Artisan Profile: Ruth Kendrick of Chocolot 

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Chocolot’s bright-green chocolate boxes are unmistakable, although what’s inside is often a delicious surprise. From individual chocolates enveloping flavors like Aztec spice and Meyer lemon to high-end chocolate bars and boxes of English toffee, Chocolot offers visually exciting and taste-bud-delighting chocolate confections.

Chocolot’s owner, Ruth Kendrick, is a second-generation candy-maker, who has perfected her trade in the past 50 years by regularly attending seminars and classes. She’s also an author, teacher and guest presenter on the art of candymaking, and has even appeared on the Food Network alongside Bobby Flay and Al Roker.

Kendrick offers corporate gifts and chocolate customization products as a key part of the Ogden company’s business model. Edible company-logo chocolates and monogrammed wedding favors are just a few of the options, but it's what’s inside that makes Chocolot memorable.

“I try to offer 24 different flavors at a time,” Kendrick says. “The season always inspires me to try something new and seasonal.” Chocolot’s fall flavors include pumpkin spice, chipotle cinnamon, sage honey, cardamom peach and caramel-apple caramel.

Each, explains Kendrick, includes only the best ingredients. “The caramel-apple caramel is a fun one," she says. "I use a boiled apple cider for the flavor and put it in a green chocolate shell. My pumpkin spice is a little pumpkin puree, pumpkin pie spice, caramel, chocolate and a little brandy.”

For the chipotle cinnamon, Kendrick ground up 15 whole chili pods and infused the cream for about an hour. “I sprinkled each piece with smoked salt to try to bring up the smoky factor,” she says.

Because Kendrick makes everything herself, she is passionate about freshness and producing products the right way. “I care about my products and want them to be superior in appearance and taste,” she says.

But she never forgets the pure joy that chocolate brings to so many. “My Halloween eyeballs are kind of freaky, but fun. We try to put interesting flavors in them, like blood orange, Boo Berry and Eye Goo (lemon).”

Chocolot’s award-winning confections are available online or at select stores along the Wasatch Front, including Les Madeleines Patisserie and Paletti.