From Halloween candy to chocolate turkeys at Thanksgiving and Valentine’s Day gift boxes, the holiday period from October to March provides prime time for eating chocolate. For that six-month period, Houstonians will have a new option for hand-painted bonbons that may look too pretty to eat but are also too delicious to ignore.
Dallas-based chocolatier Kate Weiser Chocolate will occupy a store in River Oaks District from October 1 (tentatively) through February. Known for her colorful and whimsical creations, Weiser has developed a devoted following that’s allowed her to grow to three locations across the Metroplex.
She tells CultureMap that online sales helped her decide to choose Houston for her first store outside of the Dallas area.
“Plus, Houston has the best food, and I love food,” she says. “I want to eat good food wherever we’re going.”
Although Weiser’s chocolates are already available at Neiman Marcus and Central Market, the Houston pop-up store will offer a full line of treats that exceeds either store’s selection. Customers will be able to select from set chocolate boxes with 6-35 pieces or build their own from the approximately 20 different flavors: everything from strawberry basil and cherry almond to ninja turtle (caramel with toasted pecan) and cookie monster (vanilla bean ganache with cookie butter).
The store will also sell candy bars, chocolate bars, drinking chocolate, and more.
“We use a ton of techniques to create canvases you can eat,” Weiser says. Later, she adds, “We like to keep things really playful. We like to use a lot of color.”
Things get even more playful during the holidays when the shop offers a range of themed treats. As shown above, Halloween will feature chocolate pumpkins, skulls, eyeballs, and butterfingers that are shaped like fingers. Christmas will see the return of Carl the Drinking Chocolate Snowman, a signature item that Oprah featured as one of her favorite things in 2018.
Designed by wvvy studio, the 1,000-square-foot store will provide a colorful space with plenty of photo-worthy elements.
“They’re really into experiential design,” she says. “We’re creating something where customers can utilize all of their senses when they sample the chocolate.”
Kate Weiser gets creative for Halloween.
