Sweet successLife in a chocolate factory
Wed, July 12, 2006
TORONTO SUN
By RITA DEMONTIS
There's a real-life Willy Wonka in our midst. Her name is Stella Zhamkochian and she's at the helm of Gourmet Square, a manufacturer, wholesaler and distributor of chocolates.
We think her middle initial is C for chocolate -- or it should be, as this Markham mother of two's life is one of recreating this sweet treat on all levels.
Her company creates an array of sweets prepared in the most innovative ways. Everything from blueberry-inspired bon-bons to chocolate pizzas to chocolate-drizzled popcorn, Zhamkochian admits her mind is always on the go to find a new winner, a new flavour, a new idea.
IN CANADA'S FINEST HOTELS
Her goods are recognizable in some of Canada's finest hotels and shops, and she prepares for dozens of companies under their own private labels.
She even has a tiny retail shop open to the public when she's not too busy on the wholesale side of life -- "just phone and see if we're open that day," she offers.
A recent visit to her plant in the city's north end sees Zhamkochian -- "I was born in Armenia and came to Canada at the age of 12" -- multi-tasking at an alarming rate, hairnet sternly in place, white smock neatly pressed, sending out rapid-fire directions to her tiny staff and making sure her chocolate operation flows as smoothly as the decadent product she works with.
Her company's considered one of the tiniest players in the confectionary field, yet her volume of work is large, and the plant is a beehive of activity -- add to that the constant, heavenly aroma that permeates the place, and you might as well be in chocolate heaven.
"Here try this!" she says as she pops a small, pink-flecked bon-bon into a visitor's mouth. The explosion of flavour is instant and incredible -- velvety smooth, it's an exquisite bite of the most perfect strawberry cheesecake. "Whadya think of that!," says Zhamkochian triumphantly, as she lobs a second bon-bon -- this one a deep, rich red -- again into the visitor's mouth.
It tastes like the ripest, most intense bing cherry, bathed in a delicate chocolate chaser.
Zhamkochian pores a pile of brilliant-hued treats, in different shapes and flavours, on a spotless table. She points out the blueberry and banana treats, and offers up a raspberry and cherry, and that surreal cheesecake.
Truth be told, Zhamkochian's " bon-bons" are more reminiscent of magnificent jewels -- baubles for the taste buds, so to speak.
"I'm always thinking of a different flavour, or taking a standard flavour to a new level," says Zhamkochian, who, although the middle of summer, has Christmas carols playing in her heard, as she's currently working on a Yuletide line that includes a delicate eggnog-inspired treat, a mincemeat-laced chocolate, as well as a killer orange creme brulee.
" I find inspiration in everything, and at the weirdest hours, including the middle of the night," says Zhamkochian, while keeping a critical eye on a line of hand-finished chocolate pears being prepared for a wedding.
How did she decide on a career in chocolate -- especially as she's a florist by nature? "I worked in retail fashion for many years, and then I quit to have my son," says Zamkochian, mother of Matthew, 12 and Grace 7, who incidentally are named after her Grace- Matthews Collection, a new packaging line. "When Matthew was three, I opened a florist shop and it was quite a success. I started dabbling in chocolate to offer as an extra, and when that proved to be more successful, my husband Mario and I took a gamble and went into the chocolate business full-time seven years ago."
It was a gamble, but one on her terms. She wanted to offer chocolates "with a new twist. Sure, we have your basic chocolate-covered almonds. But we also offer cinnamon-dusted, toffee covered almonds in our chocolate. Our centres, like raspberry, orange, lemon, banana, even coconut-dusted pineapple, can sometimes fool you into thinking your eating a fresh fruit."
Zhamkochian knows she's playing with the big boys -- and holding her own. What started as a one-person operation has expanded into full and part-time staff. And she's looking to expand next year, into larger headquarters.
On any given week, she's using more than 2,500 lbs. of chocolate, sometimes as much as 4,500 lbs.
And what started out as a small venture has skyrocketed to where her wholesale operation has gone national, yet "I still do local orders for everything from weddings to special events. Plus we're kosher under the supervision of KSA, and we offer diebetic-friendly options."
[...]
Note: Above are excerpts from the article. The full article appears here. Clarifications and comments by me are contained in {}. Deletions are marked by [...]. The bold emphasis is mine.
