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Local Voices

Fascia's Chocolates Officially Opens New Store & Factory-Grand Opening Festivities Oct. 12-14

Following an official ribbon cutting on September 25th, Fascia’s Chocolates, Inc., named one of “Connecticut’s Best Chocolates”, will host a full weekend of festivities to mark the Grand Opening of their new factory and retail store at 44 Chase River Road in Waterbury. During the 2013 Columbus Day holiday weekend, October 12, 13 and 14, the Fascia family, creators and owners of Fasica’s Chocolates for 50 years, will welcome Grand Opening revelers to their new 12,500 square foot chocolate factory. Festivities will include factory tours; live music between 2:00 to 4:00 p.m. on Saturday with the Willie Nininger Band of Southbury and on Sunday with the Marty Q Band of Waterbury; free samplings of Fascia’s gourmet hand-made chocolates and their newly-introduced gelatos and sorbets; raffles daily; appearances by Miss Greater Waterbury Scholarship titleholders; and more. 

Fascia’s Chocolates has created the unprecedented opportunity in Connecticut for visitors to make-their-own-chocolate bars during factory tours. With the ambition of being a distinctive year-round, family-fun destination, they offer the very uncommon hands-on opportunity for visitors to actually make-their-own chocolate bars plus add toppings of their choice. Fascia’s also offers their very own gelato flavors made with authentic Italian ingredients and locally-sourced milk, plus sorbets, both perfect complements to their high-quality gourmet chocolates. 

Raffles will be held daily during the three-day Grand Opening Celebration weekend with a variety of prizes. Among those prizes will be the opportunity to win a highly-valuable “Golden Anniversary Prize Certificate” (GAP). The Fascia family has created 50 GAPs in honor of their year-long 50th Anniversary celebration which they will launch during their Columbus Day weekend Grand Opening festivities.

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Winners of Fascia’s “Golden Anniversary Prize Certificates” will receive 1 lb. of Fascia's Classic Assortment, the opportunity to be "Honorary Chocolatier and Official Taster” for a day at Fascia's new factory, plus the chance to win 1 of 7 Grand Prizes at Fascia's Anniversary Party in September 2014. Fascia’s Chocolates President Carmen Romeo stated, “We look forward to welcoming the Golden Anniversary Prize winners to work at Fascia’s for one day and be as involved as they desire. They can help us make chocolate, use our equipment, and do the work of everyday packaging. And, of course, we would expect them to be our ‘Main Taster for the Day’ while they are here with us.” 

Grand Opening factory tours will be held between 12 noon and 6:00 p.m. on Saturday, October 12, Sunday, October 13, and Monday, October 14, Columbus Day. Fees for the factory tours are $5/person, and $10/person for factory tour plus the opportunity to ‘make-your-own chocolate bar’. Reservations are not required, but are recommended.

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Founded in 1964 by John and Helen Fascia, the family-owned Fascia’s Chocolates was named “Best Chocolates in Connecticut” by Connecticut magazine in 2012.  In September 2013 they opened their own building at 44 Chase River Road in Waterbury located immediately off Route 8 North at Exit 36, just two minutes from I-84. Their new factory and retail store also houses Lynne’s Chocolate Cakery offering freshly-baked goods and cupcakes that include fresh whipped crème cupcakes, truffle cupcakes, peanut butter cupcakes and many more delicious cupcakes.

Fascia’s Chocolates’ new location features an outdoor patio with picnic tables outside their new retail store created with a Mediterranean café style ambiance. The main entrance of Fascia’s Chocolate Factory features a fascinating collection of previously-used chocolate-making molds and Fascia’s Chocolates’ memorabilia that includes newspaper articles and photographs that span the past five decades of the family’s notable success as renowned chocolate makers. 

Educating visitors on how chocolate is produced is a focus of Fascia’s factory tours. Through a large window, visitors can view Fascia’s 3,500 square foot production room to obtain a ‘behind-the-scenes’ look at every stage of hand-made gourmet chocolate production. “To enhance their observation,” explained Romeo, “we have live cameras looking onto the factory floor for ‘up-close’ viewings of production activities. Visitors can also view our video and photographic descriptions of the various stages of how chocolate products are produced. In addition to the engaging and educational features of the tour, visitors can also choose the unique experience of making their own chocolate bar with toppings. Once their bar has cooled, they will place their bar into a wrapper, seal it, and put on their own seal ‘Made by Me at Fascia’s Chocolates’.” 

Ongoing tours are offered at Fascia’s Chocolate Factory Saturdays at 12 noon, 2, 4 and 6 p.m. and Sundays 1 and 3 p.m. Fascia’s retail store is open year-round from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Tuesdays through Thursdays; 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays; and 12 to 5 p.m. Sundays. The store and factory are closed Mondays except between Thanksgiving and Christmas. 

For updated “behind-the-scenes” tour schedules, and to make online reservations, visit www.fasciaschocolates.com. For more information, and to make phone reservations, call 203-753-0515. Fascia’s also recommends ‘liking’ them on Facebook and following them on Twitter (#FasciasChoc) to take advantage of special discounts and coupons. Fascia’s also participates in AAA’s Partner program and offers special ‘partner’ rates.

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