Cellar Door Chocolates
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By Ruby Thomas
Erika Chavez-Graziano has a knack for selling sweet treats. “I was
always scheming ways to make money out of bake sales when I was
younger,” she says. She was that Girl Scout no one could top when it
came to selling cookies.
It’s no wonder she turned to chocolate when she was looking to make
the leap from academia to entrepreneurship. Erika is the owner of
Cellar Door Chocolates, a new chocolatier in Louisville. She’s having a
kitchen built, but for now she’s sharing one with another candy maker. “I
have always been in love with the culinary arts. It’s something that has
gotten me through hard times and something that I do to relax,” she
explains. Her love for creating food coupled with her background in
sales and a little encouragement from a mentor gave her the
confidence to make a sweet decision.
Erika moved here in 2005 from Albuquerque, NM. After graduating from
the University of Louisville with a master’s degree in political science,
she decided she wanted to go in a new direction. And what better
direction than into a vat of chocolate.
“I made a bunch of chocolates, bought some generic boxes, and went
to business owners around town and introduced myself.” She inquired
whether they’d be willing to carry her products if she was to make them
for sale. The response was encouraging. “A lot of people loved the
chocolates, so at that point I felt the demand was great enough to form
the company.”
Erika likes to think of her chocolate creations as delicious little pieces of
artwork. Cellar Door specializes in truffles that are made fresh upon
order. Erika sells her chocolate wholesale mainly to Dundee Candy
Shop and A Taste of Kentucky who then distribute them to hotels such
as the Seelbach and the Galt House as well as businesses around
town. She also sells to wedding parties and private events.
“I have had clients who opt out of a wedding cake and instead choose
to give their guests small boxes of truffles.” Cayenne pepper chocolate
truffles are Erika’s favorite and also the biggest crowd pleaser perhaps
because cayenne pepper is so complementary to dark chocolate. “I
never want to mask the true essence of the chocolate that I use to
make the truffles. Instead I aim to complement it.”
Cellar Door chocolate truffles come in many delectable flavors including
bourbon, raspberry, peppermint, espresso, and champagne. Erika is
also the exclusive producer for Dundee’s bourbon balls.
As a newcomer and a new business owner in Louisville, she’s enjoying
the city and its people. She’s had an overwhelming amount of support
from other business owners in Louisville. “I don’t think I could have
made the company as successful as it is right now in another area.”
Erika says she’s found a sense of camaraderie with other candy makers
in Louisville. She’s having a new kitchen built on Baxter Avenue, which
she will share with Quill’s Coffee. She’s enjoying that fusion of
Southern hospitality and metropolitan feel Louisville is famous for.
“What makes Louisville special is that Louisvillians really support their
local economy.”
As sweet as chocolates may be, they are not that easy to make.
According to Erika it takes a little science and a lot of patience.
“Chocolate is not very forgiving,” she asserts. “If you get one drop of
water in a batch of chocolate the whole thing is ruined.” Erika uses a
pure form of chocolate to make her sweet delights, which is even harder
to work with. “The good thing about my business is you can always eat
your mistakes,” she quips.
By Ruby Thomas
Erika Chavez-Graziano has a knack for selling sweet treats. “I was
always scheming ways to make money out of bake sales when I was
younger,” she says. She was that Girl Scout no one could top when it
came to selling cookies.
It’s no wonder she turned to chocolate when she was looking to make
the leap from academia to entrepreneurship. Erika is the owner of
Cellar Door Chocolates, a new chocolatier in Louisville. She’s having a
kitchen built, but for now she’s sharing one with another candy maker. “I
have always been in love with the culinary arts. It’s something that has
gotten me through hard times and something that I do to relax,” she
explains. Her love for creating food coupled with her background in
sales and a little encouragement from a mentor gave her the
confidence to make a sweet decision.
Erika moved here in 2005 from Albuquerque, NM. After graduating from
the University of Louisville with a master’s degree in political science,
she decided she wanted to go in a new direction. And what better
direction than into a vat of chocolate.
“I made a bunch of chocolates, bought some generic boxes, and went
to business owners around town and introduced myself.” She inquired
whether they’d be willing to carry her products if she was to make them
for sale. The response was encouraging. “A lot of people loved the
chocolates, so at that point I felt the demand was great enough to form
the company.”
Erika likes to think of her chocolate creations as delicious little pieces of
artwork. Cellar Door specializes in truffles that are made fresh upon
order. Erika sells her chocolate wholesale mainly to Dundee Candy
Shop and A Taste of Kentucky who then distribute them to hotels such
as the Seelbach and the Galt House as well as businesses around
town. She also sells to wedding parties and private events.
“I have had clients who opt out of a wedding cake and instead choose
to give their guests small boxes of truffles.” Cayenne pepper chocolate
truffles are Erika’s favorite and also the biggest crowd pleaser perhaps
because cayenne pepper is so complementary to dark chocolate. “I
never want to mask the true essence of the chocolate that I use to
make the truffles. Instead I aim to complement it.”
Cellar Door chocolate truffles come in many delectable flavors including
bourbon, raspberry, peppermint, espresso, and champagne. Erika is
also the exclusive producer for Dundee’s bourbon balls.
As a newcomer and a new business owner in Louisville, she’s enjoying
the city and its people. She’s had an overwhelming amount of support
from other business owners in Louisville. “I don’t think I could have
made the company as successful as it is right now in another area.”
Erika says she’s found a sense of camaraderie with other candy makers
in Louisville. She’s having a new kitchen built on Baxter Avenue, which
she will share with Quill’s Coffee. She’s enjoying that fusion of
Southern hospitality and metropolitan feel Louisville is famous for.
“What makes Louisville special is that Louisvillians really support their
local economy.”
As sweet as chocolates may be, they are not that easy to make.
According to Erika it takes a little science and a lot of patience.
“Chocolate is not very forgiving,” she asserts. “If you get one drop of
water in a batch of chocolate the whole thing is ruined.” Erika uses a
pure form of chocolate to make her sweet delights, which is even harder
to work with. “The good thing about my business is you can always eat
your mistakes,” she quips.
