For some, meditation often leads to answers and when Executive Chef Steve Amaral meditated he saw: chocolate! Steve (a James Beard award nominated Chef and graduate of Johnson & Wales) and Ann Corley (a marketing maven with restaurant and hospitality experience) are the co-founders of North Fork Chocolate Company. Their journey began through the Stony Brook Incubator at Calverton in 2013. They traveled, promoting their products to various community events and farmers markets and operated a pop-up space at Tanger Outlets in Riverhead, NY. From there, in February 2015, North Fork Chocolate Company opened its first brick and mortar in Aquebogue, NY at the gateway to the North Fork wine trail.
Using Chef Steve’s culinary magic and artistry, he and his chocolatiers handcraft beautiful small batch artisanal chocolates and gourmet desserts using local ingredients (some grown in their own backyard). Believing in the importance of supporting the local agricultural community and the idea of farm to table, this award winning chocolatier incorporates local beer, sea salt, honey, berries, cider, wine and spirits within their proprietary blend of pure Belgian chocolate. Steve and Ann’s passion for all things local also extends to their retail store and art gallery where Steve’s paintings adorn the walls along with other featured local artists, and they also offer shelf space to local food artisans and crafters to sell their products. The chocolate vision Steve saw years ago was uniquely his own, but North Fork Chocolate has given us all a taste.