Chocolate is one of life's great treats for most folks. Traditional, mass-produced chocolate candies have been enjoyed for generations, but lately, specialists have been making chocolates in South Carolina. Columbia chocolatiers Christina Miles and Joseph Vernon have developed their own unique varieties of chocolates.
Miles says eating high-end chocolates has spoiled her mother, and admits that once you've had the finest hand-crafted sweets, it's hard to go back to ordinary chocolates. But despite his fussiness over his own confections, Vernon declares his democratic tastes. "I'll eat anything that’s even remotely chocolatey. It’s like pizza, the worst I ever had was great." It's all a matter of taste, and Vernon asserts. "How do you quantify quality? You know it when you see it." And with dark chocolate being recognized by some as healthy, anybody who enjoys chocolate – responsibly – is a winner.