About Alexandra and Nicolay Chocolate
Chocolate is nothing short of a life-long passion for Alexandra and Nicolay Mazhirov. The dedicated chocolatiers run a small, elegant chocolate shop in Portland, Pennsylvania. Portland is a sleepy little town on the bank of the scenic Delaware River. The quaint little chocolate shop fits right in among the antique shops and other local businesses on Delaware Avenue. Their gourmet chocolate is also available by mail order to anywhere in the United States.
Centuries-Old Chocolate Recipes
Alexandra and Nicolay make their chocolates using award-winning recipes handed down from the court of Russia’s last Czar, Nicolay. While studying in Russia for her chocolatology degree, Alexandra stumbled upon the lost chocolate recipes of the Romonov Dynasty. These luscious delicacies brought joy to histories most indulgent personalities. Alexandra was determined to perfect the recipes and make them available for all to enjoy. Alexandra and Nicolay start with the best base chocolate imported from Belgium and carefully craft their chocolate products in a centuries-old Russian style. They only use natural ingredients and create a wide variety of chocolates and truffles to please an imperial taste. Critics recognize Alexandra and Nicolay’s hand-crafted chocolates as being among the finest, including a best in the world ranking for their signature chocolate cigars by Cigar Aficionado.
The History of Alexandra and Nicolay Chocolate
It wasn’t always storybook small town life for Alexandra and Nicolay Chocolate. Before Alexandra and Nicolay Mazhirov came to the United States in 1991, they lived in Odessa, Ukraine. After graduating from Odessa National Academy of Food Technologies where they studied the art of making chocolate, they worked in a state-run chocolate factory. Communism prevented them from pursuing their dream of owning their own gourmet chocolate shop and reaching their true potential as chocolatiers. With the Russian economy failing, they packed up their cherished secret chocolate recipes and moved to Brooklyn, New York.
In a section of Brooklyn called Bensonhurst, the Mazhirov’s opened a little shop where they sold chocolate to local residents. Eventually, their business grew and they also made chocolate for Bloomingdales and several Amish markets. Their hard work and dedication was paying off, but they wanted to escape the hectic city lifestyle. In 2010, they moved to their current location and opened Alexandra and Nicolay Chocolate in Portland, Pennsylvania.
