Uncommon Chocolatier Archives — The Coastal Insider

Uncommon Chocolatier

June 15, 2022June 1, 2020 by The Coastal Insider

Market Common’s Neighborhood Candy Store Is a Sweet Spot to Stop by Melissa LaScaleia Along the Grand Strand is a not-so-common chocolate shop— Uncommon Chocolatier— so dubbed in playful reference to the shop’s location in the Market Common— a beloved locale to the shop’s owner— Don Konieczny. This is the first retail venture for Don and his business partner Christine Falvo, both aficionados in their profession. The two have thirty years of combined experience in the professional chocolate world. They previously worked together in the wholesale chocolate industry before Don decided to pursue his dream of doing what he was passionate about on a smaller scale and keeping it more personal. “Our goal is to always produce the highest quality product delivered with the best service,” Christine says. “We keep it really small and tight so that we can control the quality that we produce. We take great pride in the way our product looks. We’re both extremely passionate about what we do. “We didn’t have a name until we had a place,” she adds. “We wanted to fit into the community— to be ingrained in it personally and to be thought of as their candy store.” And what better way to become beloved to a community then to serve up delectable chocolate confections taking into account the tastes and preferences of your clientele? That’s just what the two have set out to do, and to much enthusiastic acclaim from those who frequent their shop. One of the ways in which they do that is through meeting people’s dietary needs. They offer gluten-free and vegan products; additionally, everything is highly customizable to your specifications so they can accommodate any allergy. Did we mention it tastes good too? Here, all the fudge is lovingly hand-crafted by Don himself, with chocolate sourced from Belgium, which Christine exalts as being “in a class all by itself.” Callebaut, the company that processes the chocolate they use exclusively, is an ethical company using ethical manufacturing practices. “We use them because they are an industry leader in development, production, selection, and quality,” Christine says. “They are on the forefront of everything.” The Uncommon Chocolatier carries over forty flavors of fudge in their store at any given time. To date, the two have produced about 120 flavors, which they rotate seasonally. They produce thousands of pounds of fudge per week at their factory in Pennsylvania, and then drive the finished product themselves back to Myrtle Beach. “Its the sheer number of flavors and the quality of our product that sets us apart,” Christine says. To determine what they will make, they look at what’s trending and any new flavors or flavor combinations that are coming out. They also ask the community for suggestions and take requests for new product creations. Past creations include fireball fudge, and unicorn fudge— a brightly colored confection that swirls into a kaleidoscope of flavors. Have any ideas you want them to fulfill? Stop by your neighborhood chocolate shop, they’d love to know. Uncommon Chocolatier Phone Map-marked-alt Facebook

