One bonbon at a time, proving happiness is better when it’s dipped in chocolate
By Libby Wiersema
Paint brushes, airbrushes, and a kaleidoscope of “paint” colors – these are some of the tools of Ranny Starnes’ trade. The natural-born artist is well-equipped to masterfully bring her creations to life. While acrylic landscapes were once her calling card, she is currently garnering acclaim for working in another medium: chocolate. If you have never thought of chocolate-making as an artform, one trip to Chocobello in Downtown Florence will change the way you think about everybody’s favorite indulgence.
Questions and Answers
Co-owned by Starnes and business partner, Marvin James, Chocobella is a woman- and minority-owned enterprise that has been satisfying sweet tooths since opening amid the pandemic.
“When you start a business, you consider all the things that could go wrong,” said Ranny. “Will people come? Will people want to buy chocolate? Will the town support us? What if there is a recession? The last question you think to ask is: What if there’s a pandemic?”
Well, Florentines were not about to let anything come between them and the promise of freshly made Belgian chocolates. They answered all Ranny’s questions on opening day in November 2020 – the Saturday after Thanksgiving.
“I looked out and couldn’t believe the line of folks stretched all the way back to the parking lot,” she said. “I cried tears of joy and tears of being overwhelmed.”
To everyone’s benefit, Starnes and James had the foresight to install a walk-up window, so customers could safely be served without entering the shop.
A World of Chocolate Wonder
These days, of course, everyone is welcome to come inside and peruse Chocobella’s selection of treats. The first thing you will notice are the gorgeous confections on display, each glistening like a bauble in a fine jewelry store. There are also notes of art studio-meets-chemistry lab-meets-candy kitchen in the air. Tucked behind the candy-filled glass cases are workstations, racks of candy molds, shelves brimming with artsy supplies, and machines whirring up mini-waterfalls of melted chocolate – a sight that would make most anyone feel like Charlie Bucket on the best day of his life.
Lucky for us all, no golden ticket is needed to experience Chocobella’s luscious offerings. Starnes may not wear a fancy top hat or speak in riddles, but one bite will tell you that she is a chocolate wizard in every respect. Her bon bons are true eye-candy and taste as dreamy as they look. The crisp, smooth shells, rich, creamy centers and hand-painted designs reflect a high level of candy-craft. It takes four to five days for Ranny, Marvin, and assistant, Angela Turner, to produce a batch of beautiful bon bons, which are basically a thin, hard chocolate shell with a delicious filling.
The process is as technical as it is artistic. First, huge slabs of rich, Belgian chocolate are chiseled into pieces, then transferred into machines that have been carefully calibrated to maintain a temperature of 45 degrees Celsius. The machines continuously stir and temper the chocolate to melt out any crystals and ensure a smooth, glossy product.
But before the chocolate is put to use, the real fun begins. Paint brushes and airbrushes are dipped in colored, liquid cocoa butter that is applied in flecks, drizzles, swirls, or any other desired design inside the small concaves of polycarbonate molds. The painted molds must set for several hours before they are run through the molten chocolate. The molds are overturned to allow excess chocolate to drip out, leaving behind a thin inner shell. The molds are once again put aside to set before flavored ganache or other fillings are piped inside.
The final step is to run the molds beneath the tempered chocolate to seal the bonbon. Once set, they are ready to be cracked out of the molds, oohed and aahed over, and savored. Of course, this all is dependent upon carrying out each step with precision – something Ranny, Marvin, and Angela have been trained to do as certified chocolatiers.
From Coffee to Chocolate
You could say the art of coffee-making introduced Ranny to the art of chocolate-making. Here is how it all began. After earning a degree in hospitality, marrying, having kids, and working in her family’s various restaurants endeavors in North Carolina and Pennsylvania, Ranny opted to supplement her income with a part-time Starbuck’s stint, quickly moving into management and training. When she and her husband decided to move South to be closer to family, she transferred with the company to Florence and devoted years to her career. Eventually, job burnout, the demands of motherhood, and a need to be more creative in her work led her to leave the corporate coffee world behind and take it easy for a while.
“I just got to the point where I was exhausted and didn’t have the quality of life I wanted,” Ranny said. “I was managing a busy store, training employees to enter management, and doing travel soccer with my daughters. Something had to give.”
For a year thereafter, she focused on being a soccer mom and creating acrylic paintings and signs, which she sold online and at festivals. But when Dr. John Keith invited her to establish a coffee program at the former Dolce Vita wine bar in Downtown Florence, Ranny was rested and ready to make a change. That’s when she met Marvin, a certified chocolatier who was juggling making small-batch chocolates for Dolce Vita while operating a landscape business full-time.
“I started watching the process and was intrigued,” said Ranny. “When he asked me to help out and showed me some techniques, I was excited. I started watching tutorials online and learned there was a whole world of hand-painted chocolates out there. The idea of blending my artistic and business sides was tempting. I said to myself, ‘If we’re making chocolate, why aren’t we making THOSE chocolates?’”
From Vision to Sweet Reality
Photo by John Russell
Ranny and Marvin had several conversations about opening a chocolate shop, but knew they needed a bigger space to do it at the level they envisioned. When additional retail space opened down the block, Dr. Keith urged them both to pursue their dream and apply for a grant from Florence Downtown Development. They secured the grant and the space, but their plans slowed considerably when the pandemic hit. Instead of walking away, they inched forward. The slower pace was just right for Ranny to concentrate on earning her chocolatier certification through a three-month, international online program.
“It wasn’t in-person, but it was intense just the same,” she said. “There was a lot of reading and researching, tools and equipment to acquire, and I had to learn to hand-temper chocolate which isn’t easy. We had to submit pics of our finished assignments, recipes, master a variety of molded bonbons and truffles, paint bonbons, and create a business plan, too. With my background, that was the easiest part for me.”
Now in its third year, Chocobella is the darling of Florence’s downtown. The shop is small enough to be quaint, but big enough (for now) to ensure there are enough bonbons, truffles, and even gelato and sorbets to satisfy the town’s craving. Like any reputable European candy shop, Chocobella knows that the package is as important as the fine candy inside. Ranny and Marvin invite you to come get a pretty, beribboned box of your favorite flavors (think salted caramel, coconut, cake batter, hazelnut, orange and more) and artisan designs. Valentine’s Day is the perfect excuse to share some bonbon happiness.
“When we’re creating new flavors and designs, then put them all together, crack them out and see shiny, beautiful bonbons, it makes me smile,” said Ranny. “But it’s nothing compared to the smile when someone first opens a box and looks inside. I am grateful for every single smile and the chance to go home at the end of each day still excited about what we’re doing here.”