Hagerstown Magazine - The Best of Life in Washington County & Beyond

January/February 2010
Franklin County Business: 'Love and Chocolate': Zoe's
A New Generation Shares Old-World Traditions at Zoe’s Chocolate Co.

by Nicole Jovel + photos by Ryan Smith — Chace+Smith Photography

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“Love and chocolate,” Petros Tsoukatos says with a laugh when you ask him what’s special about Zoe’s Chocolate Co. A third-generation family business with roots in Patras, Greece, Zoe’s has nurtured the relationship between love and chocolate for more than 100 years. When Petros’ great aunt, Mary, and great uncle, Jim, packed their belongings and left Greece for America, arriving in Baltimore, they built a small pushcart and sold homemade chocolates made from recipes they remembered from their parents. Soon after, they decided to settle in Waynesboro, where they opened a chocolate store in 1902.

Years later, Mary’s brother, Petros Leos (Petros Tsoukatos’ grandfather), joined her and Jim to help with the business. Eventually Petros Leos married, and he and his bride worked side by side in the business until his passing in 1970. And when family friend George Tsoukatos came to the U.S. shortly after, he fell in love with Petros’ daughter, Elaini, while he was learning the ropes of the business.

All in the Family
Today, George and Elaini’s three children — Pantelis, Zoe and Petros — are the third generation carrying on the tradition and family recipes. And that crucial special ingredient — love also has continued to underscore the business: Pantelis and Zoe (for whom the store is named) are business partners with Zoe’s fiancé, Matt Couri. Pantelis, Zoe and Matt head operations; the youngest of the family, Petros, works at the store between college classes; mom Elaini stops in to help (especially around the holidays when it’s time to hand roll candy canes); and dad George serves as the master chocolatier. “It’s beautiful,” he says. “I’m very lucky to be able to work with the kids. I give them everything from my experience and want to see it be a success from the depths of my heart.” George arrives at the shop at 4 a.m. and works into the evening to put his hands-on touch into every piece of chocolate. But he and his children say it’s easy to work hard for something you love.

And their customers can taste that mixture of love, chocolate and good old-fashioned hard work in each delicious morsel. “You get a warm feeling when you go into the store,” says Anupama Chakravartti, who lives in New York City but visits the store on her way to West Virginia for family visits. “Zoe’s father will come out and he’s covered in chocolate — you get the whole experience — and you know that they’re making the chocolates themselves. Their hands are involved, and they’re putting their personalities into it.” Carol MacDougall of Blue Ridge Summit stops by the shop several times a week. “I’ve gotten to know the whole family since I’ve gotten hooked on their chocolates.” Carol says it was by chance that she first went into Zoe’s. “When I went in they offered me a sample of my favorite kind of chocolate: milk chocolate with white buttercream. Now, on average, I’m there three times a week and many times I bring people with me.”

Irresistible Innovations
With nearly 50 different confections in their sweet repertoire, the Tsoukatoses also are constantly working on new ideas to meld chocolate with other flavors to create new masterpieces. “When you go in they offer whatever the latest, newest creation is, and that makes it even more fun,” says Carol. “One time when I was there, Zoe’s father came out and said, ‘Try the pomegranate.’ He had just created it, and I tried it and loved it,” adds Anupama.

Persephone’s Pomegranate — naturally sweet, juicy pomegranate blended into a dark chocolate ganache — is just one treat that’s inspired by the family’s Mediterranean roots. “We like to blend things from our heritage, like Tahini, pomegranate or even lemons, to create new creations with chocolate,” says Zoe. “Chocolate, and even food in general, is about fantasy. Whatever idea you think, you have to try it. Nobody expects vinegar in chocolate, but our strawberry with balsamic vinegar is one of the best.”

It’s not just the uniqueness of the Dionysus Baklava (creamed Greek honey combined with roasted walnuts and baklava spice, dipped in chocolate and rolled in a blend of nuts and spice), the Orange Flower (Mediterranean organ blossom oil, candied orange peel and fresh orange zest in a dark chocolate ganache) or the Golden Honeycomb (crispy spun honey, enrobed in dark chocolate) that makes their chocolates exceptional. Zoe’s uses locally grown produce like raspberries and strawberries, fresh cream and a high cocoa butter content, without any paraffin wax, hydrogenated oils or other preservatives. It is a commitment to quality — expressed in a delectable combination of love and chocolate — that makes their confections irresistible.
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34 E. Main St., Waynesboro, Pa. • 717-387-5882
121A N. Market St., Frederick, Md. • 301-694-5882
www.zoeschocolate.com