure trove of chocolates. Enough to make a true chocolate fanatic explode out of pure excitement.
Talking to the employees, I found out a little bit about Viktoria Richard’s chocolates. I was both surprised and brimming with joy to hear that they are a local chocolate business, based out of New Port Richey, Florida. Artisinal chocolates, all hand-crafted and made with ingredients grown and harvested by local farmers-their way of keeping it in the Florida family.
The woman behind these remarkable pieces of art? Victoria Boyko Fulwood. A woman whose true passion her entire life has been culinary arts, and whose heart has always been very close to chocolate. Throughout her childhood, she enjoyed visiting the Hershey factory, and even helping her family sell chocolates made by locals. As she grew up, Viktoria’s love for chocolate never waned, and when the time for college rolled around she made the hefty decision to make the move to Lucerne, Switzerland to study the culinary arts, particularly chocolate. It was in Europe that Viktoria would enjoy some of her best years, and experience chocolate in a whole new light.
Viktoria certainly racked up an impressive list of accomplishments. She graduated from both the American University Lucerne, Switzerland and the American University London, England. Talk about ambitious! And it certainly shows in her chocolates, as they have the richest, smoothest taste I have ever experienced from any gourmet chocolate company.
So what happened after college? Well, it actually took her a while to get the ball rolling. Viktoria moved back from Europe and spent some time working for retailers. A few years after that, she made her way to Toronto with her hubby, and decided to enroll in a chocolate class-the catalyst for the birth of Viktoria Richard’s Chocolates.
Now, some clarification on the name seems to be in order. Viktoria Boyko Fulwood doesn’t exactly sound like an artisan chocolate company, so Viktoria decided to combine her name with her husband’s, and, voila, the rest is history! A brand of hand-made, chocolates that look as elegant as they taste! And the flavors? They’re like nothing you’ve ever encountered.
Viktor recognizes that everyone enjoys chocolate in their own special way. Some enjoy it with coffee, tea, or with a glass of wine. Some eat chocolate before a meal, or as a rich dessert. A midnight snack, or in the middle of the day. Viktoria recognizes all of the different chocolate connoisseurs out there, and so has created a menu to cater to everyone’s unique tastes. For starters, there is Wild Berry Pinot Noir ( the solid black piece), White Nights Sangria (milky brown heart with a white brushstroke), and Lemon Vodka in the shape of a nesting doll with a golden paint job. That’s for those of you who enjoy a little something extra with your chocolate.
There are others that include strange combinations, like the gorgeously painted Pineapple Chipotle (purple with red splatters) and Mango Key Lime (the bright red and green piece). Some are simply pretty, like the Raspberry, featuring pink and green color splatters, and the Champagne Heart dappled with just a enough polka dots to make it look chic. However, my personal favorite as of yet is a brand new flavor: Earl Grey Lavender. The lavender flavor is all the rage right now, and is actually my current addiction. It’s the cobalt blue and vibrant yellow splattered candy, and trust me, you have to taste it!
And if you don’t live in the area, don’t stress. VR chocolates is also an online based company, so you can order gift boxes (either for a love one or to treat yourself!) and have it delivered to you in a timely fashion. The best pat about this is you don’t need to worry about the condition of the chocolates, as Viktoria makes sure they get to you un-melted and without wear and tear. Mint condition. Once you taste them you’ll be like “Fancy-Gourmet-Chocolate-Chain who?”, because VR chocolates will be all you’ll crave from there on out!
And with Valentine’s Day rolling around, VR may not be the worst thing to give your girl. Chocolates that look like precious works of art and taste like heaven?
Just a thought!
And there are so many more flavors and types of chocolates for you to check out!
If you’re interested check here!
