Chocolate Peanut Butter Mochi
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Born and raised on Maui, Valerie Jones graduated from the Culinary Institute of America in 1983.
She worked in some of Maui’s high end hotels making pastries and desserts.
During the holidays, she started making chocolates at home and giving them away to friends and relatives as Christmas presents.
Soon people were asking for extra boxes and saying that Valerie should sell the chocolates.
So in January of 1990 Valerie and her husband Anthony started Maui Specialty Chocolates and has been making chocolate ever since.
Initially, Maui Specialty Chocolates concentrated on making custom chocolates for the many luxury resorts and hotels on Maui who wanted fresh, high quality chocolates from a local source.
Soon other businesses were asking for special chocolates.
Then the people who received the delicious chocolates from these businesses came looking for Maui Specialty Chocolates.
So Maui Specialty Chocolates opened a retail store to sell directly to the public – a true factory outlet.
In fact the only way to get these gourmet chocolates is to buy directly from Maui Specialty Chocolates because Maui Specialty Chocolates does not wholesale to any other retail store.
The goal of Maui Specialty Chocolates has never been to sell the most chocolates but to make the best chocolates possible using the finest chocolates and freshest ingredients.
Owner/chocolatier Valerie makes just about every piece of chocolate herself, ensuring that only chocolates of the highest quality and consistency go into the box.
How I found out about Maui Specialty Chocolates…
I first found out about Maui Specialty Chocolates years ago. A co-worker brought in these delicious peanut butter and chocolate stuffed mochi balls to work one day to share with the staff.
When I first opened the container, I stared at it for a while and to be honest I wasn’t impressed by what it looked like and almost passed it up.
Luckily another co-worker caught me walking away from the snack table and urged me to try it. I remember her saying, “It doesn’t look too appealing but just try it, you’ll love it” so I did and she was right.
The mixture of the creamy peanut butter and chocolate in the soft gooey sweet mochi swished around my mouth like nothing I’ve had before.
I’m typically very good at not indulging in too much snacks but after the first mochi ball, I couldn’t resist and had two more and did not feel any guilt because it was that good.
Maui Specialty Chocolates is a must
Every time I’ve visited Maui since then, I always take a trip to Maui Specialty Chocolates.
The factory is located in the industrial area of Kahului and the display and set up are pretty basic.
The packaging is not as extravagant as Big Island Candies or Honolulu Cookie Company (two other very popular snack brands in Hawaii) but its okay because the products are yummy and to me that is what really matters.
The mochi varieties are stacked on each other on a basic table in the middle of the store and the other candy varieties are packaged and grouped together in plastic containers placed on different shelves against the walls.
Coming from Oahu, this place it gives me a real country feeling which I don’t get much of so I appreciate the simplicity very much.
Location of Maui Specialty Chocolates
Address:
180 E Wakea Ave Ste E Kahului, HI 96732
Ph: (808) 871-1222
Website: www.mauispecialtychocolates.com
