This Arizona chocolate shop just got named 1 of the best in the U.S. Here's what to order

Bahar Anooshahr, Arizona Republic
·2 min read

Phoenix keeps sparking national attention to its restaurants and food scene, and now a popular chocolate shop is getting in on the action.

Tasting Table has featured Zak's Chocolate Shop in Scottsdale on its list of best chocolatiers in the U.S. Making the list is no small feat — it includes master pastry chef and chocolatier Jacques Torres, aka Mr. Chocolate, in New York and luxury chocolate maker Vosges in Chicago.

According to the article, the Tasting Table list skipped the big-name brands to focus on chocolatiers "where the maker plays a part in the entire process of the chocolate from where the cocoa bean is grown to the final finished edible confection. All that work is evident in the final product, and from the very first bite, the difference in quality and taste between truffles and bars made by small-time artisans and those made by big corporations is clear."

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The best things to order at Zak's Chocolate Shop

Zak's offers bean to bonbon in unique flavos.
Zak's offers bean to bonbon in unique flavos.

Jim and Maureen Elitzak, the husband-and-wife owners of Zak's Chocolate Shop, turned their love of chocolate into a small-batch bean-to-bar operation in 2015. They ethically source their beans and do everything by hand, from sorting the cacao beans to packaging.

Their creations have garnered numerous national and international awards. Zak's must-try Belize Maya Mountain Sonoran Desert White chocolate won a silver medal at the International Chocolate Awards in 2019. Its 70 percent Dark Guatemala Lachua Cacao won silver at the 2017 International Chocolate Awards.

The Elitzaks were excited to make the Tasting Table list.

"This was a complete surprise," Jim Elitzak told The Arizona Republic. "Maureen saw the article in her news feed and just scrolled through because we’re always curious and we usually know some of the people/businesses on these lists. So, it was one of those huge surprises when she saw us listed. We never expect this kind of recognition, so it’s nice."

Details: 6990 E. Shea Blvd., Suite 116, Scottsdale. 480-607-6581, zakschocolate.com.

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Reach the reporter at BAnooshahr@azcentral.com. Follow @banooshahr on Twitter.

This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Best chocolate in U.S. is at Zak's Chocolate in AZ, per Tasting Table