The Berks Barrister Summer 2017 - 38

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Delicious Chocolate
in Unique Offerings
By Susan N. Denaro, Esquire

If life is like a box of chocolates,
please make mine Lorah's
Handmade Chocolates.

From a commercial kitchen in her house at
611 Alleghenyville Road, Mohnton, near
Maple Grove Racetrack, Maria Harvey
carries on the traditions her great aunt,
Ruth Miller, began in 1970 under the
name Miller's Chocolates.
Ruth Miller spent her early adulthood
at home taking care of an invalid mother.
She decided she needed a hobby so she
went to Harrisburg to take three chocolate
making classes from some relatives. Those
lessons were the springboard for her
starting the candy business.
She married late in her 40s and
thereafter changed the business name to
Lorah's Chocolates. With no children of
her own to take over, she gave the business
to a step-grandson. Maria's interest in
it began in earnest the day her husband
commented he would rather have a piece
of Lorah's Chocolates while eating some
candy purchased from a school fundraiser
for one of their four children; they had
what she describes as a Brady Bunch
family. Over dinner that night, she told
him the business was for sale and the
serious discussion began about how she
could run it yet still be home to raise their
kids.
Since purchasing it in 2009, she
delights in continuing to make the
confections her Aunt Ruth was known
for, especially the chocolate covered
peppermint creams. When Maria took
over the company, the one question she
heard the most was whether she was going
to tinge the centers green again and she
happily obliged. She very astutely notes,
"What Ruth did was make childhood
memories with her candies and you
can't change those." Move over York
Peppermint Patties.
38 | Berks Barrister

When a salesman from Ashers asked
her where she buys the center fillings for
her chocolates, Maria didn't understand
the question because she didn't know
it was
7 an option to buy the creams,
marshmallows, caramels or any of the
other things she nestles inside her sweets.
She told him it was something she would
never consider as she is proud to be one
of the few candy companies in the four
state area that still makes all the centers
herself by hand, with the exception of
the peanut butter which she has specially
ground for her at a nearby business.
Since she only uses Wilbur Chocolate, I
suspect the Ashers' salesman didn't make
any sale that day.
I stumbled upon her chocolates for
the first time at the Wine Women and
Shoes Fundraiser for Opportunity House
this Spring. I couldn't resist taking home
some of her blueberry bark, chocolate
covered chili-spiced almonds, as well as
her salted caramels and bourbon creams.
They were all delightful, but it was a
light purple-colored jewel that made
me really sit up and take notice. This
creation combines the unique flavors of
chamomile and lavender in the center,
which features honey instead of sugar.
Its delicate flavor is not for everyone,
but I found it so unique that I called to
interview her for this review.
Maria explained that it was the result
of a customer request for a chocolate
featuring flowers for Mother's Day.
Another item that resulted from a
customer request is her cranberry and
almond nougat chocolate. Her favorite

part of her job is fulfilling
customer requests for new
and challenging items.
Maria has just
perfected a white
chocolate encased mango
ganache, which I thought
was better than any ripe
bite of mango I have ever
eaten and left me wanting
a dark chocolate covered
version of it. It was the
only white chocolate
covered item I saw in her inventory that
day. Surprisingly, she does not know how
much sugar, butter or chocolate she uses
each year but does report that she sells
more dark chocolates than milk chocolates.
She is currently experimenting with
alcohol-filled chocolates to pair with wine.
Each filling has to be state-approved to
insure the liquor content is at the right
level. She is working with a local winery
to create chocolates featuring some of their
fruit-based wines. While those were not
my favorite items, I enjoyed her bourbonfilled ones, made with chocolate shells
from Belgium, particularly since they come
with eating instructions: "Pop in mouth
whole and keep your mouth closed to eat.
Wait until you swallow to say, 'Oh, my
God.'"
In addition to her standard lines of
chocolates, Maria is available for specialty
orders and makes business card bars and
other items for corporate customer gifts.
Her phone number is 717-917-7006. She
can be contacted at lorahschocolates@
windstream.net or through her website,
www.lorahschocolates.com. Her candies
are sold at some local venues, including
Say Cheese! in West Reading.
My mother was one of those unusual
people who could eat just one piece of
chocolate and stop. I have never been
that disciplined and, if Lorah's Chocolates
are in reach, particularly the peppermint
creams, I don't suspect I ever will be.
Ms. Denaro is with the Wyomissing law
firm of Georgeaidis||Setley.
http://www.lorahschocolates.com
The Berks Barrister Summer 2017

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