Chocolate Bliss

The Chicago Chocolate Tours will feature many delicacies in Geneva.

E-mail this story

Print this story

Share

Looking to satiate your sweet tooth?

Well, what could be better than an afternoon stroll through Geneva, sampling some of the finest chocolates in the Chicago area? From Cocoa Bean to Graham’s Fine Chocolates, Geneva is a perfect host for Chicago Chocolate Tours.

Recently selected to be a featured “special edition” spot for the popular Chicago Chocolate Tours, Geneva is proud to reveal another hidden gem — the town’s affinity for decadent chocolate.

The Chicago Chocolate Tours are primarily in different areas of Chicago and involve year-round walking tours that highlight select chocolate shops, bakeries, cafés and more. The guided educational tours last about three hours and include visits to traditional and nontraditional chocolate stores.

Not only will you learn about the rich world history of chocolate (as well as its presence in Chicago), but you also will get the opportunity to discover local chocolate treasures in Geneva.

Considered by Valerie Beck, founder and CEO of Chicago Chocolate Tours, to be the “sweetest tour in town,” the tour offers participants an opportunity to taste savory chocolates and “walk off the calories” between stops.

Beck began the Chicago Chocolate Tours five years ago as an entrepreneur in Chicago.

“I have been a chocolate maniac for my entire life, and it has been a thrill to see the business grow,” Beck says.

Chicago was the perfect city for her to start in, and opened tours in Philadelphia and Boston.

So what brought the chocolate tour to Geneva?

Beck has been coming to Geneva for years as a destination for rest and relaxation. And because she’s always “sniffing out the finest chocolates around,” she found Geneva has an “amazing concentration of chocolate genius.”

From world-renowned, professionally trained chefs to local business owners who are incredibly persnickety about the foods they serve, Geneva is known for its culinary prowess. Beck wants to capitalize on the unique spot chocolate has in Geneva.

“I have not found any other small town like Geneva with such a high concentration of really good, real chocolate genius,” Beck says. “I prefer chocolate that is handmade with all natural fresh and pure ingredients. Geneva’s chocolate often exceeds all expectations.”

For $40, you can enjoy a little exercise and a lot of chocolate.

The remaining limited-edition tours scheduled in Geneva will begin at 2:45 p.m. March 16 and April 20. But because the tour has been so popular in Geneva, it’s likely it will continue to be hosted on the third Wednesday of every month. Private tours also may be arranged. Tours in Geneva start outside Cocoa Bean, 11 S. 7th St., and from there proceed to Moveable Feast, Graham’s Fine Chocolates, Preservation Bread and Wine, Chef Roby’s All-Chocolate Kitchen and, finally, Graham’s 318.

During the walking tour, participants will be invited to sample some of the best chocolate desserts, drinks and almost anything else that can be made from chocolate! An added bonus of the Geneva tour is the private cooking demonstration with Chef Paul at Cocoa Bean and its sweet finish of a flavorful wine tasting.

“Our motto is ‘Uplift through Chocolate,’ because we want everyone who comes on a tour to have a positive experience through learning, sampling and being entertained,” Beck says. 

One of the scrumptious items on the tour menu includes the “Oprah-famous” brownies from Moveable Feast. Deliciously rich, fudgy and wanted across the U.S., those brownies will leave your taste buds in awe. And perhaps best of all, they are baked fresh every day.

“Geneva and chocolate is a perfect combination,” Beck says. “I am always finding new restaurants in town to feature on the tour. Anywhere there is good chocolate, you can be sure I will find it. Geneva deserves to have this opportunity to shine. I hope to expose Geneva for the special gem it truly is!”

One Sweet Tour
For more information about Chicago Chocolate Tours in Geneva, go to chicagochocolatetours.com/geneva-il or call 312-929-2939.