Everyone, it seems, knows one of them 鈥� the people who can鈥檛 say no to a chocolate treat.
The chocoholics.
But then there鈥檚 Bill Fredericks. The research engineer in the School of Oceanography studies ocean cycles and ocean dynamics. And he鈥檚 a chocolate devotee of the highest level of sophistication, a chocolatier, if you will. If the folks who love a Hershey鈥檚 bar are on one end of the spectrum, Fredericks, a.k.a. The Chocolate Man, is decidedly on the other.
鈥淚 am a chocolate snob, I must admit,鈥� he said. 鈥淚 have kind of a refined taste.鈥�
In fact, the only time he鈥檒l buy a Hershey鈥檚 bar is for a comparison exercise in one of the many chocolate-related classes he teaches in the area when he鈥檚 not busy with his day job. The rest of the time, it鈥檚 strictly couverture grade 鈥� the best available chocolate.
鈥淵ou can鈥檛 compare a good chocolate unless you have something to compare it to,鈥� he said. 鈥淎 Hershey鈥檚 bar is our gold standard in the United States. So I give the students a piece of a Hershey鈥檚 bar and a selection of couverture-grade chocolates. It just blows people out of their socks. They do not understand there鈥檚 as much of a difference as there is. It鈥檚 because American chocolates are mostly sugar 鈥� they鈥檙e washed out.鈥�
His refined understanding of cooking in general and chocolate in particular began as an undergraduate. In those days, Fredericks worked as an executive chef and a short order cook in order to pay the bills. He became The Chocolate Man, the name of his small business, much later.
To save money one Christmas, Fredericks and his wife, whom he calls a chocoholic, decided to bake the gifts they would give to their families. His wife chose truffles and began by melting some chocolate chips that she planned to use for the filling.
Enter The Chocolate Man.
鈥淚 knew that chocolate chips aren鈥檛 premium-grade chocolate. I recommended we buy a better grade.鈥�
That proved to be a more daunting task than one might imagine. Grocery stores aren鈥檛 exactly teeming with high-grade chocolate. And to buy directly from the factory means ponying up for at least a 500-pound minimum.
Fredericks was finally able to get a reasonable supply of the good stuff from some chef friends. The ensuing Christmas gifts were a big hit.
鈥淧eople were going gaga. And once you get started you鈥檙e stuck. Everybody wants them again and again. It got to where we were spending $170 on chocolate in order to 鈥榮ave money鈥� on Christmas gifts.鈥�
It may not have worked to his fiscal interests immediately, but now The Chocolate Man is a prosperous business that Fredericks runs when he鈥檚 not at his day job.
A simple business model led to his success. First, he knew enough people who would be interested in buying the premium grade stuff. Second, he also knew from first-hand experience how difficult it was for an individual to track down the best chocolate.
鈥淚f you鈥檙e not a chef or a hotel, there鈥檚 no avenue to buy it. That was my niche in the market 鈥� buy couverture chocolate right in the box and then sell it to the chocolate public. My reputation just spread because I was the only guy doing that.鈥�
He stores the chocolate in a wine cellar in the basement of his Lake Forest Park home. He鈥檚 meticulous about keeping the supply in good shape. If chocolate mixes with water, for example, it is ruined.
With about 800 clients 鈥� including local chefs, bed and breakfasts, and other small businesses 鈥� he struggles to keep the business from growing too rapidly even though he鈥檚 never advertised.
And if that doesn鈥檛 keep him busy enough, there are his various teaching and commercial consulting gigs. In all, Fredericks says he works 70 hours a week during the peak chocolate season 鈥� from autumn to early spring 鈥� and that鈥檚 in addition to his normal 8-to-5 routine at the UW.
鈥淚 like it a whole lot.鈥�
Fredericks will be teaching a course on chocolate truffles on Saturday, Feb. 1, as part of ASUW鈥檚 Experimental College. For more information on the course call the Experimental College at 206-543-4375. To buy chocolate from Fredericks visit him online at .