Charles Chocolates

Charles Chocolates: A Triumphant Return

Noir Lounge in Hayes Valley is Open and Showing the Giants Game Tonight

Hey, you know how baseball season just started? Well, if you want to multitask and combine the Giants' second game with a visit to a new spot before your friends, get thee to the brand new Noir Lounge in Hayes Valley. The wine bar has a movie theater theme and is in a bit of a transition thanks to a ... More >>

Charles Chocolates' Triumphant Return

Chuck Siegel, the owner of Charles Chocolates, says he couldn't be more delighted with the neighborhood where his business recently opened. The retail space, café (coming soon), and kitchen, where customers can watch his pavé, bars, and pastries being made, have taken over the 7,600-square foot sp ... More >>

Recent Openers

Two Festivals This Weekend Celebrate World's Best Foods: Cheese and Chocolate

In a scenario where we were asked at gunpoint to choose whether we'd give up cheese or chocolate for the rest of our life (you know, threatened by hardened criminals who are discerning about such matters), we'd be hard-pressed to come up with a decision. Thankfully we can celebrate both this weekend ... More >>

Bi Rite Bars: A Taste Tour of the Newest Bars

We love Bi-Rite Creamery and their signature Salted Caramel ice cream, and we love Michael Mischer and his designer chocolate bars with their creative inclusions, so how could we not be excited about their love child, the new Bi-Rite Creamery chocolate bars? After Bi-Rite private-label chocolate lo ... More >>

Pollo Campero Gets Burned, Charles Chocolates Appears to Melt

​The past 72 hours in gossip, innuendo, and cold hard facts about the San Francisco restaurant scene. SFoodie thought Fridays were supposed to be about Charlie Sheen-grade fun. But local food news late last week had us longing for Monday already. Inside Scoop got Friday off to a hopeful start, t ... More >>

Chuck Siegel Confirms Rumors about Charles Chocolates Closing

Tamara Palmer​SFoodie has official word on the sudden closure of local confectioner Charles Chocolates as mentioned in this morning's Buzz Machine. Chuck Siegel confirmed to us that the company was unable to raise the necessary funds to move forward with expansion into a larger retail space an ... More >>

One woman's quest to live without products made in China

The Best Holiday Treats of 2010

Jonathan KauffmanFruitcake from Schubert's Bakery.​Friday, December 24, 2010 We began this year's SFoodie Advent Calendar on Dec. 1, long before dog-eared rolls of Christmas wrap found their way out of closets, or we'd assembled 2010's official holiday party outfit (thanks, H&M!), or even bef ... More >>

SFoodie Advent Calendar, Day 17: Mission Pie's Pear Frangipane Tart

A.J. BatesPear frangipane tart, $3.50 per slice at Mission Pie.​The SFoodie Advent Calendar counts down the days before Christmas/Nondenominationalwinterholiday, one treat at a time. "Are you in the mood for a juicy pear pastry like the pear ginger pie or a more adult pear flavor like the pe ... More >>

SFoodie Advent Calendar, Day 16: Tartine's Soft Glazed Gingerbread

A.J. BatesTartine's springerle-mold gingerbread, $3.75: Pretty enough to mount on your wall.​The SFoodie Advent Calendar counts down the days before Christmas/Nondenominationalwinterholiday, one treat at a time. Sure, there's always a line at Tartine Bakery. Everybody knows that, San Francisc ... More >>

SFoodie Advent Calendar, Day 15: Sweet Tamales from La Espiga de Oro

John BirdsallCorn tamales from La Spiga de Oro, $14 per dozen.​The SFoodie Advent Calendar counts down the days before Christmas/Nondenominationalwinterholiday, one treat at a time. When I was a chef in Chicago I worked with a prep cook we called Juancito, a sweet guy from Michoacan who'd sli ... More >>

SFoodie Advent Calendar, Day 13: Cookies and More Cookies!

Jonathan KauffmanDestination Bakery's gingerbread girl.​ The SFoodie Advent Calendar counts down the days before Christmas/Nondenominationalwinterholiday, one treat at a time.​SFoodie has learned over the past three weeks that sugar cookies decorated to OCD standards aren't as common in this cit ... More >>

SFoodie Advent Calendar, Day 12: Wassail from Drinkwell Soda

Drinkwell's Wassail​The SFoodie Advent Calendar counts down the days before Christmas /Nondenominationalwinterholiday, one treat at a time.Here's a bit of etymology we bet you don't know: The infamous "wazzzaaaaaaah" in this Budweiser commercial isn't, in fact, a corruption of "what's up" but "was ... More >>

SFoodie Advent Calendar, Day 11: Edible Holiday Box from Charles Chocolates

Charles Chocolates​The SFoodie Advent Calendar counts down the days before Christmas/Nondenominationalwinterholiday, one treat at a time. "This might be a little bit big to fit in one of the little squares of your advent calendar," jokes Charles Chocolates owner Chuck Siegel of his winter col ... More >>

Charles Chocolates Operates Virtual Goodie Factories for Online Game

PlayFirst via SFGateThe chocolate-making game's been averaging 800,000 plays a month.​Want to make your own Charles Chocolates creations? There's a video game called Chocolatier: Sweet Society for that. Charles Chocolates has teamed up with social networking game company PlayFirst for this ven ... More >>

Charles Chocolate Scales Up, Burger Joint Scales Down (for the Moment)

​ ​The past 24 hours in gossip, innuendo, and cold hard facts about the San Francisco restaurant scene.Paolo L. of Inside Scoop reports that Charles Chocolates just signed a deal with the Westfield shopping center to open a 5,000-square-foot production facility and retail store on its fou ... More >>

Where Can I Buy Locally Made Chocolate In a Post-Scharffen Berger World?

