Retail Roundup: Retailers team up on gourmet sweets
Chocolates at Baylee's Best Chocolates. Roanoke Times file photo
Two southwest Roanoke County retailers, Baylee’s Best Chocolates and Oliveto, have teamed up to create chocolates using Oliveto’s infused olive oils and vinegars.
Chocolatier Bayla Sussman started experimenting with the olive oils and vinegars a few months ago. She would take several pieces of chocolate from her store to Oliveto for taste testing until she identified the flavors she wanted to use.
Sussman’s experiments led her to create a truffle with blueberry balsamic vinegar; a bark using basil olive oil, dried berries and toasted almonds; and a Mediterranean-inspired bark with harissa olive oil, fig-flavored vinegar and smoked French sea salt.
The creations have been popular with her customers, one of whom suggested using the smoked sea salt after trying a early version of the bark, Sussman said.
She sells the gourmet sweets at her store, and they soon will be available at Oliveto. The stores are both at the Shoppes at West Village on Electric Road.
Also in Sunday’s column I wrote that PetSmart is opening a second store in Roanoke. The pet store is being closed-lipped on details, though. A spokeswoman said she couldn’t tell me where the store would open until the company had set an opening date.
July 9, 2012 - 10:14 AM
Amanda – I’m sure you’ve already heard about this, but Sam’s Club has filed a building permit for a nearly 2 million dollar renovation today!
As one of Baylee’s unofficial taste testers for the Oliveto-inspired bark, I must say that it’s fantastic stuff. The blend of flavors is just amazing, and I’m thrilled that she’s getting more attention. I currently don’t know of anywhere in the Valley that does such a varied and quality assortment of chocolates. I’m spoiled for everything else at this point.
Oliveto rocks as well. Ever since I first started using their oils and vinegars, my cooking has ascended to a new level of yumminess. I can’t even imagine going back to the regular stuff after trying their butter infused olive oil, or their balsamic vinegar. They may not be cheap, but it’s worth the cost.
@Justin: Thanks – I didn’t check the building permits yesterday so I hadn’t seen that. If anyone else is interested in checking it out click here.