The Best Chocolates in America

Chocolate was once consumed in an unsweetened beverage form by Mayan kings and reserved for royal use only. After it was taken back to Europe by explorers, it took a while for someone to get the brainstorm of adding milk and sugar to the cocoa, but there was no turning back after that. Immigrants settled in America who were vested in skills, training, inherent natural genius and enthusiasm for making candy. Below are some of the Greatest Chocolates in America, in order of most expensive first. I consider the quality of each to be uniform and unaffected by price.

Godiva Chocolates, Stores Nationwide

A European import, this barely affordable but delicious stuff is a special occasion unto itself.

Claim to Fame: Packaging, presentation and prestige. Hand your sweetheart a gold ballotin box of Godiva and she or he will know you are serious.

Bissinger's Chocolates, St. Louis, Missouri

Also expensive but worth the money are the creations of Bissinger's, The Choice of Kings and Connoisseurs, established in Europe in 1668 and The New World in 1863.

Claim to Fame: Everything is great, especially those wonderful "barks" ... bars and sheets of chocolate including flavors of: Almond, Blueberry Acai, Cinnamon, Cranberry Pecan, Heavenly Marsh Pecan, Key Lime, Pecan, Peppermint, Pumpkin, and Strawberry Banana.

See's Chocolates, Los Angeles, California

Charles See, along with his mother and wife, opened the first See's Candies shop and kitchen on Western Avenue in Los Angeles in November of 1921, a sparkling clean black and white cornerstone of an empire numbering a dozen shops by 1925 and 30 shops by 1936, as See's expanded to San Francisco and other parts of California.

Claim to Fame: Luscious lollipops not just for the kids and amazing Truffles in flavors of Almond, Apple Pie, Blueberry, Café au Lait, Dark Chocolate, Dark Chocolate Chip, Key Lime, Lemon, Light Chocolate, Mint and Raspberry.

Fannie May Candies, Chicago, Illinois

This famous company was begun in 1920 with a single Loop location by H. Teller Archibald and his wife, Mildred. There never was a Fannie May as far as they were concerned. She was a fictional invention of the savvy couple who figured her name would invoke an image of someone hand-dipping chocolates in a cozy kitchen. This enterprising couple knew what they were doing and Fannie May Chocolates continues to deliver a great product today despite financial fluctuations and reorganization.

Claim to Fame: Trinidads, Victorias, Pixies, Mays and other signature creations, especially those luscious cream eggs at Easter. The fudges are also fabulous.

World's Finest Chocolates, Chicago, Illinois

Ed Opler, Sr., started Cook Chocolate Company in Chicago in 1939 and used his candy-making experience to crank out luscious stuff, including famous World's Finest Milk Chocolate Fund-Raising Bars sold by members of schools, churches, etc., to make money for their groups. As time went by, other items were added to the line and in 1972, World's Finest Chocolates, Inc., officially became the company's corporate name. I haven't tasted a World's Finest Chocolate Bar since I retired but I can recall the experience as though it were yesterday. This chocolate may not be better than sex but it comes close.

Claim to Fame: Those wonderful fund-raising bars.

Dove Chocolates, Chicago, Illinois

It was 1939 when a Greek immigrant named Leo Stefanos opened a candy shop named "Dove" on the south side of Chicago. Because of his concern for his children's safety when they chased after the ice cream vendor's truck, he invented his own ice cream bar in 1956 by hand-dipping slices of brick ice cream in rich chocolate. Son Michael inherited the business in 1977 and propelled it into the national limelight. In 1986 Mars bought Dove and began national distribution of Dovebars and other chocolates.

Claim to Fame: Classic whopper-sized ice cream bars drenched in either dark or milk chocolate.

Hershey's Chocolates, Hershey, Pennsylvania

As of 1894, chocolate was still a treat that most people rarely could afford but Milton S. Hershey had a better idea. By economical mass-production combined with inspired marketing, he was able to sell primo chocolate anyone could enjoy. Today the company that bears his name is one of those outfits you wish you had invested in. It has developed wonderful products, including famous Hershey "Kisses" in 1907, Mr. Goodbar (1925), Hershey's Syrup (1926), Chocolate Chips (1928) and the Krackel Bar (1938).

Claim to Fame: After all is said and done, the original Hershey Bars.

Reese's Peanut Butter Cups, Hershey, Pennsylvania

Many people mispronounce this as "Reesee's" but there is no double "e" at the end of the word. A former Hershey employee named Harry B. Reese invented these confections five years after starting his own candy company in1923 (later acquired by Hershey) and that apostrophe at the end of the word connotes possession. These are his chocolates - Reese's Peanut Butter Cups - economically priced but as good as any. When I die, I will know I'm in Heaven if God walks up and hands me one of Mr. Reese's Peanut Butter Cups.

Claim to Fame: Seasonal Reese's delights such as chocolate covered pumpkins, Christmas Trees and killer 5 oz. Valentine hearts in February.

Your Own Turf

Most famous chocolatiers started as neighborhood places, delightful shops unappreciated except by local patrons who enjoyed sandwiches along with coffee or ice cream sodas as kettles of homemade candy simmered in the kitchen. A lot of great confections are still produced in places like that today so if there is a local fledgling candy shop in your neighborhood, give them a try. Sample a few pieces yourself. You never know, it may be good enough to share with those you love and the start of a new tradition.

Nowhere else has the great system of Free Enterprise blessed our country as much as in the arena of FOOD and this is especially true of the wonderful, varied confectionary empire that has developed over the last couple centuries. There have been Kings and Queens in the past who haven't had as many wonderful treats to enjoy as the average American today. As we move into another great holiday season, that alone is something to give thanks for.