Anna Tolazzi Artisan Chocolates

Fennel, beer and wild rice, lemongrass, lime, balsamic vinegar. Yummy flavours, all, but you’re probably not thinking about chocolate.

Unless, of course, you’ve visited Anna Tolazzi, Katharina Ortner’s artisan chocolate stall at the Kitchener Farmer’s Market. In that case, you’ll know that, alongside some more mainstream fare – peanut butter-caramel, raspberry paté and liqueur flavours, for example – there are also plenty of exotic confections to be found.

Ortner’s chocolates, sold individually or in boxes of various sizes (from two to 30), are handmade from organic, fair trade French and Belgian chocolate and feature local, handpicked, organic and sulfite-free ingredients where possible. Ortner, a native of Austria, introduces new flavours every week – experimenting is what keeps it fun, she says. She’s always looking for input and welcomes ideas and suggestions for new flavour combinations from friends and customers.

Some flavours are received better than others, Ortner says. People have shied away from the Bockbeer and organic wild rice (tasted good to me!). Salted caramel, on the other hand, tends to do well. Ortner’s own favourites include lime truffle (to die for) and black current mousse with black current paté, made from homegrown fruit.

Not only are Ortner’s chocolates unique in flavour, they’re also beautiful little works of art. A painter, sculptor and printmaker who studied at the Emily Carr University of Art and Design, Ortner tried her hand at being a goldsmith, but found it unsatisfying. She always enjoyed making fine, decorative cookies and had the palate (“I’m a food snob – in a good way,” she laughs) to be making edibles. One thing led to another and she ended up in Kitchener (with partner Mark Resmer, who often mans the market booth on Saturday mornings) making chocolates.

Designing and painting the chocolates, says Ortner, “is my favourite part. If I could spend all my time decorating, it’d be a lot of fun.” She says she originally intended to handpaint each chocolate, but soon discovered that doing so would make them unaffordable. But, she says, “I do try to develop the decoration so that it’s truly one of a kind – a true art edition. There’s a reason why I make these things by hand.”

Somewhere down the line, Ortner and Resmer hope to see Anna Tolazzi (the business is named for Ortner’s late mother, who was Italian) as its own little shop, which they envision being a little different from the norm. For now, though, the market suffices very nicely. “It’s such a great testing ground,” says Ortner. “We’re very happy with it.”

Select chocolates are also available boxed at Vincenzo’s. Me, I’ll be heading down to the market this morning to pick up a little assorted box for my mom. Yep, it’s Mother’s Day tomorrow. I’d say artisan chocolates make for a pretty lovely last-minute gift.
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