This weekend, I visited Mink Chocolate’s pop-up shop opening at Holt Renfrew. For the first time in its five-year history, Mink Chocolates has expanded beyond its well-loved location on Hornby & Hastings (and suburban shop at Morgan Crossing in Surrey). The pop-up shop is part of Holt Renfrew’s Pucker Up Love Program and is unique to the Vancouver store.
[Owner Marc Lieberman, third from left]
The pop-up shop will be open through Valentine’s Day. You can choose from an assortment of chocolate bars to create a six-bar gift set in a wooden box or go for the beautiful chocolate hearts filled with bonbons.
The bonbons are gorgeously decorated and feature an assortment of fillings. For example, their logo bonbon contains cinnamon and milk chocolate enrobed in dark chocolate.
What caught my eye were the some of the names of the chocolate bars! Tawny & Ruby Are Friends, Romeo & Juliet, Ginger or Maryanne?, Mermaid’s Choice (likely to become my favourite, with burnt caramel and fleur de sel), Certifiably Nutty, and the list goes on.
Mink’s Chocolate Café opened around Easter 2007 and has expanded to sell personal fondues, waffles, hot coffee drinks and whole coffee beans to take home. Owner Marc Lieberman is a third-generation chocolatier. Mink’s products can also be ordered online, however the chocolate is best experienced up close and personal, preferably with a cup of coffee at its side!
