A Sweet Way to See Boston
By: Teri Borseti

Chocolate lovers planning a trip to Boston can make their visit so much sweeter by treating themselves to a chocolate tour. Boston Chocolate Tours was founded in 2009 by David “Sweet-tooth” Goldstein who came up with the idea after he and his family enjoyed numerous food tours in New York, Chicago and San Francisco.

Victoria dishing out goodies

“Food tours are a great way to taste your way through a city’s history and architecture. It’s the best way to see a city,” Goldstein said.

Becky and Alan Thomas live in Mississippi but love coming to Boston. During a recent visit one of the first things the serious chocolate lovers did was book a chocolate tour. “One of the things we love about this city is that we can walk everywhere, so when we read about this tour we knew we had to try it,” said Becky Thomas.

On a picture perfect Saturday afternoon the Thomas’ are two of 14 people meeting at Code 10, a South End eatery. Victoria Kichuk is one of the company tour guides and loves chocolate “I sort of feel like I’ve been training for this job my whole life,” she said while confessing to having had a chocolate chip muffin for breakfast. This was her second tour of the day.

The group’s two and a half hour South End tour itinerary, included stops at seven or eight shops and restaurants along to the way to sample chocolate goodies. Kichuk said that her goal was to get as much chocolate into her guests as possible. She said she loves it when people beg, “Please! No more chocolate.”

The chocolathon officially started at Code 10 where everyone tried a special desert called “chocolate orgasm”. The rich brownie covered in fudgy chocolate, created by Rosie’s Bakery, was melt-in-your-mouth delicious, and wet everyone’s pallet for more. The game had begun.

Just a short walk from there the tour group stopped at “The Flour Bakery” and then onto “Tremont 647”, a neighborhood restaurant where seats at the bar were waiting. While learning a bit about chocolate and chocolate products, the group sampled a different kind of rich brownie and washed it down with a chocolate libation spiced with a bit of spirits.

Kichuk passed out “goodie bags” and explained that each came with a bag of pretzels to be used to cleanse the pallet should the rich treats became overwhelming. Each stop offered something different, and delectable indulgences included chocolate chip cookies, cheesecake brownies, chocolate sorbet, dark Italian and Dutch truffles, wedding mints, cup cakes, chocolate covered pretzels, chocolate smoothies and violet covered chocolates. Moans and groans of delight coming from the party sounded almost sensuous.

Conversations shared about favorite deserts like chocolate croissants, chocolate lava cake, chocolate stout beer, mint chocolate, white chocolate, Godiva’s, and great memories told by those who’d visited Hershey, Pennsylvania, almost made it feel like a chocoholic support group.

Jack Repetti at the Old Dutch Cottage

The stop at The Old Dutch Cottage was perhaps the most entertaining as owner Jack Repetti, is a 40 year resident of the area and is known to regale his guests with stories of every kind, all interesting. The welcoming host offered up fabulous Dutch and Italian truffles. There was no extra charge for his tales of the city.

The leisurely stroll, sampling, and light discussions turned a group that started out as strangers, into what Kichuk calls “one big happy chocolate family”. But the tour offers much more than just eating yummy treats all day. Because it’s a walking tour, people like the Thomas’, got a chance to see one of Boston’s most charming residential neighborhoods. For those who’ve never been to Boston, seeing the architecturally diverse selection of brick row houses with mansard roofs, wrought iron fencing, brick sidewalks, old fashioned lanterns and well-maintained parks was a joy. Several mentioned how impressed they were with the neighborhood and the sense of community that exists there, and the environment contributed to the camaraderie.

Boston Chocolate Tours offers a variety of tours in Boston neighborhoods, and operates year round. Goldstein said that in addition to the tours, BCT offers gourmet chocolate classes and workshops and they’re available for private events. A chocolate tour gift certificate is giving someone a chocolate experience. “I’m lucky that my wife and kids support my addiction,” Goldstein said.

Willy Wonka eat your heart out.

Stops on the South End tour:

• Code 10
• Flour Bakery
• Tremont 647
• Chocolee Chocolates
• Picco
• Old Dutch Cottage Candy
• Aunt Sadie’s
• South End Buttery

Other tours include: Charles St., Beacon Hill and Back Bay