A variety of chocolate candies and truffles from Zocalisa. Staff photo
By Amanda Capritto
Inspiration to get into the restaurant industry comes in many forms. For Jeff and Alissa Dickey, it came from a 25th wedding anniversary trip to Costa Rica.
Jeff’s interest was piqued when he overheard fellow vacationers discussing cacao bean-sourcing and the art of chocolate-making. After touring cacao-processing facilities and trying his hand at the task, Jeff’s mind was made. He wanted to become a chocolatier.
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The result is Zocalisa, a store full of beautifully crafted sweets, perfectly textured gelato and fruity zorbettos.
On display, you’ll find chocolate candies and truffles in flavors like bananas foster, dark chocolate caramel, hazelnut and a spicy chili pepper dark ganache.
The mocha-flavored truffle was a pleasant surprise—with a dark chocolate shell and a soft center that alludes to the taste of a rich cup of coffee. The truffle nicely complements the milk chocolate hazelnut and peanut butter stracciatella gelatos served at the counter (If you’re having a hard time choosing, they’ll put two flavors in one bowl).
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Stracciatella is an old Italian gelato technique where chocolate chips and shavings are dropped in as the gelato freezes to give it the perfect crunch. Add peanut butter to the mix and you’ve got a popular choice, Jeff says.
The gelato and zorbetto flavors change periodically, and custom chocolates can be crafted.
Zocalisa is open 1 p.m.-8 p.m. Sunday and Monday, noon-10 p.m. Tuesday through Thursday, and noon-11 p.m. Friday and Saturday. 3930 Burbank Drive. zocalisa.com