Our logo actually IS a vintage image, from my childhood. In the '50's my mom had a women's clothing store in South Jersey called The Charm Shoppe and when I was born she added a little girl's clothing section and called it the "Roni-Sue Shoppe" after me! Before opening my chocolate shop I decided that calling it Roni-Sue's Chocolates and using that vintage sign would be a fitting homage to mom—and hopefully a good omen for my business. So far, so good!

I believe in spending money on the best quality ingredients I can find to put into the candy you're going to eat—rather than on some lovely packaging that is ultimately only pretty garbage. Roni-Sue's Chocolates are packaged simply and elegantly to showcase our uniquely flavorful products at their best and freshest—for your enjoyment. We put our money where your mouth is! "With that said, sometimes you want a little 'wow' factor on the outside too! Roni-Sue's also offers a deluxe packaging option for a selection of 16 truffles in a red, textured paper covered box, decorated with something "special on the outside" to indicate what's "special on the inside" for each of our truffle Collections or a 16 piece 'choose your own' custom assortment. [Example, our Roni's Roses truffles for Mother's Day come topped with a recycled newspaper rose handmade by the Lower East Side Girls Club]

I draw my inspiration from an ever changing array of ingredients, and luckily I live in NYC where almost anything you can imagine is available just a subway ride away! My two year sociological study of the NYC Greenmarket system for a recent degree from NYU gave me a deeper appreciation for local, seasonal produce. Many of my truffles and candies benefit from the richer taste profile afforded by using fresh, local ingredients from the Union Square Greenmarket. Another favorite NYC haunt for exotic ingredients and freshly ground spices is Kalustyan's in Murray Hill.

I first learned to make buttercrunch with my L.I. neighbor, friend and long-time chocolate partner Judy at an adult-ed class over 20 years ago. It must have been in November because we each made elaborate cornucopia decorations for our Thanksgiving tables after taking the class—then we decided to make buttercrunch for our friends and family for the holidays. The rest is history!

Over the years, Judy & I made an ever expanding repertoire of candies, coming together for an intensive 10 -14 day marathon each year, producing 400 + pounds of candy for our ever-growing lists. Though we were approached often by backers and food professionals alike who urged us to make our candies professionally, we never did pursue that option and both Judy & I went on to have rewarding careers.

Fast forward to January 2007 and after several years commuting to LI from NYC to work and in anticipation of graduating from NYU in May, I decided to finally take the plunge and do my chocolates professionally—full time.

A serendipitous visit to the Essex Street Market in January 2007 where I met Jeffrey of Jeffrey's Meats resulted in a two-month trial of my products at Jeffrey's store where I sampled and sold from his space to see if local shoppers would embrace my concept.

They did, and I successfully applied for a space in the Market, finally opening Roni-Sue's Chocolates in October of 2007. Thanks Jeffrey!

Actually, when we first opened Roni-Sue's we were in even smaller quarters and did have to rent outside commercial kitchen space to supplement our production. Our expansion into a larger space in the Essex Street Market in November 2008 enabled us to consolidate our operations there to produce everything on-site—and in full view of passersby!

First of all, although most of my candies and treats are gluten free, [i.e. made without wheat gluten or products that contain wheat gluten] it is important to note that all are made in close proximity to products made with gluten & nuts. Those individuals who are highly allergic to even air-borne contamination should avoid our products. With that said, most of our "off the rack" products are celiac friendly. We take extra precautions to make our products as safe as possible for consumption by our friends with celiac disease. By dipping the few products we make that contain gluten, or come into contact with gluten at the end of the day and disposing of the remaining chocolate we do what we can to protect you from gluten cross-contamination.

Luckily we've done our research and are happy to provide year-round shipping with our special inflatable, insulated sleeves and 'no sweat' freezer packs available for shipping to warmer climates or during the summer. We ship via UPS & choose the service best suited to minimize shipping expense, while not compromising service quality and delivery time. Please check our on-line store for current shipping rates to your area.

Yes, we wholesale our shelf stable products to gourmet & specialty shops around the country including Dean & Deluca in select stores and on-line. For local shops equipped with climate controlled candy display cases we also offer our full line of treats at wholesale prices. If you have a favorite local shop and you'd like them to carry Roni-Sue's ask them to get in touch, ok? Thanks!

Of course! Check out the page here