A Love that has grown: How a Fort Myers chocolatier became a globally famous name
There is something about a coffee shop that brings people together. Coffee is more than a jolt of caffeine, it is a culture.
When you add chocolate to the mix, it adds comfort. It adds decadence. You’ll find both at Norman Love Confections' coffee and chocolate salons and its four Southwest Florida locations. The most frequented are on Tamiami Trail in Naples and McGregor Boulevard in south Fort Myers.
Love is legendary for his artisan chocolates, which exploded into fame in 2002 when USA TODAY named his confections in a top 10 list of best places to buy chocolates for Valentine’s Day.
The chocolatier left a successful career leading the pastry teams at Ritz-Carlton hotels around the world to strike out on his own with his first small shop near Gateway in Fort Myers. He was making chocolates on the side to supplement his other entrepreneurial endeavors.
The USA TODAY publicity was one of those proverbial forks in the road. At the time, he neither had a name for his company nor a credit-card machine to process the new flood of orders. Twenty years later, he has a spot in Dessert Professional Magazine's Chocolatier Hall of Fame.
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Over time, Love expanded his business beyond retail to include the salons as a way for customers to find his gourmet chocolates, pastries and desserts to take home and/or enjoy in a comfortable settings with friends. In addition to the four salons, Love has shops in Sarasota and inside the Whole Foods in south Fort Myers. Love's salons have a Euro-chic feel and lots of seating for an easy transition from morning coffee and croissants to afternoon tea and cookies.
The well-lit cases are lined with trays of perfectly shaped and colored chocolates along with photographic desserts, pastries and baked goods including macarons and Danishes. The latter feature seasonal fruits, including a new maple-pecan Danish perfect for winter.
Croissants are among the most popular breakfast and lunch treats. On the sweet side, they are filled with chocolate or topped with almonds and dusted with powdered sugar.
“The croissants are baked daily and are buttery, flaky and crispy,” Love said.
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On the savory side, Love's croissants can be layered with German Black Forest ham and Gruyere cheese. They often sell out. House-made quiches are also available.
Seasonal muffins are another big hit. However, the blueberry-white-chocolate muffins have been a signature since opening day.
“I tried to change them once, and it was a huge mistake,” Love said.
Afternoon tea is also popular at the salons. Regulars are known to sit with a hot cup and a cookie, brownie or pastry. The salons are also full of hidden surprises for grab-and-go delights: boxes of chocolates, toffees, barks and more. These items make for good stocking stuffers or simple self indulgences.
Gelato also makes an appearance in the salons. Love's team crafts the creamy, frozen treat in the Italian tradition but with a few American twists, including flavors such as rocky road.
With baked goods and chocolates accounted for, Love needed a coffee brand to complement his carefully made treats. He found that with Kahwa Coffee, an artisan roaster based in St. Petersburg.
“They have such incredible coffee,” Love said. “I never really drank coffee before, but I have become a coffee snob.”
Now he can’t miss his morning Kahwa latte. Nor can the coffee lovers who frequent his sal
In this season of holiday giving, Love and his wife, Mary, are known for more than their artful chocolates and pastries. They are also known for their philanthropy.
“From the beginning, Mary and I made a pledge to each other," Love said. “If you’re going to do business in a community you have to support the community.
“It’s a part of the model. This is never about us, it’s about the world, all of our team and the community that supports us.”
Norman Love Confections has six locations from Naples to Sarasota and delivers across the U.S.; for more information and to place an online order visit normanloveconfections.com.
Gina Birch writes about food, wine and spirits for The News-Press and at thebirchbeat.blogspot.com. Follow her as @ginabirch on Twitter and find her on Facebook.
This article originally appeared on Fort Myers News-Press: Norman Love chocolate: How a Fort Myers pastry chef became a global name
