The Sweet Shop of Whitebridge.
My partner David joins the world of fine chocolate and nostalgic sweets.
As we get older, the years seem to accelerate and pass with lightning speed. No matter what we do, we cannot slow the hands of time. We try, we become mindful, and we slow down, and we take stock of the time behind us and what may be ahead. Also, we have the belief that as we age, we should slow down and take fewer risks, and sometimes be less adventurous. This is not the case for David, my partner, he retired a year ago and at the time had no idea what was next. A rest, Travelling, or a totally new direction in life.
We met via Facebook on a random day at a random moment in time, and one year on, both our lives have been transformed. This newsletter is not about me, so as you know a lot about me, I will jump forward to how David decided to open a high-end sweet and chocolate shop.
We both love food and especially sweet things. David has a sweet tooth, and I am very happy to be the feeder by making and baking so we have regular elevenses. When we met, my work was predominantly teaching my Chocolate At Home Masterclasses, demonstrating at food festivals and product development, and as I worked from home, David was exposed to wonderful couverture, bean-to-bar chocolate, truffles and filled chocolates. It’s clear to say it didn’t take David long to fall in love with fine chocolate, and he gradually began to help me with the work I had, and was learning quickly about the industry. When I was tasting chocolate for judging, he would taste it too to train his palate to identify the complexities of fine chocolate. When I created chocolates for Chocolate Unwrapped Chocolate Event 2024, he helped make them, he lifted, carried, cleaned and helped make Chocolate Unwrapped a great event. When I found a space to teach from, he was all in to help with DIY, styling, design, product, and now he assists with all our chocolate masterclasses. So you could say he has had some intensive training in the space of a year. When David sets his mind on doing something, he is 100% in, all in, deep dive in and committed.
We have a room as part of the Chocolate At Home Studio, which was our reception area to welcome our class guests. David saw potential to use the space for his own project, his own concept and direction. It’s not a large space, however, it is perfectly formed for a shop, and David has a wonderful eye for design. So, turning an office into a shop is something he will do very well. It has a front window with a deep sill perfect for a window display, it has high ceilings, and an interior window brings more light into the space. It’s perfect.
The Sweet Shop of Whitebridge was the name David decided upon quite naturally, and his inspiration came from some wonderful friends of ours in Whitby, North Yorkshire. The Pot and Pineapple is a glorious shop of mainly British gifts, a huge liquorice selection, alcohol and bean-to-bar chocolate from UK producers. I had held a few incredible events with Emma, the owner, at her shop when I lived close by in 2024. We held tastings of the bean-to-bar chocolate, then added in some alcohol pairings, Burns night being a highlight. David supported me on the Burns night events, and it solidified his decision to open his own shop.
Im giggling while writing this as David just said, You inspired me to open my shop. Inspiration has to come from many places, so Im very touched to have helped be part of David’s journey.
Once a decision has been made to start a new venture, it consumes and lives with you as the list of to-dos just keeps getting longer, and the decisions keep growing. As you know, I have extensive experience in opening shops, and my natural urge is to project manage, but not this time. David has designed his branding, his image, his USP, his layout, and with some guidance along the way, chosen the nostalgic sweets to stock, fine liquorice and is having intensive chocolate training with me in becoming a chocolatier. This is by no means an easy task, it takes so much work to find your style and to master the skills. He does have a wonderful teacher, however. David will be creating a collection of handmade chocolates and making them in our studio space for the shop. I will be making a few guest appearances with some chocolate products along the way, too as my reignited creativity grows.
I am so proud of David, it’s a huge undertaking, it’s long hours, lots of repetition of making and creating, endless cleaning up, and tonnes of dedication needed, which he has in spades. I would say this: the years do fly past; however, you can fill the days and months with anything you want to, you can take that risk, that leap, that decision to flip your life on its head and start a new career. It’s brave, yes, and it’s expensive, but imagine the cost of not trying, not taking the leap and having a new adventure. He is an example to so many of how to start again and live a very full and exciting life.
David hasn't opened his shop yet, but it won’t be long and I will of course, let you know the shop opening news as it happens.