BOARDMAN, Ohio – The Dessert Bar at Gorant Chocolates is celebrating its grand opening this weekend.
The bar and lounge, which the owners believe is the first of its kind in Ohio, is inside Gorant Chocolates’ flagship store at 400 Boardman-Poland Road. It has a separate entrance on the side of the store.
To celebrate the opening, the bar and lounge will feature the musical duo Leather and Lace on Friday evening, and solo artist Steve Vuich on Saturday.
A mural by Patrick McGlone, owner of Overall Paint Co., will be revealed Friday.
The Dessert Bar is the brainchild of co-owners Bergen Giordani and Dr. Nino Rubino, who purchased Gorant Chocolates last year.
“We had been tossing around the idea of a dessert bar for several years, and when we moved into this space on Route 224, we decided it would be the perfect opportunity to bring this concept to life,” Giordani said. “It allows us to showcase our chocolate options and bring something new and exciting to the Valley.”
The Dessert Bar has been open for several weeks, during which time it has been well-received, according to Rubino.
“It has the feel of a lounge with soft seating and couches that people love and, of course, our food and drink options are over the top,” he said. “In addition to our signature craft cocktails, including the Gorant Chocolate Martini, we do have a full bar with wine and beer options available.”
The two have worked with local bakery OH Sugar to create desserts made with Gorant chocolate. Other sweet treats are made in-house and feature favorites from sister company One Hot Cookie.
“We believe in collaboration with partners that allow us to showcase our products in the best possible light,” Giordani said. “We’re excited to share recipes for desserts and drinks on our website in the future.”
The Dessert Bar opens at 4 p.m. Thursday-Saturday.
To see the complete menu, go to Gorant.com.
Pictured at top: Examples of some of the cocktails available at The Dessert Bar. Each incorporates Gorant chocolates.