Firetype Chocolate

I started working in Thornes back in 2013. I had interviewed with Bud of Cornucopia for the manager position of Heavenly Chocolate, and knew that I hadn’t performed as well as I would have liked. So instead of managing Heavenly, I ended up working as a cashier at Cornucopia for a while. After that, I moved further into the chocolate world and worked for a chocolatier in Brooklyn. I then moved on from that job to work on a goat farm in Townshend, Vermont, where I made caramels. I saw the sun come up and set daily, and did some pretty heavy lifting when it came to carrying gallons of milk up and down a mountain by myself for months. It was a fun and educational experience, and definitely not one you could have elsewhere.

When Nate at Cornucopia said he needed some seasonal help at Heavenly Chocolate, I jumped back in. It was during the pandemic and Nate and Jade were transitioning to taking over Cornucopia. Ultimately, he handed over the chocolate-making responsibilities to me. I’ve had no formal training or education when it comes to making chocolates—it’s been a trial by fire and I’ve learned everything while on the job.  In the long-run, it has worked out and being able to experiment and play with chocolate every single day and learn on the fly is more my speed. This type of work means I’m essentially in competition with myself daily in that I’m always trying to come up with new things. At Firetype, we try to ride that line between what is approachable and what’s exciting and new. We like introducing people to what chocolate can be—it can be fancy and also fun!

When I was transitioning to becoming the owner of the business, I realized that I’d never been a “Heavenly” guy—it’s not my style or approach. It fit so well with Bud and that era of the crew, but I was ready to make the name and vibe reflect my personality.  I’ve always been very loud and bold. I love playing with colors and decorations; I am a more fiery type of person.

I think we’ve done a good job of honoring the past while embracing the new. We have those staples you expect, such as Bud’s Gold Standard and the Rosemary Nib Caramel, alongside some more adventurous flavors like Banana Cream, Tahini, and Ambrosia. We really like to be able to dabble and experiment, but also keep the people who have their standby favorites happy.

One thing I’ve noticed for years now is that there’s a broader sense of community. Every day I interact with people who ride the line of colleagues, co-workers, and friends. We get to chat and bounce ideas off of each other regularly as well as learn from each other. We also get to support each other through our challenges and successes.

I love getting to see the same customers, many of whom live downtown, on a regular basis. On the weekends, I often get to meet new people from out of town. I’ve worked in Thornes off and on for 12 years, so I’ve seen multiple eras of employees, businesses, and customers. Part of my DNA is truly ingrained on all 5 levels of Thornes.

Thornes is a very unique place—it’s often difficult to describe to people who have never visited the building. It’s a marketplace in the most classic definition of the word.

Our Salted Caramel and Pecan Turtles are always the biggest sellers. Some of our more fun ones are our vegan options, the Passionfruit Caramel, and Tahini. Currently, I am working on Key Lime Puppy Chow. I’m also bringing back the Frosty and Fry, which replicates that feeling of dipping a fry into a chocolate milkshake.

Sometimes things seem so out there, you just have to try them and see how they turn out; I am in it for the experience. If we’re not having fun, why bother? I am inspired by what I liked to eat as a kid and I elevate those things with organic ingredients. We’re serious about the quality of our chocolates, but we don’t take ourselves too seriously.

As we enter summer, which is a bit of a slower period, we’ll be doing lots of experimenting for fall. Expect the unexpected—we’ll always keep you guessing.

These days, it’s playing with my cat Yodi, video games, and Dungeons & Dragons—all of that nerd stuff. I’ve recently been able to run some D&D games for friends for which I get to create characters, write out a plot/world, and let them poke at it and collaborate.  I like to have a chance to be creative in a different way, and D&D is a great outlet for that.