marcie blaine • blog

Beer Week on 13th Street!

2011-06-06T12:57:00.001-07:00

Father's Day is June 19th!

2011-06-01T09:28:00.001-07:00

FATHER’S DAY IS APPROACHING- SUNDAY JUNE 19!

2011-05-25T11:29:00.000-07:00

Our dad-approved chocolates will be available beginning June 1
Check out our website or visit the shop [108 south 13th street] to pick some up!

-come on, how sweet is that ‘stache?

Mother's Day is May 8th!

2011-05-02T10:48:00.000-07:00

Special Mother's Day chocolates are available now at Marcie Blaine Artisanal Chocolates, and will pair perfectly with a Mother's Day bouquet from Verde!
Flowers will be available Saturday and Sunday, May 7th & 8th. Mother's Day chocolates will be available in-store now through Mother's Day, and can be purchased online between May 2nd and May 4th! marcieblaine.com

Sesame Truffles & Bows

2011-04-28T10:50:00.001-07:00

Today Sarah, the lovely intern in our little chocolate kitchen, is whipping up a batch of our sesame truffles. Below is a little before, and a little after. And below that: a new look for our "Classic" chocolates. A collection of colorful bows for Spring and Mother's Day!

Easter Bunnies!

2011-04-13T10:26:00.001-07:00

Chocolate-making @ theFeast.com

2011-04-06T07:40:00.000-07:00

Marcie recently showed theFeast.com how to make our Philadelphia-inspired chocolates...

"We all know Marcie Turney's story by now—starting in 2004 with the humble beginnings of her little B.Y.O.B.-that-could, Lolita, to the utter and complete dominance of 13th Street that she enjoys today, capped off by the Beard Award-nominated Barbuzzo which opened last summer.

What people might not know, though, is that in between owning seven restaurants and storefronts along the Midtown Village corridor, Turney turns out the finest chocolate in Philadelphia. Tucked away in the back of her popular boutique, Verde, Marcie Blaine Chocolates was recently named as one of Oprah's favorite sweets.

Turney's chocolates are all hand-made and done in true cheffy style, featuring flavors like madras curry, cardamom marshmallow, and elderflower. Check out the video for a behind the scenes look at how Turney works the magic that melts the heart of the most powerful woman on the planet." [The Feast]

Sweet

2011-03-31T13:01:00.000-07:00

The girls in the chocolate kitchen are experimenting with new flavors for Spring and Easter. We love our little bunnies...now we just have to decide what to fill them with! We also got our first Marcie Blaine staff tshirts, they're pretty sweet...

Flower Show-Inspired Chocolates

2011-03-07T10:09:00.000-08:00

oh my ganache!

2011-02-24T11:20:00.000-08:00

We've survived "The Holidays" and Valentine's Day, and now we can return to a (somewhat) normal pace! Making ganaches, rolling, dipping, wrapping bark, filling orders...

Marcie Blaine Chocolates in Oprah Magazine!

2011-01-17T11:28:00.000-08:00

Valentine's Day, 2011...

2011-01-13T09:17:00.001-08:00

Marcie Blaine Valentine's 2011

2011-01-11T08:34:00.000-08:00

Valentine's Day is fast approaching, and we're ready! Stop in and get some chocolate for your Valentine, or order online at marcieblaine.com

french farmer, love park, bombay wink, red hot, italian flirt, champagne, crispy hazelnut, hot lolita

Vote for Marcie & Val Philebrity's Phoodie(s) of the Year!

2010-12-08T10:40:00.001-08:00

Marcie Blaine Chocolates in Philly Mag's Gift Guide

2010-11-26T13:26:00.000-08:00

Our holiday flavors are featured in Philly Magazine's Holiday Gift Guide! Check out our website or visit the shop (108 south 13th street) to get your hands on some!

"Our Very Own Sweet Spot"

2010-10-20T09:09:00.000-07:00

Our chocolates (and chocolate studio) were recently featured on flyingkitemedia.com! Click the link to read about chocolate in Philadelphia, and see Marcie, Val, and Erin in the kitchen!

Fall Chocolates!

2010-09-30T10:35:00.000-07:00

Fall is here and inspiring our latest chocolate flavors. Stop by the shop to try our Pumpkin Spice, Almond & Amber, Pecan Pie, and Espresso Malt chocolates. If you can't make it to the store they will be available for sale at marcieblaine.com in the next few days!

So Cute...

2010-08-05T19:07:00.000-07:00

We just had our chocolates photographed by Jason Varney and they came out looking beautiful! Have a look.

Cajeta Caramel & Mango Lassi chocolates are here!

2010-07-11T12:37:00.000-07:00

Inspired by the flavors of Bindi Restaurant, the Mango Lassi combines creme fraiche, mango, cardamom, vanilla bean, and milk chocolate.

