Remember Mavrakos? You know, that chocolate company that every St. Louisan of a certain age recalls with a certain twinkle in their eye? When the company closed its doors in 1983, then-owner Tom Wotka (not to be confused with Wonka) passed the Mavrakos recipes— handwritten in a leatherbound journal—to another local confectionary king: Dan Abel Sr. of Chocolate Chocolate Chocolate. For more than 25 years, Abel kept the recipes inside his safe at home. "I've always been fascinated with having this recipe book under lock and key," says his son, Dan Abel Jr. After hours spent pouring over the recipes, the Abels recently relaunched six types of Mavrakos chocolate, from the coconut crescent to the pecan burr. Already, customers are telling the 23-year-old Abel (who's too young to remember the brand's original stores) their favorite memories. "St. Louisans are real loyal to their city," he says, "and Mavrakos is a St. Louis tradition."
The Buzz: Sweet Redemption
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