WALNUT CREEK, CALIFORNIA – Walnut Creek already has an insane number of Italian restaurants. It’s got a big pizza scene, too, and a developing ramen one.
But it seems we can soon add another kind of food to the list of things Walnut Creek does well: chocolate.
In the East Bay town, you can already find Leonidas, with excellent Belgian chocolate. Tifa Gelato brings its own selection of truffles.
But there’s a new player coming to town.
Laderach, the Swiss chocolate brand known for its glossy boutiques and piled-high slabs of “fresh” chocolate, is listed as “Coming Soon” at Broadway Plaza.
Broadway Plaza has also teased that the shop is expected to open later this spring (an exact date has not been announced).
Reports indicate Laderach is moving into the former Ecco space at 138 Broadway Plaza (Suite 1124).
If the Walnut Creek store follows the brand’s usual playbook, the headline attraction will be FrischSchoggi (“fresh chocolate”) — the oversized slabs that get broken up and sold by weight, often loaded with nuts, fruit, and other mix-ins.
It looks like a very fancy (and very expensive!) version of almond bark.
Broadway Plaza’s directory listing says Laderach produces more than 100 varieties of chocolates, including 20+ FrischSchoggi varieties and a deep lineup of pralines and truffles.
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So why the “legendary” moniker? Laderach has been operating since 1962 and markets itself around controlling the full process “bean-to-bar-to-shop.”
And the company has some real chocolate-world bragging rights: Elias Laderach won the 2018 World Chocolate Masters title.
In journalism, they say that three things is a pattern. Now we have Leonidas, Tifa and soon, Laderach. That means Walnut Creek could be on the verge of a chocolate renaissance.
Got to eat something for dessert after your pizza, right?
Given the Bay Area Telegraph’s love for chocolate, we will be following this one closely, and will certainly stop in when the new store opens. Make sure to join my free 925 News newsletter so I can let you know when Laderach opens and share a review.
