Raising the (Chocolate) Bar

Ever dreamt of finding the perfect chocolate bar tailor-made with your favorite candy or nuts—or even cereal?

Look no further. At Shana Elson’s new shop, Top This Chocolate, you can choose your favorite toppings and design chocolates with ingredients ranging from Teddy Grahams and Skittles to pistachios and dried cranberries.

Formerly a corporate attorney, Elson won a pitch competition at USC’s Marshall School of Business that provided her with the seed money to make her dream of creating custom chocolates a reality. Her first priority as a chocolatier was choosing the right chocolate as a base. Scrupulous about quality, she sampled more than 25 options before she settled on Guittard chocolate—a 150-year-old California company known for their commitment to ethical, artisanal chocolate.

“It’s incredibly important that the chocolates be fair trade and made with 100% cocoa butter with no added vegetable fats,” said Elson. She offers three varieties: 61% dark chocolate, milk chocolate and a creamy white chocolate.

When you enter Top This Chocolate, you’ll find a dazzling array of ingredients. With 45 different toppings to choose from, there’s something for every palate. “We just added pumpkin seeds, toffee and coffee beans. The gummi bears have been incredibly popular and so have the peanut butter chips, caramel pearls and honey-roasted peanuts with sea salt.” Dark or white chocolate letters that can spell out a name or greeting are also a big hit.

Set in Ventura Harbor Village, Top This Chocolate also offers fair trade, organic coffee from local Brazuka roasters so you can get your caffeine and chocolate fix all in one stop. Their fully customizable chocolate bars are available both in-store (where you can watch your bar be made!) and through their online website.

Top This Chocolate
1559 Spinnaker Dr., Suite 109, Ventura
805-535-4167 | TopThisChocolate.com