Nestled in a historic building on State Highway 6 through Calvert is a bit of heaven for chocolate lovers, who will discover gourmet truffles made from the finest French ingredients.

Jerry Larson photo

If espresso, dark chocolate, coconut, praline and fresh mint make your sweet tooth long for a bite, a delightful surprise awaits at Cocoamoda, a chocolate boutique that rivals European chocolatiers.

Made by hand by executive chef and chocolate connoisseur Kenneth J.J. Wilkinson and his team of skilled professionals, the double-bite-sized truffles will tantalize even the most discriminating chocoholic tastebuds. Wilkinson makes regular trips to France to meet with renowned chocolatiers and select his ingredients.

It’s no wonder that the boutique and accompanying bistro-style restaurant are drawing visitors from Houston, Dallas and Austin.

“This is a destination,” Wilkinson said. “We have people come from Houston on a Friday or Saturday night and stay until 11 p.m. or midnight and then drive home.”

Wilkinson shows off trays of his delectable chocolates: (clockwise from top) espresso, cassis, cochin (his newest creation of espresso, fresh ginger and black pepper) and white chocolate coconut.
Duane A. Laverty photo

Soothing jazz music, white cloth-draped tables, exquisite service and the charisma of its London-born owner, Cocoamoda is where customers become friends.

“Good morning, mate!” accompanied by handshakes and European-style cheek kisses is the familiar greeting the distinguished, mustachioed Wilkinson — attired in his chef’s whites — offers both new faces and the locals who stop in for a morning cup of coffee that some describe as the best they’ve ever had. 

“I like coffee that is strong but not bitter!” Wilkinson exclaims. He plans to package his special blend in response to his customers’ call for home brewing. 

The chocolate factory across the street is where the real magic happens. The freshest French couverture, or chocolate base, is morphed at the perfect temperature into morsels that are not intended to sit on the shelf for “more than five minutes,” Wilkinson said.

In this inner sanctum of his chocolate world, Wilkinson tempers the chocolate to avoid bloom, or a white coating, and to acquire “snap,” that sharp, crisp sound that is indicative of the highest quality.

“If you keep the quality of your product really high, there is always a market,” he said. 

Other boutique stores that will market his preservative-free products are planned; the first outside of Calvert is expected to open in Houston in early 2010.

The chocolatiers use toothpicks to place melted 24-karat gold atop pieces of cassis, which is 66 percent chocolate with black currant liqueur.
Duane A. Laverty photo

The idea is to lure raving fans back to home base.

“If you have a few Gucci stores around, and you knew that two hours from here you could go to their factory, then when the people visit you want to give them the full experience ... not just a factory tour but au cuisine, French cuisine with a Cocoamoda spin,” Wilkinson said.

Home base is a former 19th-century dry goods store that Wilkinson, who is from a long line of carpenters, renovated himself. He claims that it is the only chocolate factory in the country where an event can be hosted within. The facility can host up to 50 people for a sit-down dinner, and tour buses from the surrounding area bring travelers to hear Wilkinson talk about chocolate (“I have no problem talking about chocolate for four hours and all four hours [is] good stuff,” he said) while enjoying a multi-course lunch.

Great Britain native Ken Wilkinson’s Cocoamoda bistro has an elegant look, down to the white tablecloths. His menu is “fancier” than standard Texas fare, with items such as lobster bisque and croque-monsieur, a classic French-toasted gruyere cheese and ham sandwich. His offerings have been honed from catering meals for England’s royal family on many occasions.
Duane A. Laverty photo

“It adds a whole other dimension to their lives,” he said. “I get the feeling that we really need to affect people. You have to have passion in your life. If there is a day that goes by that you or I don’t learn something, it’s a wasted day.”

Wilkinson lives out his passion in the factory where he and his team maintain the ideal controlled environment for perfect chocolate. Whether it’s 112 degrees or 32 degrees outside, it’s always the ideal 72 degrees inside Cocoamoda’s factory, where melting vats and cooling trays are the tools and truffles are carefully adorned with Spanish almonds, Iranian pistachios and hazelnuts from Oregon.

The candy counter is an eye-pleasing, mouth-watering assortment of truffles, candied fruit and gelees. Gold-leaf adorned cassis with black currant liqueur, dark chocolate-covered orange rind, and milk and honey or rum truffles give visitors

plenty from which to choose. 

“If they come in here they are forced to eat a sample,”

Wilkinson said. “I’m constantly developing new tastes.”

Don’t ask him what he would choose though. “If it weren’t my favorite, it wouldn’t be there.”

Owner Ken Wilkinson ladles melted chocolate from a small tempering machine.
Duane A. Laverty photo

The restaurant and boutique across the street is a lovely haven set in a restored 1870s bank building that is stunning thanks to the elbow grease put in by Wilkinson and his crew. Hardwood floors, granite countertops and trimmed windows make diners feel at home.

Wilkinson wows diners with cuisine fit for a king, well put since the chef has catered numerous occasions for England’s royal family and graced their tables with his filigreed chocolate sculptures.

“The menus that I create reflect what is served to the royal family,” Wilkinson said.

Cocoamoda’s bistro menu is not your typical small-town Texas fare. In fact, some would call it “fancy” with its croque-monsieur, a classic French-toasted gruyere cheese and ham sandwich; lobster bisque; and boeuf bourguignon. Weekly specials include delicacies such as lamb chops stuffed with oysters and spinach.

Valerie Dunnam and Mark Futch drove in from Bryan on a Saturday morning to enjoy Eggs Benedict and croque-monsieur.

Wilkinson and apprentice chocolatier Bruce Wing, a graduate of the Culinary Institute of America, put the finishing touches to a fresh batch of handmade chocolates.
Duane A. Laverty photo

“This is a place that I would expect to see in Dallas,” Futch said. “I’ve had nothing like this or even close since I left Dallas 10 years ago.”

Dunnam was thrilled to find her favorite sandwich so close to home.

“I haven’t had this sandwich since I was at Payard in New York, and now I don’t have to go all the way to New York to enjoy it,” she said.

And those types of reviews are gaining Cocoamoda attention far and wide.

Wilkinson sees absolutely no reason why a Texas town with interesting, well-preserved downtown buildings should not be the Chocolate Capital of Texas.

“In its way, Calvert itself has a European feel in that it is untouched from a certain era, and the whole place retains its 19th-century flavor,” he said.

Neighboring businesses are sup-portive of the elegant establishment.

Duane Allen, who owns the Wooden Spoon Café down the street with his wife, Karol, enjoys the camaraderie with his English friend.

Calvert, with its quaint, well-preserved downtown, offers interesting shopping and dining from down-home to upscale.
Duane A. Laverty photo

“It’s a wonder that I don’t weigh 500 pounds. I come in here and he says ‘Here mate, try this one,’ and ‘Here mate, this is a new one,’ ” Allen said. 

Cocoamoda gives Calvert something for everyone, Allen said.

“We’re in business here and we’re supportive to help each other. He’s got the upper scale and we’re down-home,”Allen said.

Cocoamoda products are shipped across the country and worldwide through Cocoamoda.com. Perfect for gifting, the chocolate is beautifully packaged for each customer. Wilkinson doesn’t believe in cutting corners on even the smallest details.

“We want the product to be the absolute best, and we don’t care about the money,” he said. “If all you care about is being the best, the money just comes.”

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