PHOTOS BY JODIE BRIM CREATIVE
Some guys buy red corvettes when they reach a certain age, others might get a tattoo or grow a beard. Not Brent Peters. Instead, Brent started making chocolate!
Started in 2007, Black Mountain Chocolate was the first bean-to-bar Chocolate Factory in the Tarheel state. Since then they have been producing fair-trade chocolate, created from the cocoa bean in small batches at their Visible Factory.
Black Mountain Chocolate’s first factory was founded in the town of Black Mountain and then moved to the Arts District in Winston-Salem in 2014. Although they enjoyed the Trade Street location, there were big plans underway for Black Mountain Chocolate and a move to downtown’s beloved Bailey Party was just the ticket! (dare I say… “golden ticket” ?) Black Mountain Chocolate is now open and significantly expanded at 450 N Patterson Avenue, just under the iconic smoke stacks of Bailey Park and inside the Coal Pit alongside Incendiary Brewing and Cugino Forno.
The new Black Mountain Chocolate Bar not only offers expanded seating indoors and out with plenty of room for distancing, but it has become a hub of activity for unique gatherings and events! From Ladies’ and Men’s Nights out to family celebrations and happy hours, the Black Mountain Chocolate Bar truly offers something for everyone.
And don’t think it’s just a place to buy delicious chocolate! How about sitting down at the bar for a seasonal craft cocktail mixed with homemade syrups and liquors? Or enjoy a treat from their growing bakery options accompanied by some ice cream. All enhanced with the flavor of small batch craft chocolate, direct from the cocoa bean.
Black Mountain Chocolate is making the most of the fantastic community feel that comes from being located in Winston-Salem’s vibrant Innovation Quarter! If you’re paying attention to them in social media, you already know that Thursday nights often feature unique after-hours events such as pairing socials and cocktail labs. Cocktail labs?! Sounds fun right? Marissa Joyce, the marketing coordinator for Black Mountain Chocolate explains. “Attending a Cocktail Lab means that you not only get a guided tasting of our featured spirit but you can also get a complete class in craft cocktail making and the knowledge to recreate classic cocktails at home!” Every Saturday afternoon, guests to Black Mountain Chocolate can delight in The Makery, a drop in area where visitors are taken through the process of chocolate making, get to view live demos, and even sample BMC chocolate. It’s an edutainment experience that brings a new level of enjoyment to visiting the Chocolate Bar.
Seems like choosing chocolate over a shiny sports car was the right choice for Brent and Millie! Roasted Cocoa Beans from Black Mountain Chocolate are now being used by every major brewery in the area such as Foothills, Fiddlin’ Fish, Hoots, Incendiary and Radar. Plans for the future include a new website and virtual, self-guided tours of Black Mountain’s Chocolate Factory.
Be sure to include a visit to Black Mountain Chocolate in your next downtown outing… It’s a sweet experience that you won’t forget!
Follow BMC on Facebook, on Instagram and their website, blackmountainchocolate.com. The Black Mountain Chocolate Bar is located at 450 North Patterson Avenue, Suite 110, in Winston-Salem.
