Living the Sweet Life
Chocollazo
By Meredith Kay
Photography by Al Rendon
I’m sure that most of us have dreamed of quitting our jobs to pursue a life doing something that we love, but few actually take the leap. However, one local lady followed her heart and her intuition when a conversation with a friend sparked an idea.
Mary Collazo was years deep into her insurance career when a conversation during lunch with a friend changed her life’s trajectory. The two were pondering alternate career paths and what they would do if they could do anything they wanted when Mary came up with a business idea incorporating her love for chocolate with her last name, Collazo. At first, it seemed ridiculous. She had a successful career, but the name, Chocollazo, kept spinning around in her head, and she became obsessed with the idea.
Eventually, Mary decided that it was serendipity, and she felt such a strong pull toward the idea, that she convinced her husband, Frank, to jump on the chocolate bandwagon. Mary began an online course through the Ecole Chocolat, in 2011, to learn the art and science behind becoming a chocolatier. The course taught her how to expertly craft beautiful chocolates and chocolate desserts using only the finest ingredients available. When she completed the course and received her chocolatier certification, she and her husband decided to dip their toes into the chocolate waters with a food truck concept, and Chocollazo was born.
The Chocollazo truck debuted in 2013 at The Point Park & Eats, a food truck park off Boerne Stage Road, and it quickly became a huge success. In fact, Mary was able to quit her job just six weeks later and focus on Chocollazo full-time. Mary states, “Becoming a chocolatier is something that is borne out of passion. So much about the art of chocolate is in the science, but I get to put a creative spin on my chocolates, and it is very satisfying.”
It was in 2015 that Mary and Frank decided to take their concept one step further and opened the Chocollazo shop at the Boardwalk on Broadway shopping center. The chocolate shop uses only the finest chocolate imported from Belgium, and they maintain a small, but dynamic, team of employees, led by head chocolatier, Katie Brown. Katie works closely with Mary to keep up with demand for their decadent menu of Chocollazo truffles, as well as seasonal and special edition creations.
For Valentine’s Day, Chocollazo will be featuring a beautiful, hollow, decorated chocolate heart filled with smaller chocolates that comes with an adorable mallet. You can crack open the heart and share the chocolate with the one you love. They are sold by reservation only, so make sure to call ahead and place an order. Many other special creations will also be available for the holiday as well, including their “Ruby Chocolate”, which is made from a rare cocoa bean that is naturally bright red. Mary says, “Ruby chocolate has a sweet berry flavor. It tastes like pink, and Chocollazo is the only place in San Antonio that carries it.”
Everything at Chocollazo is made to be fresh and without preservatives, and all of the decorative metallics, dyes and lusters are made from food based, organic ingredients. The designs are all hand painted, and the end result is almost too beautiful to eat. Quality is the first priority for Mary and her staff of chocolate artisans, and it is evident with every delectable bite of Chocollazo chocolate.
Chocollazo
4013 Broadway
(210) 776-3963
chocollazo.com
Tuesday to Saturday 11AM-5PM
