Shopping in the City |
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Just Truffles
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There are few things I will admit to being addicted to, but chocolate is one of them. After all, I know I am not alone with my insatiable cravings for the sweet, dark confection. I thought those cravings were insatiable until I walked into Just Truffles on Grand last month. With one bite of Just Truffles' most popular truffle, "Just Chocolate," I knew I was incurably hooked. The hard, dark chocolate coating surrounding luscious dark chocolate ganache (dark chocolate whipped with butter, cream, and egg yolks) caused an instant need for a tall glass of milk and satisfied my chocolate cravings for at least a few days. The only downside to the absolute heaven of Just Truffles' truffles is the chocolate the use: it is so pure that no ordinary candy bar can compare and therefore, will never fully satisfy again. Just Truffles has the reputation, as being "Candy Maker to the Stars," which was earned while the shop was located in the St. Paul Hotel. Kathleen O'Herhir-Johnson is the artist behind the luscious truffles. As she was dipping sweet centers, her fingers weeping dark chocolate, Kathleen told me how she came to be the "Candy Maker to the Stars." Always interested in baking and candy making, Kathleen would make 120 different types of cookies, bars and candies around the holidays to give away as gifts. When she first tried to make truffles, only a few out of the batch actually came out correctly, but she persevered and kept trying until she was able to create the perfect truffle. Encouraged by her success, she included the truffles with the rest of her candies and people liked them so much that by the next Christmas she had orders for 50 dozen truffles! Encouraged by her husband to start her own truffle-making business, Kathleen spent a few weeks researching at the Hill Library and organizing. Then, at a party, she met St. Paul Pioneer Press food critic Eleanor Ostman, who raved over Kathleen's truffles. The end result was an article by Eleanor that came out around Valentine's Day, 1989. The ensuing orders for truffles became so overwhelming that Kathleen had ot look for a place to open shop. She was seeking a location on Grand Avenue when St. Paul Hotel approached her with an offer to open her shop in their lobby. She accepted the invitation and opened there in October of that year. In the St. Paul Hotel location, Kathleen was discovered by various celebrities who were visiting the Twin Cities. Kathleen glows when she talks about her experiences with such stars as Marie Osmond (who is addicted to Cafe au lait truffles, finishing off a box of eight one afternoon while she and her kids were at Camp Snoopy.) But Bill Murray, Walter Matthau, and Sophia Loren (who is just as beautiful in person as she is on-screen, according to Kathleen) are all her customers. Jack Lemmon, Margaret Thatcher and Hillary Clinton are also addicted. Kathleen's favorite celebrity however, is Luciano Pavarotti, for whom she designed a special truffle: the Tenor's Temptation. A divine combination of milk chocolate, cream of coconut and Malibu rum enrobed in milk chocolate, Kathleen tried to get the truffles ot the great teno, but was thwarted by some of his assistants until the night of his show at the Ordway. Kathleen sent over a box of the truffles, tied up in a gold elastic band. Then she and Roger went to the show. While they were enjoying Pavarotti, they noticed him looking at htem and gesturing towards them with his hand, but didn't believe that he could possibly be trying to get their attention. The next day, while Kathleen was in the back of the shop, one of her assistants came running in, out of breath and highly excited because the great tenor was in the front of the shop asking to speak with Kathleen. Kathleen met him and he showed her that he was wearing the gold band from the truffle box - he believes it gives him good luck - and pronounced her truffles "Bellisimo! Bella!" Now, Kathleen still gets orders for "Tenor's Temptations" from people going to see Pavarotti. In fact, Kathleen receives orders for her truffles from all over the world, one of the furthest points being Guam where it costs $50.00 to send a box of truffles. The request comes from a man who travels worldwide and always buys his wife truffles. Interestingly enough, after he bought her truffles from Just Truffles, these are the only truffles she will eat! Along with the Tenor's Temptation, Just Chocolate and Cafe au lait truffles, Just Truffles makes at least 25 different kinds of truffles. These range from the Champagne Truffle (an elegant blend of Brut champagne and white chocolate covered with white chocolate and decorated with bitter-sweet, so delicate that it make my knees weak with the first bite) to the Peppermint Crunch Truffle (crushed peppermint candies whipped into a combination of milk and dark chocolate then dipped in dark chocolate). All are hank-dipped and made with the utmost care towards quality. Kathleen has been approached by people asking her to franchise, but she refuses citing her absolute concern for the quality of her chocolates to remain as high as possible - something she doesn't believe would happen if she didn't have a personal hand in the chocolates' making. The holidays are Just Truffle's busiest time, when they go through half a ton of chocolate between November and December 31. However, Valentine's Day is another great day to woo your sweetheart with truffles (especially since chocolate is considered an aphrodisiac), and Just Truffles is just hte place to get them. Not only does Kathleen and her crew specialize in making truffles, she also plans to make chocolate heart-shaped boxes as well as a variety of gifts designed to hold truffles. Instead of a dozen roses, why not fourteen truffles nestled in iridescent mylar in a tube, tied up with a ribbon and one red rose? If you can't get to Grand Avenue (Just Truffle's recently acquired location), truffles can be ordered via the web (www.justruffles.com), or by phone (651-690-0075) and delivered by UPS the next day - as long as the order is put in by 2 pm the previous day. As a chocoholic, I would love to have my love send me some truffles from Just Truffles - they're too good to be fattening! |