The Food Network included some of our thoughts about what to look for when buying chocolate to eat or cook with.

SCOTTSDALE, AZ — What started as a hobby...has landed Scottsdale's Maureen Elitzak among the country's top chocolatiers...

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Our small batches come & go, so if we are out of any requested flavors we will substitute for something we hope you will enjoy trying.

CLICK HERE FOR OUR ONLINE STORE

If you have any other questions, just email or call us.

Like coffee and wine, each cocoa bean comes from a unique terroir that impacts its flavor. Zak's Chocolate is giving patrons a taste of true chocolate.

DESIGNED FOR COFFEE (BUT AWESOME IN SO MUCH MORE)

A local collaboration with Iconic Cocktail of Phoenix, Salted Cocoa Nib Mixer is made with Zak's custom roasted cocoa nibs.

"This is a serious chocolate pastry that will make you rethink all previous brownie experiences."

Sample your way around the world of single-origin craft chocolates

October 28 from 4:00 - 8:00pm at Zak's Chocolate

Click the heading above to read the review...

"Nine out of ten people like chocolate. The tenth person always lies." - John Q. Tullius

"Make a list of important things to do today. At the top of your list, put ‘eat chocolate’. 

Now, you'll get at least one thing done today." - Gina Hayes

"Chocolate is nature’s way of making up for Mondays." – Anonymous

These videos are a great introduction to all the magic and really, really hard work done by so many amazing people in the tropics.

Learn what has to happen before cocoa beans arrive at Zak's so we can turn them into chocolate for you to enjoy.

These awesome, short videos were produced by our primary partner in transparent trade, Uncommon Cacao

"Perhaps it was the surplus chocolate that her candy box maker grandfather brought home from the shop.

Or, it may have been the family fudge recipe grandpa passed down to her father.

“That was always a special treat,” certified chocolatier Maureen Elitzak recalls..."

"Zak’s is just one of a growing number of chocolate shops across the U.S. that both make 100 percent of their own chocolate and all of the cocoa beans used are ethically sourced. Its products range from vegan, gluten-free, and dairy-free single-origin dark chocolate bars to bonbons, truffles, and even a cocoa grilling rub." 

           Zak's Chocolate featured on the Fox10 Made in Arizona series.

Cinnamon Plum Bonbon - Zak's Chocolate (Scottsdale, Arizona)

"Have you ever had a cinnamon plum bonbon?

If you're near the Scottsdale area in Arizona, look no further, as this happens to be one of Zak's Chocolate's specialties."

Cinnamon Plum bonbon (l) together with Earl Grey Lavender bonbon (r), a lovely couple.

"Some of these foods are farmed — and can be provided predictably in large quantities. Because the foraging climate shifts with the hours, days, weeks, and years, wild foods are more volatile. Some ingredients appear for just a few days a year." Click HERE to read the whole story.

"Barel Cactus: Stout and pumpkin-shaped, barrel cactus sprouts waxy yellow fruit in early spring. These oblong fruits cluster at the top, each looking like a skinless pineapple. 

Where to taste: Try the seeds at Zak’s Chocolate in Scottsdale, where Jim and Maureen Elitzak deploy them for texture in a 70 percent cacao bar. Tamara Stanger of Cotton & Copper has used the fruit in desserts like semifreddo and lemon meringue pie."

As you may know, especially if you've attended one of our events or engaged us in conversation at our shop, we pride ourselves on using only ethically-sourced cacao to craft our chocolate. 

Ethical sourcing encompasses many things, including certain environmental, economic and social standards relating to the farming activities and the people we buy cocoa beans from and through. 

But basically, ethical sourcing is about knowing where your food (in this case, chocolate) comes from, how it's made, how the land is treated and how all the people involved in the process handle mutual responsibilities.

Our longest-standing trade relationship, and one we are most proud of, is with a small group called Uncommon Cacao, a Ceritfied B Corporation. Each year, Uncommon Cacao publishes a Transparency Report that is full of great insights and information, yet is also a pretty easy read. We hope you will take some time to check it out. We'd love to hear what you learned and what you think.