Who cares if Scharffen Berger left town when we have E. Guittard?​A question came in from D.F. this week:I used to buy Scharffen Berger chocolate, but now that Hershey bought out the company and left Berkeley, I don't know where to buy local chocolate. I've been buying bags of Guittard chips at th ... More >>

Easter Candy for Anybunny's Budget

Charles ChocolatesYou can gnaw on the box when you're done with what's inside.​We totally live for candy-coated holidays, and Easter is no exception. Forget the Peeps and instead peep these confectionery suggestions for all budgets: Under $75 For the special people who have Easter birthdays ... More >>

Sweets Makers Taking Orders for Passover Matzo Desserts, Disagree on Spelling

Emily Stone/seriouseats.comCharles' chocolate-covered matzah: A recipe for love?​The first seder of the week-long Passover holiday is Monday, March 29. Act now, and you won't be limited to whatever sad-looking last-minute macaroons are left on the Safeway shelf for that all-important unleavene ... More >>

Next Week's Weird-Ass Food Holidays ― and How to Celebrate Locally

Who knew? National Dog Biscuit Appreciation Day is Feb. 23.​Just about every day brings a different national food holiday, and next week is especially packed with weirdness. A small sampling:Mon., Feb. 22:It's National Cherry Pie Day; grab a juicy slice to go at Mission Pie (2901 Mission at 25th S ... More >>

Charles Chocolates Set to Open in San Francisco, Shut Down in Emeryville

feralbeagle/FlickrCharles' Emeryville factory and retail shop is set to close Feb. 15.​Charles Chocolates owner Chuck Siegel told SFoodie that, provided the gods continue to smile upon him, he'll open his new retail space in San Francisco Centre (845 Market at Fourth St.) this Saturday, Feb. 6. Th ... More >>

Holiday Gift Idea: Chocolate Boxes from Bittersweet

T. PalmerBittersweet's drinking chocolate prep kit.​Cacao rules everything around the Bittersweet Cafe (2123 Fillmore at California), and it's a great spot to pick up something sweet for someone special. A carefully curated international selection of bars are organized by milk and dark and start a ... More >>

What to Seek Out at Saturday's Holiday Chocolate Show

thexocolatebar.comChocolate Mayan calendar by local artisan the Xocolate Bar.​This weekend's Holiday Chocolate Show will host nearly 30 local independent confectioners, and should prove to be a good spot for scoring some thoughtful and beautiful holiday gifts, taking a snapshot of the range of ide ... More >>

Get to Charles Chocolates' Open House Tomorrow and Snag Some Kung Fu Taco Love

He'll be there too.​The East Bay's Charles Chocolates (6529 Hollis at 65th St., Emeryville) is throwing open the doors tomorrow for its annual open house with tours, sneak eats and previews of upcoming holiday confections, chocolate decorating, and even a movie. The featured flick is Kung Fu P ... More >>

Music? What Music? Outside Lands Was All About Eating

Doug Zimmerman Rockin' eats at Outside Lands: Maverick's pulled pork sandwich.​SFoodie sister blog All Shook Down trailed the three-day musical movements of the Outside Lands Festival this weekend, and by the sounds of it, our sonic reporters didn't make too much time for eating. That's no ... More >>

Free Screening of 'Babette's Feast' at Charles Chocolates

​If you were destitute and lived a life of servitude before winning the lottery, you probably wouldn't spend your earnings on a huge meal for your employers. But so it goes in the 1987 film Babette's Feast, in which a lonely cook beats the ultimate gaming odds and uses her proceeds t ... More >>

The Great American Food and Music Fest: The Good, The Bad, and The Hungry

Marisol Segal If you actually got food, there was reason to celebrate.(View our full slideshow of the event)We won't sugarcoat it: Saturday's Great American Food and Music Fest was riddled with major problems, from the almost immediate failure of a cashless wristband debit system for purchase ... More >>

'Spirited Away' Kicks Off Charles Chocolates' Summer Movie Series

Charles Chocolates begins its annual summer movie series this Friday, June 12 with a screening of 2001 anime charmer Spirited Away and some better-than-multiplex snacks. Sushi by Ichi (full menu here) and Charles' black sesame caramel corn will be available for purchase.Each screening promi ... More >>

Shoreline Food Fest is an Odd Assemblage of TV Stars, Local Chefs, and Aging Rockers

The Super Bowl of food? Let's hope the half-time show is betterAn unusual group of local chefs, TV food celebrities, and Boomer bands are coming together at Shoreline this Saturday for the Great American Food and Music Fest. "There'll be more deliciousness per square inch than you will find anywhere ... More >>

Valentine's Sweet Hearts

Self-respecting San Francisco residents should know that the words "Russell Stover" and "Whitman's Sampler" really have nothing to do with real chocolate, but many might be able to use some guidelines beyond that for Valentine's Day. Fortunately, we have some of the country's finest chocolatiers i ... More >>

Chuck and the Chocolate Factory