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| Jaclyn Sanders (right) with BTS' Barb Gulley |
In 1866, oil was discovered in Petrolia, setting off a series of boom periods for the small Ontario town. Nearly 150 years later, gold struck again in the form of hand-crafted, high-quality chocolate and its home is Guild Chocolates.
Last weekend, we embarked on a remarkably short international trip to meet with the owner and award-wining chocolatier, Jaclyn Sanders.
Though Guild Chocolates has been in business for over a decade, my husband, Chris, and I just recently learned about it. An upcoming tea event, hosted by the folks behind Guild Chocolates, showed up on our social media feed. Afternoon tea and chocolate? No surprise, we're their demographic.
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| Guild Chocolates award-winning sweets, miniature works of art. |
The shop is only open on Saturdays, so Chris and I carved out a weekend to cross the Blue Water Bridge, traveling the easy distance from Sarnia to nearby Petrolia, to meet up with the chocolate artist behind Guild Chocolates.
Jaclyn is as sweet and inviting as her chocolate and within a few short minutes, I felt like I was talking with an old friend. Her resume is impressive - studied Art History at Cambridge, lived in NYC for eleven years honing culinary skills - yet she's equally down-to-earth and engaging and her passion for her craft is evident in all her chocolate creations on display.
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| Guild Chocolates is open only on Saturdays, but hosts special events throughout the year. |
The variety of confections include solid bars and truffles in various forms from frogs to bubbles. Many of Jaclyn's chocolates have won top awards in both international and national competitions. In fact, there's a six-piece sampler of some of the medaled chocolates (which we bought and loved!), including FruitTea, made with matcha, kukicha, peanut praline and raspberry.
That's not where the tea connection ends, however. Guild Chocolates also sells several loose tea blends and other tea-infused sweets. One of our favorites in the latter category is their Earl Grey chocolate, which received Gold in the Canadian Chocolate competition, 2023.
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| Earl Grey chocolates, recipient of Canadian Chocolate competition, 2023. |
In addition, Guild Chocolate hosts special tea and chocolate events throughout the year with historical themes (Churchill, Titanic, Dickens, Frank Lloyd Wright), tastings and Afternoon Tea (which is coming up in May!).
Inspired by Victorian writer, artist and central figure of the British Arts and Crafts movement, William Morris, Guild Chocolates not only offers extremely tasty treats, but individual works of art in every bite-sized sweet.
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| Guild Chocolates in Petrolia, Ontario - a town that continues to strike gold! |
Guild Chocolates is a delicious get-away. For those in the Detroit Metro area, a relatively short (1 - 2 hour) drive. We'll be crossing the bridge again in May, for more chocolate and afternoon tea.
For more information on Guild Chocolates, their hours, location and upcoming events, visit their website at guildchocolates.com.
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