Shops / Chocolate
Chocolate shop and cafe opens on Cheltenham Road
Walking into Pionka’s Chocolate is like walking into Willy Wonka’s chocolate factory.
The unmistakable aroma of cocoa beans fills the air with eyes drawn instantly to the fantastic array of free samples. Behind the counter, Mariusz Pionka is hard at work, crafting delectable chocolate treats by hand.
All chocolate sold in the shop is made by Mariusz himself, he selects the beans, and turns them into chocolate indulgences in a ‘bean to bar’ process.
is needed now More than ever
Mariusz, a qualified pastry chef, says that he has always enjoyed making food from scratch and even makes his own wine at home. Making chocolate appeared to Mariusz the perfect culinary challenge.
The chocolate shop offers vegan delights
After spending two years in a mountainous area of Malaga, refining his chocolate-making abilities with a local chocolate-maker, Mariusz came back to the UK wanting to share his unique chocolate with the wider world.
He sold his chocolate in local markets before setting up Art and Chocolate on Gloucester Road with his friend, which is only a short walk from his newest venture.
However, Mariusz found that his own kitchen was increasingly unsuited to the task of producing vast amounts of chocolate. and the shop’s Cheltenham Road premises provided the perfect location for him to grow his business.
The opening of Pionka’s Chocolate Shop marks eight years since his passion for chocolate-making began, and his wealth of experience is evident in the exquisite, rich taste of his chocolate.
The coffee and walnut chocolate was fantastic is a particular highlight – strong coffee undertones, rich cocoa overtones and crunchy pieces of walnut. The store also creates a range of delicious vegan chocolate in a variety of flavours.
The pastry chef and chocolate maker is also remarkably inventive, creating truffins – truffle muffins, a muffin in chocolate ganache.
Passers-by can pop in quickly and purchase a bar of chocolate or they can prolong their stay, sitting on a sofa and enjoying one of their range of warm drinks. The hot chocolates are made using melted chocolate, and plans are in place to extend the range of hot chocolates on offer for the winter months.
The chocolate shop also hopes to run chocolate workshops.
Oweners Mauriusz and Lisa
The chocolate shop is run exclusively by Mariusz and his partner, barista Lisa Gonzalez. They explain how they decorated the shop with a very low budget, buying decorations from charity shops where possible, even painting the walls and stencilling the floorboards themselves, only contracting an electrician where it was absolutely necessary.
Summarising the business in three words, Mariusz used the words “passion, creativity and determination”, and this ethos is evident upon stepping into the premises.
Pionka’s Chocolate, 192 Cheltenham Road, Bristol, BS6 5RB
Read more: Chocolate shop’s recipe for expansion
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