A while back, my son Andrew and I attended a birthday party for his classmate. Next to the cake sat two platters of the most scrumptious-looking dipped chocolates, just for the adults. (Definitely, my kind of party.) Anyway, you know when you bite into certain chocolates and it breaks into the most perfect texture and flavor? That’s how it was. Everyone went crazy devouring the treats and I only begrudgingly shared with Andrew.

Well, it turns out everything was made by Deerfield resident, Desiree Engman, owner of Desiree Chocolates (and mother of the birthday girl). I was so impressed I called Desiree to find out more.

Cooking was definitely in Desiree's blood as her mother is known as the Julia Child of South Africa, where Desiree grew up. “My mom, Myrna Rosen, taught cooking in our basement with my grandmother,” says Desiree. “The classes got so popular her students encouraged her to write a cookbook. Her first cookbook became the best-selling cookbook ever in South Africa, where it’s been reprinted 24 times.”

As a teenager, Desiree moved to Cincinnati, where she eventually bought a candy kitchen. Later, she moved to Chicago, worked at various chocolate shops and finally opened her own business again.

This time, Desiree did something completely different. “I created a live sweet table where I'm dipping on-site at weddings, Bar and Bat Mitzvahs and other events,” says Desiree, who has the only company in the area to provide live chocolate stations and sweet tables all in one. “Everything is bite-sized so people can come up and just pop things in their mouths. It’s a visual and decadent dessert experience. We use 100% premium Belgian chocolate and the purest, freshest, most natural ingredients.” (No wonder everything tasted so great at that party!)

And this is how it works: “Anything baked or with a filling I make ahead of time,” says Desiree. “Things dipped in chocolate like fresh fruits, Oreos, gummi worms, I dip at the party and combine those with the other desserts.” Desiree is also offering new interactive stations such as cheesecake, pizza cookie, tiramisu and tropical mousse. Yum!

I was so curious about this “live” sweet table, Desiree let me work with her at a wedding recently. My job was drizzling chocolate and I was actually really nervous. What if my drizzle wasn't drizzly enough? Well, I was such a natural I graduated to dipping Clementine slices and putting them on the display.

Before the table was even open, guests were oohing and ahhing saying, “I can’t wait to try such-and-such.” Most people came up several times and I overheard comments like, “This is incredible!” and “Oh, you have to try this!” At the end of the evening, I went home with the most delicious goody bag ever. And only because I was doing research, I ate all of it.

"I believe that Desiree sets the gold standard when it comes to all levels of how a business should operate,” says Karen Whalen, Creative Coordinator of Desiree Chocolates. “She has great character, is full of enthusiasm and always goes the extra mile to create that ‘wow’ factor!"

“I love what I do,” says Desiree. “It took a while to get going but I hung in there. It's very important to me to provide high quality service and to coordinate my display according to the clients theme and colors. I love seeing the reaction when people see and then taste the product. It's a lot of work but I never get tired of that. My work is my passion and my sweet tables reflect that passion."

Soon, Desiree Chocolates will have a new home in Vernon Hills, where she'll share a 7,000 square foot kitchen with leading Chicago caterer, Pear Tree Catering (www.peartreecatering.com). To contact Desiree call 847-444-1263, email This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it or visit www.desireechocolates.com. To contact me about ideas for future columns visit my website at www.susandubin.com or email This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .

© 2007 Susan Dubin, Buffalo Grove, Illinois