» gif t g uid e 2017

Chocolate
turkeys stuffed
with treats?
Yes, please!

Tasty

Tradition

ROBIN SCHWARTZ CONTRIBUTING WRITER

T

TOP: The turkey’s dark and white chocolate
outer shell is “stuffed” with truffled drumsticks,
wishbones, caramel popcorn, chocolate-covered
cherries and more.

details

To place an order or learn more, contact Gayle’s Chocolates
at (248) 398-0001 or visit gayleschocolates.com.
The store is located at 417 S. Washington, Royal Oak.

46

November 16 • 2017

jn

he quest for the perfect piece of
chocolate led Gayle Harte to start a
chocolate factory in her Huntington
Woods home back in 1979. She was certain
she could create the kind of rich, creamy
chocolate she’d been dreaming about. As
Gayle perfected her recipes, word started
spreading about her decadent bite-sized
desserts and, before long, her budding
business was generating quite a hubbub.
Neighbors complained, so Gayle
opened a storefront in Royal Oak in
1984. The rest is history. She’s been at
the same location on South Washington
for 34 years, creating unique truffles and
specialty chocolates that are handmade
daily and delighting customers of all ages
along the way.
“We can do anything in chocolate,” she
says. “If you can dream it, we can make it.”
The store shelves are filled with choco-
late objects that resemble art. From high-
heeled shoes to animals, a chocolate cam-
era, stylish men’s ties with colored swirls
and so much more.
There are more than 4,000 designs,
but nothing stands out quite like Gayle’s
7-pound chocolate turkey. The outer shell
is a mix of dark and white chocolate, so
thick you need a hammer to smash it.
Inside, the bird is stuffed with sweet treats.
“You could have a hollow turkey, but
that’s no fun,” Gayle explains. “We put in
extra wishbones, four truffled drumsticks,
caramel popcorn, chocolate-covered cher-
ries, cashews and more. All turkeys should

have stuffing.”
Behind the scenes, on the second level
of the retail shop, workers diligently make
hundreds of chocolate turkeys by hand. A
special mold is used to create the shape;
molten chocolate is poured in and care-
fully distributed. Then, it’s cooled and
hardened before each turkey is ready to be
stuffed. Every so often, Gayle pops a piece
of chocolate into her mouth and smiles.
Consider it quality control.
“We make sure every piece is perfect
and if it’s not, we just eat it,” she says.
“We’ve been doing artisanal chocolate
since before artisanal chocolate existed.
Everything is hand-done. There’s a lot of
attention given to every piece.”
Gayle’s philosophy has not changed over
the years. All the recipes are the same as
they were back in 1979. She says her cre-
ations are made “for the love of chocolate,”
and it shows. There are custom logo choc-
olate bars and corporate gifts, caramel-nut
clusters and truffles galore. Gayle’s sells the
large turkeys, which can serve as a center-
piece, for $120. A mini, unstuffed version is
also available for individual place settings
for $12.50. The shop has filled large orders
of up to 400 chocolate turkeys or more at
once. Others are sold right off the store
shelves one by one. When customers spot
them, they’re hard to resist.
“We use local ingredients, all-natural fla-
vors and the best quality chocolate,” Gayle
says. “The turkeys are unique and so much
fun.” •