The Uncommon Chocolatier

June 15, 2022January 23, 2020 by The Coastal Insider

Bringing Uncommon Delights to the Market Common by Melissa LaScaleia The Uncommon Chocolatier is the first retail venture of business partners Christine Falvo and Don Konieczny. Both have been working as confectioners in the delectable world of professional chocolate for a combined total of thirty years. The two opened The Uncommon Chocolatier as a team in February, last year. They have a factory in Pennsylvania where they produce all of their confections, personally driving the finished product down to Myrtle Beach twice a month. “We didn’t have a name until we had a place,” Christine says. “We wanted to fit into the community— to be ingrained in it personally and to be thought of as their candy store.” What’s available at The Uncommon Chocolatier? Almost anything you could wish. They offer highly customizable options to accommodate allergies, sensitivities, and preferences. — Photo Meganpixels Parker When they found a spot at the Market Common, they decided to spin off of that name, dubbing themselves The Uncommon Chocolatier. And uncommon they are, in that rare-treasure kind of way. “We don’t want to be a franchise, we want to remain a small operation, stay local, and answer the needs and tastes of our patrons,” Christine says. One of the ways in which they do that is through meeting people’s dietary needs. They offer gluten-free and vegan products; additionally, everything is highly customizable to your specifications. They will make sweet treats that can accommodate any allergy— without compromising flavor. Don, the owner, makes all 120 rotating flavors of fudge by hand. — Photo Meganpixels Parker “We source all of our chocolate from Belgium,” Christine says. “Belgian chocolate is just its own entity, in a class all by itself.” Callebaut, the company that processes the chocolate they use exclusively, is an ethical company sourcing high quality materials with ethical manufacturing. “We use them because they are an industry leader in development, production, selection, and quality,” Christine says. “They are on the forefront of everything.” Don is the store owner and also makes every ounce of fudge that is sold in their store— by hand. Pecan turtles made with roasted and salted pecs and caramel. — Photo Meganpixels Parker “We carry over forty flavors of fudge in our store at any given time,” he says. “We’ve produced about 120 flavors, and rotate them seasonally. People are blown away by how many we have.” To determine what they will make, the two will look at what’s trending and the new flavors that are coming out. They also ask their patrons for suggestions, who often oblige by requesting fun and mysterious sounding creations like unicorn or superman fudge. For Valentine’s Day, The Uncommon Chocolatier is stocking their shelves with several confections destined to delight anyone near and dear to your heart. They will be offering chocolate covered strawberries in a long-stem-rose box (available by pre-order only), and rose lollypops, made of pure chocolate in the shape of a rose. They also have a product that’s new to the industry. Called ruby in reference to the naturally occurring, beautiful, ruby pink color of its bean, the product has a fruity, tart flavor. — Photo Meganpixels Parker “It’s new to the industry,” Christine says. “It’s been really fun to play around with and do different pairings with this chocolate. The rose lollypops and the chocolate covered strawberries will be available in ruby chocolate, as well as dark, milk, and white.” In addition to their limited edition Valentine’s Day delights and fudge selection, there are an almost dizzying array of other wonderful chocolate delights. Dried fruits dipped in chocolate; pecan turtles made with roasted and salted pecans and caramel; English toffee; chocolate covered marshmallows; chocolate covered pretzels and Oreos; and truffles. “Our goal is to always produce the highest quality product and the highest quality service,” Christine says. “We keep this venture really small and tight so that we know the quality that we produce. Don and I take great pride in the way our products look. We’re both extremely passionate about what we do.” The Uncommon Chocolatier 3351 Reed Street, Myrtle Beach, SC 29577 M-Sa 10am — 8pm; Su 12-6pm Facebook @ The Uncommon Chocolatier 843-945-4479 Map-marked-alt Phone Facebook

Raising the Candy Bar at The Uncommon Chocolatier in Market Common

March 4, 2022May 28, 2019 by

by Ashley Daniels If life is like a box of chocolates, I’ll take one of everything at The Uncommon Chocolatier on a daily basis. New to the neighborhood at the dawning of the new year, this cute little shop packs a big punch in every bite. Owner Christine Falvo, however, isn’t new to working with chocolate. Falvo has had her hands in this sweet business for nearly three decades. This wholesale supplier, with a factory based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, sells chocolate products to stores, fairs, and festivals across the country, and decided on the Market Common as her first retail store location. “We started with a pop-up over Christmas and decided to actually open the store front in January,” says Falvo. Her team includes Falvo’s mom, Theresa, and daughter, Ellie, who both work at The Uncommon Chocolatier, along with manager Brittany Lee. They all pour a lot of love, cream, butter, sugar and chocolate into all of their products; there are no premade mixes. Top that off with their mix-in additions, and it’s easy to see how they came up with their name— Uncommon. The shop hand-pours over one hundred loaves of fudg3— making delicious flavors like Irish Car Bomb; Birthday Cake; Dark Espresso; German Chocolate Cake; Galaxy; Aqua Man; Mint Chocolate; Banana Foster; Cotton Candy; Chocolate Strawberry; and many more. But their sweet treats don’t stop there. Choose from to-die-for toffees; bourbon caramels; smash chocolates; Easter bunny molds; white Oreos; filled chocolates; chocolate-covered almonds; fresh strawberries dipped in chocolate; and much more. With their focus on fully-customized and creative, the sky’s the limit at this shop. They even offer gluten-free and vegan-friendly chocolate options. And, the cherry on top of that: they’re community-minded, offering a special discount for locals and a future goal of starting a VIP chocolate tasting club. To learn more about The Uncommon Chocolatier, located at 3351 Reed Street, visit them on Facebook or call 843-945-4479.