Inspired by the flavors of Lolita Restaurant, cajeta--a traditional Mexican goat's milk caramel--is infused in our new Cajeta Caramel. This gives the caramel a tangy delicious zip! And then a little dark chocolate to enrobe it makes it just plain sinful.

Don't forget: Our online shop is up and running. Check it out at marcie blaine.com

new flavors!

2010-07-01T13:59:00.001-07:00

Marcie just keeps those new flavors coming...These new chocolates should be ready for sale this Saturday, July 3. Also, we are finally selling online! Go to marcieblaine.com to check it out!

Check out our new stainless steel guitar!

2010-06-29T19:42:00.000-07:00

This is our 1-year anniversary gift to Marcie Blaine Artisanal Chocolates. For the past year we have been cutting each individual chocolate by hand. This takes forever!

This new confectionery cutter allows us to cut perfect squares everytime.

Now we can try to keep up with all of the special wedding orders that keep rolling in... keep them coming! Our Philadelphia Series Chocolates--the Love Park graphic in particular--are the perfect chocolate favors for your wedding. Call the shop for details: 215.546.8700.

Philadelphia Chocolates are now available!

2010-05-22T11:26:00.000-07:00

New Philadelphia inspired chocolates are in. Come by to check out our latest chocolate collection. Available by the piece or by the box.
Marcie Blaine chocolates are made in Philadelphia & sold at Verde: 108 S. 13th St., Philadelphia, PA 19107, 215.546.8700

we made it ourselves - from new york times magazine

2010-01-29T15:15:00.000-08:00

In her column, We Made It Ourselves, Charlotte Druckman writes about restaurants and small businesses with interesting house-made treats.

You gotta get a gimmick, Miss Mazzeppa advised in “Gypsy.” That might work when it comes to stripping, but it doesn’t necessarily translate to the art of making chocolate. If you’re going to mix garam masala and cocoa or add oyster water to fudge, you’d better have a great reason — and even greater skill, or it could go terribly wrong. In the case of Philadelphia’s Marcie Turney, however, it usually goes deliciously right. Marcie Blaine, her new line of artisanal chocolates, takes most of its cues from the micro-local establishments she owns with her partner, Valerie Safran.

In 2002, the duo set up shop in what they affectionately refer to as “the red-light district of Center City.” Open House, a home furnishings boutique, was their turf-marking flag in the asphalt. Since then, they’ve inaugurated a new business each year on South 13th Street. First came Lolita, a modern Mexican canteen with a B.Y.O.T. policy (that T would be for tequila); then Grocery, a gourmet food market with prepared dishes, packaged sundries and a catering arm; next, Bindi, a contemporary Indian restaurant; followed by Verde, a flower dispensary that also stocks ladies’ accessories; and, as of a few months ago, the chocolate kiosk, which is tucked away in the floral operation. At night, the kitchen in which the tempering takes place will become the pasta station for the duo’s next project, Barbuzzo, a Mediterranean wine bar that abuts Verde and should be customer-ready in March.

For her bonbons, Turney relies on organic cream and butter from nearby Lancaster County. Her fillings are informed by local, seasonal produce and the flavors of her professional cooking spaces, namely those from Mexico, India and the Mediterranean. The current truffle selection includes the well-calibrated Lolita Hot Chocolate, which features cinnamon ganache and ancho chile; the Bindi Madras, whose curry-coconut combo takes on an unexpectedly nutty, hickory-ish life of its own; and the Italian Prosecco, with its subtle boozy kick. More Philly-centric chocolates are also notable: Busy Bee Farm supplies the fragrant purple flowers for the Lavender Vanilla; the city’s beloved La Colombe coffee (the Corsica blend) meets Maker’s Mark whiskey in the Tipsy Poodle, so named for its alcoholic content and the chocolate curls that cover it; and the Cajeta’s caramel is made from Pennsylvania goat’s milk.

All are worth tasting (except maybe the Avocado-Lime number). Then there are the ones you’ll want seconds of, like, say, the Almond Brown Butter, which is the only good excuse for white chocolate. The Rosemary Pinenut sets the Italian nuts into a thick, herb-infused caramel that’s offset by its dark-chocolate exterior and, for contrast, Maldon sea salt.

For a touch of cupidity, Turney is working on a few aphrodisiac truffles. Fortunately, oysters are not involved, and if the White-Truffle-Cognac preview is any indication, the finished products will, at the very least, win the hearts of those with discerning palates. No striptease necessary.

The chocolates are $2 each or available by the box ($7.95 for 4 pieces, $11.95 for 6 pieces, $28.95 for 15 pieces and $44.95 for 24 pieces). There is no minimum order for shipping.