Chocolate Shop Opens On Fredericton’s North Side
FREDERICTON — An artisan chocolate shop opened last week on Fredericton’s north side, just in time for the holidays.
Nancy Hoekman is the owner of Fancy Bites, located at 215 Main Street. She sells everything from shortbread cookies to chocolate-covered orange peels and chocolate-covered popcorn with chicken bones.
She also sells Christmas boxes decorated to look like red (raspberry flavoured) and green (lime coconut flavoured) ornaments, and advent calendars that countdown the days until December 25.
But the main attraction is her bon bons, small, coloured orbs filled with ganache. Flavors of the bon bons span from pistachio to maple pecan.
“The possibilities of flavours are endless, you can do anything,” said Hoekman.
One popular flavour is chili, which has real chili inside and a chocolate ganache. She said people can be unsure about savoury flavours like this but are converted once they try.
“When you first bite into it you taste that nice, dark, creamy ganache, but then at the end, you feel a bit of a kick or bite,” said Hoekman.
Hoekman started making the bon bons about a year and a half ago when she was bored in the house during the start of the pandemic. On weekends, evenings, and days off she would preoccupy herself with experimenting with her baking.
She first mastered macarons, then discovered bon bons.
“I love designing them, I love to see how they turn out,” said Hoekman. “To see the finished product always looks a bit different than when you’re painting them in the mold.”
She would post pictures of her baking creations on Instagram. When Hoekman moved back to Fredericton, friends in the city started asking if they could buy.
“It just snowballed from there,” said Hoekman.
After orders overwhelmed her at-home kitchen, she started to look seriously into purchasing a space just for her business. She found a spot on the north side and designed the interior herself.
“When people walk in they can’t believe they’re in Fredericton,” said Hoekman. “They’re making comments like ‘Oh, this looks like a boutique in Europe or Montreal.”
Rachel Smith is an intern with Huddle. Send her feedback and story suggestions: [email protected].