arts & life

out to eat

Nosh
Quickies

Chocolate
Heaven

SPICY!

Alex Clark

Bon Bon Bon

introduces new

fall line.

Reisa Shanaman
Special to the Jewish News

W

hen the whole world
comes crashing
down, there’s still
scrap chocolate,” Alex Clark,
owner of Hamtramck-based
Bon Bon Bon, says with a warm
smile while doling out samples
from her new fall line to a small
group of us.
She’s referring to cast-off mor-
sels of cocoa, which she’s just
invited us to pop into her shop
to enjoy anytime life requires a
bit of sweet relief.
Named one of Forbes’ 2016
“30 Under 30,” Clark opened her
flagship bon bon shop in 2014,
and later a second local store-
front on the ground level of the
Chrysler House in Downtown
Detroit’s financial district.
Delightful delicacies, which
measure about 2 inches long
and 1-inch wide, each bite-
sized bon bon is bursting with
Clark’s whim and creativity. For

56 October 27 • 2016

instance, Caprese may seem
a surprising concoction for a
chocolate confection, but she
serves us one for a sampling of
“something weird” at an inti-
mate introduction of her new
fall flavors.
According to a recipe posted
in the room, its ingredients
include “red tomato confiture,
basil ricotta ganache (from Acre
Farm), with dark shell and bal-
samic glaze.”
In celebration of National
Chocolate Day on Oct. 28, you
might want to pop in for a visit.
Other seasonal sweets she’s
conceived include Cider &
Donuts, Pumpkin Spice is
Cheesy and Fried Green Tomato.
Clark manages to cram fun and
inventive flavor profiles into
every petite, handmade treat.
“Chocolate is amazing
because it’s one of the only
things out there where you can
have the very best of it for $3!”
she says. “You know, you can’t
have the best meal, outfit, even
pencil for $3. But at Bon Bon
Bon you can have two bites of
some of the [best] chocolate you
could ever dream of. It’s good
and it’s accessible and I feel like
that makes it very special.”
She hands us a bon bon

named the Salty Sap, which she
describes as “a textural experi-
ment that went really well.” The
salty/sweet caramel creation
leaves our tongues tingling.
“There are so many good
things in our chocolate,” Clark
says. “Good jobs and good
ingredients and good people —
and the truth is the world’s not
always that good … It’s amazing
to have Bon Bon Bon and be
able to use it as a platform to
share good things with other
people.”
A teller of tiny, sweet stories,
rk acquired her sweet tooth
Clark
m her grandfather. “He used
from
to skip lunch and eat two king-
ed chocolate bars instead!”
sized
she e fondly recalls.
Earlier this year, Clark
rchased a larger space
purchased
on Joseph Campau, just
wn the street from the
down
op’s original Hamtramck loca-
shop’s

tion, in order to increase pro-
duction capabilities. The move
also indicates her intention to
remain in the area long-term.
“What’s exciting about hav-
ing our business in Detroit is
the quality of the makers and
the established urban farming
community here. In conjunction
with the diversity of Michigan’s
agricultural economy, this
means that we, collectively with
[the local] restaurants, have
access to all of the resources we
need.”
She hopes to have the new
store open in time for the holi-
days.

*

Chef Zack Sklar created a
homemade Garam Masala
spice mix for Yad Ezra
client families. Yad Ezra’s
Volunteer Committee
assembled the spice mix
— which includes cumin,
coriander, black pepper,
cardamom, cinnamon,
cloves and nutmeg. Want
some of your own? You
can get some with a small
donation to Yad Ezra. Call
(248) 548-3663 for more
info.

*

SWEET SPOT FOR
THEME PARTIES

Diva, Princess, Pajama,
Superheroes … those are
just a few of the themed
parties for kids you can
have at Sweet Spots Ice
Cream Parlor, 32902
Middlebelt. The shop
opened in August with
32 flavors of Hershy’s Ice
Cream and oodles of other
goodies. Fall hours are 11
a.m.-9 p.m. For info on
parties, call (248) 787-4247
or visit sweetspots.biz.

*