“A lot of love and laughter goes into the products we create at Chocolita.”
“I was struggling with health issues, so as a long-standing student of herbalism, instead of painkillers, I took herbs. One day, when I was making chocolate, I thought, ‘Why not throw these herbs in?’ That was my first chocolate bar.”
Lesslie has been selling her chocolates in her Kachina Square Shopping Center certified organic store since March. She also sells them at the Flagstaff Farmers Market and at various stores on the West Coast, as well as in Colorado, Nevada, Texas, Montana and Hawaii.
Her start was in Sedona, where she lived for 16 years. “I left my hometown of Yardley, Pennsylvania at 19 years old, followed the snow to Vermont for a bit, and then headed out West. I was planning to move to Utah, but a friend convinced me to come to Arizona. So, I moved to Cottonwood, then to Sedona.”
While living in Sedona, she met Certified Master Chocolatier Kelly Johnson. “I worked for him at his ChocolaTree and apprenticed with him.” Lesslie then found a community kitchen in Sedona, where she started making her chocolates.
“I love her chocolate and I’m a big fan of her pine pollen sipping chocolate,” said Stoked Firewood Co-Owner Sadhu Low. “She also has a dragonfruit truffle that is absolutely to die for. The fact that she is dairy-free and does not use refined sugar is big. I’m also impressed with Sarah, the integrity she has for the community. She’s had bands come and play in the parking lot outside her shop; she’s very inspiring.”
Creating her chocolates with six or fewer ingredients, Leslie’s chocolate bars entice fans with a variety of modalities. The Strawberry Passion Bar contains maca, passionflower and ashwagandha “to explode your passions and open your heart,” she said. The Blueberry Bliss Bar to said to inspire taste buds and uplift the spirit. The Pine Lemon Bar packs more than 200 vitamins, nutrients and minerals for energy support.
“While my son and I were waiting for a hair appointment, I noticed the Chocolita Café across the street,” said customer CeCe Stanton. “As chocolate connoisseurs, we had to check it out. As soon as we walked through the door of Chocolita, we were hit with the amazing smell of chocolate. We were also greeted by a friendly face, which turned out to be Sarah. Her organic chocolates are full of flavor, wonderfully balanced with a variety to please any palate. We will definitely return for more scrumptious chocolates and to purchase gifts for friends and family.”
Leslie was a client of Moonshot at NACET a few years ago in Verde Valley. “Sarah won our Verde Valley Regional Economic Organization [award, during] one of our stops for our pitch events. We love her product and she’s been great to work with,” said Moonshot NACET Chief Financial Officer Amanda Kristinat.
Chocolita Kitchen Manager Carlie Nannini says that Chocolita is a fun and creative environment in which to work. “I’ve always had a passion for cacao and so it’s been a pleasure to not only work with chocolate but with someone like Sarah. She has a sunny disposition and every day is enjoyable. A lot of love and laughter goes into the products we create at Chocolita.”
Most recently, Lesslie added locally made beauty products made with chocolate. “We have a chocolate body butter, a chocolate scrub that we make ourselves and we even carry a botanical chocolate perfume made by a perfumer based out of Vermont.”
She spends her time away from work outdoors. “I love adventure, so snowboarding, canyoneering, hiking and cycling are my favorite sports. I try to get up to the mountains as often as I can.” FBN
By V. Ronnie Tierney, FBN
Chocolita is located on the northwest side of Kachina Square at 2720 North Steves Blvd., Suite 22. Hours of operation are 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., Wednesday through Saturday. This month, the chocolate shop is open from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Sundays as well. For more information, call 928-288-2232.