Our Passion

What do you do when life hands you lemons? Well, if you're 2 Chicks with Chocolate founder Elyissia Wassung's mom, you by-pass the lemonade thing entirely and go straight for the chocolate!

 

When a disabling car accident left her unable to commute to work, Elyissia's mom turned to making chocolate in her kitchen as a way to bring home the bacon!

 

And when she enlisted nine year old Elyissia to help sell and deliver her delicious homemade sweets, she naturally rallied to the cause. She'd load up her shopping cart and venture down her Queens, New York, blocks going door to door to sell all she could.

 

And sell she did - until one day some neighborhood bullies stole her candy and her money! Elyissia learned then that the risks of owning one's own business were greater than she thought, but by then she was already bitten by the entrepreneurial bug and well-launched in the chocolate business!

 

Elyissia also learned the rewards of following one's inspiration. "My mother always told me never to take 'no' for an answer, and so I never have", she explains. The inspiration for 2 Chicks with Chocolate hatched from her mother's words and resourcefulness, and the company's creation springs from Elyissia's belief that her innovative and unique products can inspire others through something as simple as chocolate!

So who's the 2nd Chick? Well it's my actually my mom. She's the reason I get up everyday and work so hard in building this brand. After my mom's accident and she began making chocolate I would always say to her that she should really make a big business out of it. Who knew that I was shaping my destiny at 9 years old.
I guess you're wondering what happened over the next 25 years... (wow - I just gave away my age!) I went to school, got a "real-job" in Telecom - although I made great money, I hated what I was doing so I started 2 Chicks with Chocolate in 2003. For a while I managed both until my husband said, "You've got 2 choices - either die in Corporate America or take 2 Chicks to the next level!" I took him up on the offer and ditched corporate America in 2006 and began really studying the market and what our positioning would be. In 2008 we restructured to a C Corp and began raising money with investors.

Bet you're wondering what Chick 2's current role is.... She's the CEO of Morale Support and Super Mom. She keeps me sane when it's been one of those days! And for those of you in startup land, you know EXACTLY what I'm talking about :)

We welcome Patrick Coston to our team! He is the Master Chocolatier for 2 Chicks and will develop all of our delicious new lines for the Company. Very exciting!

 

Flavor is at the center of creativity for celebrated pastry chef and Food Network Challenge judge, Patrick Coston. Unique at the top of his field in that he is American-born and entirely self-taught, he has built a successful career from the ground up with his passion for learning and a continual search for new challenges. While at Ilo, a three-star Manhattan restaurant, he was honored as one of the Top 10 Pastry Chefs in America in both 2002 and 2003 by Pastry Art & Design Magazine. His handmade chocolates have been called "a box o' bliss" by Gourmet Magazine, and in 2002, USA Today recognized Coston as one of the nation’s Top Ten Artisanal Chocolatiers. Patrick and his creations have been included in a long roster of magazines, books, and television shows including, Bon Appetit, Gourmet, Food Arts, Grand Finales: The Art of the Plated Dessert, and Food Nation with Bobby Flay. He is currently working on a book of his own, Pastry, Desserts & Chocolates to be published by Prentice Hall. Coston currently freelances under his own company, PC Desserts Inc.