TORONTO SUN
By RITA DEMONTIS
There's a real-life Willy Wonka in our midst. Her name is Stella Zhamkochian and she's at the helm of Gourmet Square, a manufacturer, wholesaler and distributor of chocolates.
We think her middle initial is C for chocolate -- or it should be, as this Markham mother of two's life is one of recreating this sweet treat on all levels.
Her company creates an array of sweets prepared in the most innovative ways. Everything from blueberry-inspired bon-bons to chocolate pizzas to chocolate-drizzled popcorn, Zhamkochian admits her mind is always on the go to find a new winner, a new flavour, a new idea.
IN CANADA'S FINEST HOTELS
Her goods are recognizable in some of Canada's finest hotels and shops, and she prepares for dozens of companies under their own private labels.
She even has a tiny retail shop open to the public when she's not too busy on the wholesale side of life -- "just phone and see if we're open that day," she offers.
A recent visit to her plant in the city's north end sees Zhamkochian -- "I was born in Armenia and came to Canada at the age of 12" -- multi-tasking at an alarming rate, hairnet sternly in place, white smock neatly pressed, sending out rapid-fire directions to her tiny staff and making sure her chocolate operation flows as smoothly as the decadent product she works with.
Her company's considered one of the tiniest players in the confectionary field, yet her volume of work is large, and the plant is a beehive of activity -- add to that the constant, heavenly aroma that permeates the place, and you might as well be in chocolate heaven.
"Here try this!" she says as she pops a small, pink-flecked bon-bon into a visitor's mouth. The explosion of flavour is instant and incredible -- velvety smooth, it's an exquisite bite of the most perfect strawberry cheesecake. "Whadya think of that!," says Zhamkochian triumphantly, as she lobs a second bon-bon -- this one a deep, rich red -- again into the visitor's mouth.
It tastes like the ripest, most intense bing cherry, bathed in a delicate chocolate chaser.
Zhamkochian pores a pile of brilliant-hued treats, in different shapes and flavours, on a spotless table. She points out the blueberry and banana treats, and offers up a raspberry and cherry, and that surreal cheesecake.
Truth be told, Zhamkochian's " bon-bons" are more reminiscent of magnificent jewels -- baubles for the taste buds, so to speak.
"I'm always thinking of a different flavour, or taking a standard flavour to a new level," says Zhamkochian, who, although the middle of summer, has Christmas carols playing in her heard, as she's currently working on a Yuletide line that includes a delicate eggnog-inspired treat, a mincemeat-laced chocolate, as well as a killer orange creme brulee.
" I find inspiration in everything, and at the weirdest hours, including the middle of the night," says Zhamkochian, while keeping a critical eye on a line of hand-finished chocolate pears being prepared for a wedding.
How did she decide on a career in chocolate -- especially as she's a florist by nature? "I worked in retail fashion for many years, and then I quit to have my son," says Zamkochian, mother of Matthew, 12 and Grace 7, who incidentally are named after her Grace- Matthews Collection, a new packaging line. "When Matthew was three, I opened a florist shop and it was quite a success. I started dabbling in chocolate to offer as an extra, and when that proved to be more successful, my husband Mario and I took a gamble and went into the chocolate business full-time seven years ago."
It was a gamble, but one on her terms. She wanted to offer chocolates "with a new twist. Sure, we have your basic chocolate-covered almonds. But we also offer cinnamon-dusted, toffee covered almonds in our chocolate. Our centres, like raspberry, orange, lemon, banana, even coconut-dusted pineapple, can sometimes fool you into thinking your eating a fresh fruit."
Zhamkochian knows she's playing with the big boys -- and holding her own. What started as a one-person operation has expanded into full and part-time staff. And she's looking to expand next year, into larger headquarters.
On any given week, she's using more than 2,500 lbs. of chocolate, sometimes as much as 4,500 lbs.
And what started out as a small venture has skyrocketed to where her wholesale operation has gone national, yet "I still do local orders for everything from weddings to special events. Plus we're kosher under the supervision of KSA, and we offer diebetic-friendly options."
[...]
Note: Above are excerpts from the article. The full article appears here. Clarifications and comments by me are contained in {}. Deletions are marked by [...]. The bold emphasis is mine.
posted by Vahe Balabanian at 7:11 AM
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