The “Magic” is in the Recipe By: Laura Licona
AIGNER CHOCOLATES
103-02 Metropolitan Ave., Forest Hills, NY 11375 aignerchocolates.com
RACHEL KELLNER AND MARK LIBERTINI
If you’re ever in need of a good pick-me-up, some positive energy, a sweet treat with a side of heal-the-world vibes, drop in for artisanal chocolate and a conversation with chocolate shop owners Mark and Rachel on a just-as-sweet corner in Forest Hills. When I say it was a treat to drop by the shop, I mean this in the way that chocolate, as life, can be the experience you need when you didn’t even know what you wanted. Greeted with the inviting smiles of family, it’s clear that chocolate equals community leadership in this neck of Queens. “Our chocolate empowers the community,” simply stated on their Facebook page (check out their Instagram where they have quite a following), translates into informal business alliances, focus groups, bringing back the holiday lights, and all sorts of stories of spreading joy and cohesion throughout the neighborhood. Standing at a work bench in a candy kitchen that has been there for over 92 years I wondered, what does “impact” look like when you’re a small business owner and community leader? It looks like giving away chocolate when that feels right, spreading good fortune and paying it forward when you are doing well, creating a “metro village” to support all of the other business owners around you, bringing in foot traffic and young interns to provide opportunities for others – it looks like being the kind of business-owners who want to make enough money to give back – “to heal the world in some way through chocolate.” Their business model is solid and sound, focused and practical. They are excellent at making connections that benefit the group and care more about innovation and kindness than simply profit. They have Mark’s
unique and trending visionary and creative genius, and Rachel’s positive, nurturing leadership and humanitarian business savvy. Oh, and did I mention the Austrian chocolate is a heavenly, creamy-smooth delight, both antique and modern at the same time? Yeah. It’s a recipe for joy and Wonka-style “magic.”
QUEENSCHAMBER.ORG
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