GREAT EATS HAWAII: MAUI SPECIALTY CHOCOLATES

MAUI SPECIALTY CHOCOLATES

180 E. WAKEA AVE

KAHULUI, HI 96732

808-871-1222

HOURS: Monday thru Friday 10:00 AM - 5:00 PM

Saturday 10:00 AM - 2:00 PM

Closed Sunday

www.mauispecialtychocolates.com

I had never heard of Maui Specialty Chocolates even though they have been in business for some 26 years. A friend I was traveling said that she visits this chocolate store every trip to Maui and always brings home the Chocolate Mochi to her family. While this is not a fancy shop it does serve up some of the best chocolate that I have ever tasted. The owner was nice enough to spend a moment chatting with me and telling me a little about the business. They started making chocolate in Maui after his Wife completed culinary school in New York. The business began making chocolates for all of the major Maui hotels back in the day but with changing times and budget cuts most of the hotel business has now faded away. As we talked he asked me to taste his Wife's newest creation which was Dark Chocolate with Himalayan Salt. Wow..the chocolate was so rich and then followed by a taste of the salt. A perfect combination that I loved. Actually bought a bag after tasting it and am enjoying a piece while I write this. The big seller at Maui Specialty Chocolates is the Peanut Butter and Chocolate Mochi. This is what my friend comes here for so I bought a box to take back to my girls who love Mochi. Mocha is a Japanese rice cake made of mochigome, a short-grain japonica glutinous rice. The rice is pounded into paste and molded into the desired shape. My girls absolutely loved the Chocolate Mochi and finished the box in one day. The said it tasted really fresh. Maui Specialty Chocolates makes the Mochi fresh each day so you cannot buy a better product anywhere. I tried several more of the chocolates and loved the Milk Chocolate Mint. Everything here is good. I really like the story of this family business and wish them only the best. If you are on Maui and love chocolate please stop by and spend some money here. This is the type of small business that I want to see in business another 26 years.