Tash Wolaniuk is an entrepreneur at heart. He opened a Jumbo Video store in Grimsby when he was only 17 years old. Now, four successful businesses later, he's the man behind one of Grimsby's most delicious destinations: Monks Chocolates.
It's a family affair, with mom Eileen and dad Jerry busy helping customers and when it comes to his children aged 3, 5 and 7, Tash says, “What kid wouldn't want to grow up in a chocolate factory?”
Walk around the store and the aromas will capture your attention. You'll find everything chocolate including chocolate-dipped espresso beans, white and dark chocolate-drizzled caramel corn and chocolate cigars wrapped in pink or blue foil in between the solid chocolate hockey sticks, letters of the alphabet and animal shapes.
Tash is a self-made chocolatier who creates delicious chocolates and truffles from a magic blend of eight different chocolates, all from around the world. “Chocolate is fun,” explains Tash, who prides himself in offering a one-stop chocolate destination.
Monks signature chocolate product is chocolate-dipped strawberries. You'll see a small tray of them among the truffles. They're the chocolate mounds with the bright green strawberry tops poking out the end. “We spend lots of money on our strawberries to get the freshest and the best,” says Tash of his most popular item in the store. The chocolate dipped strawberries are hand-dipped and made fresh every day in either dark, milk or white chocolate. They're sold in small red boxes of six, 12, or you can have them beautifully arranged in a solid chocolate, heart-shaped gift box. Chocolate-covered strawberries should always be ordered ahead to ensure the freshest berries.
There's also luscious brandied cherries that are soaked for three months in fine brandy, then hand-dipped in dark chocolate – yum!
Monks Chocolates is a popular destination situated right at the beginning of the Wine Route. They see lots of visitors as well as locals who appreciate having a chocolate factory within walking distance.
I asked this entrepreneur why he wanted to open a chocolate shop and he replied, “When you're playing with chocolate, it's fun!” Tash likes mixing flavours and creating new ones. Some of Monks' most popular chocolates are caramel and pecan turtles, peanut butter cups and his hazelnut and milk chocolate hedgehogs. Exciting truffle flavours are roasted almond and fig, white chocolate tiramisu and hazelnut milk chocolate.
Monks truffles are made with fresh cream and loads of sweet creamy butter. Because Tash insists on the best and freshest ingredients, the truffles have a shelf life of two to three weeks (best to order ahead). There are dozens of different truffle flavours and the most difficult part is to find your favourite. Some are made with rum, Irish cream, Amaretto or other specialty liquors and other have no liquors at all.
If you've never thought of chocolate as a seasonal product, think again. The main chocolate holidays are Christmas, Valentine's Day and Easter, making chocolate a cool to cold weather treat. Even chocolate manufacturers are located in cooler climates such as Switzerland, Italy, France and Belgium. That's because growing and making require two completely different sets of environmental conditions. All you have to do is put a piece of chocolate in your mouth and wait for it to melt to understand why that is.
So what does an entrepreneur do in the off-season? Why, he makes another seasonal product, of course. Monks makes a rich and dreamy milk-based gelato-style ice cream in over 70 different flavours, including traditional pear and cinnamon ripple, mascarpone and caramelized pear. He also likes to play with his customers by producing a buffalo wing and blue cheese gelato. “It was a bit extreme but my customers were curious and it all sold in no time!” He has fun with different flavours like Guinness gelato for St Patrick's Day.
The gelato is made fresh without any artificial flavours or preservatives. All year you can get a heaping cone of fresh gelato or a tub to take home. Monks also makes a line of sugar-free gelato as well as a line of sugar-free chocolates.
Inside the chocolate shop are gourmet foods that go well with chocolate in gift baskets. One of the more popular items is a jar of olives stuffed with blue cheese and a bottle of wine.
The chocolate factory is right behind the chocolate shop. What you see in the front is but a tiny fraction of what really goes on in the factory. Tash specializes in custom-made chocolates. He's made specialty moulds for corporate clients and has even put a diamond ring into a truffle for a special occasion.
Monks chocolate shop is halfway between Grimsby and Beamsville. It's open from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. daily with loads of parking. Enjoy their European coffee bar serving cappuccino, espresso, lattes, coffee, tea and their specialty drink, a hot frothy mug of steamed chocolate.

Lynn Ogryzlo is a food and wine writer and international award-winning author of Niagara Cooks, a farm-to-table cookbook and now The Ontario Table, available at retail stores across Ontario. You can reach Lynn for questions or comments through her website: www.OntarioTable.com