Welcome Autumn - and our new fall menu!
Gosh, what a lovely summer. Thank goodness it's over!
You see, we chocolatiers love a nice warm day, but our chocolate? Not so much! That's why we're a little quiet in the summer months...consider it a hibernation of sorts. But now that the cooler weather is upon us, our commercial kitchen in downtown Waterville is back in business, producing treats from our new autumn menu as well as those fan favorite items we never stop making.
Another reason we love autumn - our local farmers are crazy with the tasty produce! Apples from The Apple Farm in Fairfield keep us rolling in the fresh applesauce - we make our own for our Apple Jack Caramels, don't you know? And it's also pumpkin season -- so of course we're making our favorite pumpkin-riffic confections using good ol' organic pumpkin goodness, sourced right here in Maine!
Autumn also means you'll be seeing more of us! We've started posting our special autumn Pop-Up Events and seasonal hours on our Facebook Page. Check it out to see where we'll be during Maine Craft Weekend, Colby College Homecoming Weekend and when we'll be open this fall.
Like pumpkin? You will LOVE our Pumpkin Crack - a brittle/toffee hybrid that delights the tongue and inspires autumn adventures!
Looking for a perfect holiday hostess gift, housewarming present or gift? Check out our Autumn Harvest Bonbon assortment, it sure is a sweet gift made with plenty of the Maine ingredients you know, love and remember from your childhood!
Not seeing something you want? Just give us a call or shoot us an email, with enough time we'd be happy to whip up your heart's fancy!
Ah spring - or is it summer? You decide!
Sweets for your Sweetie? It must be Valentine's Day!
We just LOVE love. We truly do! This is why Valentine's Day has always been special to us, long before we started selling our confections. When we were little, we were all about the candy. Now that we're wearing our Big Boy Pants, we must say there is something divine about February chocolate...warms the heart!
Take a peek at our Valentine's Day 2017 Collection - we hope you like what you see. If not, feel free to drop us an email or give us a call, custom confections are a speciality!
Our retail store will be open from January 31st through February 14th at 18 Common Street - Second Floor - in downtown Waterville across from City Hall/The Opera House. So drop on by if you're in town!
The CHC Holiday Chocolate Pop-Up Shop in Waterville, Maine!
Good news! Over the holiday season we're adding a cozy retail shop to our commercial kitchen so you can finally come and browse our wares. From boxed bonbons to gift baskets and holiday assortments of all our confections, you'll be able to get delicious handcrafted Maine-made and inspired treats for everyone on your list.
The doors to our Holiday Pop-Up Shop will open on Friday, November 25th and will be open through Friday, December 23rd. We are delighted and excited to be opening our doors to the public, something we've been asked a lot about and is now becoming a reality.
Christopher Hastings Confection Chocolate Pop-Up Shop
November 25th - December 23rd, 2016
Tuesday-Sunday: 10:00AM-6:00PM
CLOSED MONDAYS
Prepare for the most scrumptious time of the year!
Hello Waterville Maine!
You might have heard the rumor that there's a new chocolate shop in town - it's true!
But we're kind of a 'secret shop' - we do not have a retail storefront, instead we have a commercial kitchen nestled in the heart of historic downtown Waterville Maine, right off beautiful Castonguay Square next to the Waterville Opera House.
This is a dream come true for us - moving from our home-licensed kitchen in Portland, Maine to a larger, more economically viable commercial space gives us the room and freedom we need to make MORE delicious chocolates! Huzzah!
While we are open by appointment only, we delivery to the greater Waterville area and you can pick up your chocolates here too - just don't expect a fancy retail shop! While we certainly plan to open a fancy retail shop in the next few years, our business model is focused on making chocolates for sale online, wholesale through retailers, and of course we want to create lots of fabulous custom chocolates for corporate gifts, wedding favors, baby showers, you name it!
So we hope you won't be too disappointed that you can't just drop by to see all of our goodies - but if you order chocolates online and request 'pick up' you can certainly see our space, we'd love to introduce you to what makes chocolates from Christopher Hastings Confections so very special. And yes, they ARE special!
Give us a taste today - we'll be appearing soon at some fantastic local retailers and will be sure to get the word out!
Spring has Sprung!
Every year after a cold Maine winter, my darling husband (and CHC Chocolatier) loves to chirp on the first warm spring day:
"Spring has sprung,
The grass has ris',
I wonder where,
The birdies is?"
(He's a delight until allergies set in. About a day later...)
Spring HAS sprung friends! Or if you're of a religious inclination, hath! It's a fun word regardless. But spring is here, which means new delightful flavors and holiday treats!
For those of you into the St. Patties tradition and all things minty Irish goodness, we're bringing back our fan-favorite seasonal white chocolate confections, our Shamrock Shake Bars and Whiskey Caramel Riots. We're also taking our traditional Mint Meltaways and are making them even more minty and decorating 'em green for the big day.
For those of you into Easter, boy do we have plenty of goodies for you. From our handmade marshmallow "MEeps" (think Peeps but from Maine and made with real Maine honey) to our awesome Maine Sea Salt Caramel 1/2 eggs and Peanut Butter filled Peep Bunny Bonbons -- and don't forget our stunning 5" Dark Chocolate Egg w/ Hidden MEep Nest surprise inside! Of course we also offer an Easter Basket - custom orders a specialty and whimsy is on the house!
On April 3rd, we'll be at The 2016 Chocolate Lovers Fling in Portland - it's a special event with a very special mission - it is the largest annual fundraiser for Sexual Assault Response Services of Southern Maine. AND we're entering a chocolate into the official judging competition. You can help judge the winner too, pretty cool!
For those celebrating May and Mother's Day, we have some very festive packaging - and some amazing May Day fudge baskets with both penuche (brown sugar) and chocolate fudge. You'll also be able to find us at the Running with Scissors SPRING Open House on April 30th in Portland - we'll be selling some really cool collaborative edible chocolate art for Mother's Day and will have some amazing new spring flavors for you to try too. Hope to see you there!
Oh yes, Spring is here my friends - enjoy!
Nate Towne, CHC co-founder
February Events - Bring on the Love!
We've got a busy February planned with lots and lots of love -- oh what fun we'll have!
Thursday, February 4th
6th Annual Bubbly, Sweets & Shopping Event 5 - 7 PM
The Rock & Art Shop, 36 Central Street, Bangor Maine
Join us for an awesome shopping and chocolate tasting event - with artwork by the Bangor Art Society and live music by the Bangor Symphony Orchestra while you shop for Valentine's Day. A portion of all purchases will benefit the Bangor Symphony Orchestra and we'll be raffling off a Two-Month CHC Confection of the Month Club subscription to one lucky attendee -- let's have some fun, taste some chocolate and raise some money for our friends at BSO!
Thursday, February 10th
Blake and Eva show on WMGX Radio for SARSSM fundraiser, the 2016 Chocolate Lover's Fling
Thursday, February 11th
Hand-Crafted Valentine's Day Pop-Up 5 - 7 PM
The Thirsty Pig, 37 Exchange Street, Portland Maine
