When customers taste their first piece of Black Mountain Chocolate, owner Brent Peters likes to watch their faces. As 70 percent pure dark chocolate melts in their mouths, the taste evolves with natural flavors — cherry, nuts, sometimes even tobacco — eliciting expressions of surprise and delight. “It never gets old,” Peters says.
Picture windows provide a peek into the “visible factory,” where cocoa beans from the Dominican Republic become chocolate bars and gelato, espresso brownies and salted caramel tarts.
From March to November, visitors can take a tour or try a guided tasting. Peters thrives on discovery, too, experimenting with truffle flavors like wildflower-honey and lavender-chamomile. “I get to come in here and play with my food,” he says. “I’m always trying to match things up and see what new combinations I can discover.”
Black Mountain Chocolate
732 Trade Street Northwest
Winston-Salem, NC 27101
(336) 293-4698
blackmountainchocolate.com
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These places are the stewards of some very special items: Doc Watson’s first recording, the desk Virginia Woolf used to redefine the novel, and Elisha Mitchell’s pocket watch are just some of the cherished pieces that teach us about our state’s history and the people who preserve it.
From burgers to comfort food to elegant entrées, the range of plant-based dining in North Carolina is growing. Restaurants on this list are exclusively vegetarian and/or vegan.
