Business of the Week: Chocolate Delights

876 Sir Francis Drake Blvd

San Anselmo, CA 94960

(415) 454-3315

Red Hill Shopping Center

What do they offer? 

Chocolate Delights offers decadent fudge, made locally out of a commercial kitchen, in a selection of delectable flavors including Heath English Toffee, Rocky Road, Peanut Butter, and Mint Swirl. The European truffles, flown in overnight, are Swiss and Belgian. They make great hostess gifts and come in a pretty brown box with stylish ribbon bows.

Teas in the green tins are traditionally not exported to the U.S. from England because they're reserved for Great Britain and British Commonwealth countries, but store owner Ryan Gellert has a good connection. Teas in the silver tins are high-end domestic blends.

The Buckingham Palace Garden Party Tea (in a green tin) was served for the Queen on the Golden Jubilee. Gellert was there. Another green tin holds the house blend he created for his grandmother called English Lady, a first-place winner in London at the Fancy Food Show.  Both are sold exclusively at the store.

Shimonei is a luxury Chinese oolong tea in varying strengths and flavors. Only three stores in California carry it. Ask him and he will tell you how it originated.    

You will also find a large selection of coffee beans in glass jars.  The store carries bulk candy like non-pareils, and hard-to-find French burnt beans, which many of his customers remember from when they were kids. The chocolate nut line includes almonds, cashews, and peanuts. He also has mocha beans, espresso beans, and bridge mix.

Tea pots and tea cups in floral and other patterns line the shelves. Gellert has a huge collection of Wedgewood, some 38,000 pieces in his warehouse, with only a few selected designs at Chocolate Delights.   

There is nothing in the shop that is cancer causing. Coffeemakers are glass or metal, not aluminum-lined.  The store also features treats from Hudson's Confections.

Who are they?

Gellert can trace his ancestry back to William the Conquerer in 1066. His grandmother had a chocolate shop in England in the 1920's.  His mother is from England and his dad is American. His license plate reads "HRH," which means of royal descent through marriage or by blood. Ask him about it.

From a formal family, Gellert, who grew up in Belvedere, wore a suit for dinner every evening, and a tuxedo on Sunday. Boarding school-educated, he studied at Menlo College and at Oxford, where he submersed himself in history and theology. While in England, he worked at a tea shop. He kept thinking, "Wouldn't it be fun if I brought the concept back to America?"

The ultimate goal is to combine Gellert's schooling in and love of architecture, history, interior design, chocolate, tea and coffee all in one. Down the road he envisions a tea shop with scones and tea sandwiches that would also sell retail items like teas and chocolates. And of course he will design it.

Gellert wears a suit and tie behind the counter...in San Anselmo!

How long have they been here?

A store named Buttercup was well known in this location for many years. Margaret, who works part-time, started there in 1967.  After it closed, Chocolate Delights opened in its place. Gellert kept the name when he took over in January 2009. 

Why are they business of the week?

In a word, service. The charming and knowledgeable owner goes out of his way to provide personalized service to his customers. He has the home phone numbers of his vendors so he is able to custom order virtually anything. It's not too late for Christmas and he might be able to get something special in time for Thanksgiving.

If you want more or fewer flowers on an English teapot, that is possible. If you need to add several pieces to a particular collection, that can be arranged. If you find a teapot you like in the store but it has no cups, he can find the matching ones.   

Gellert is a student of life. He knew tea first, then studied chocolate and coffee. The shop in England had thousands of teas, so it is doubtful that you can stump him with a tea-related inquiry. Since this store in San Anselmo had chocolates too, he wanted to learn more and has taken classes in chocolate making, the history of chocolate, ganache versus praline filling, and more. You get the idea. It seems that everything he does is total immersion.

Stop by and talk history with him sometime. "History is my big thing," he says. Our conversation ranged from the Tower of London to Queen Isabella to Buddha and the difficulty monks have sipping tea while chanting. 

While you discuss history with him, try the peanut butter fudge. It has two layers of Reese's peanut butter cups with chocolate in between. Delightful.

www.chocolatedelightsmarin.com