Christopher Weck wasn't always a chocolatier; in fact, until just last year, he was working in the education industry. That's what brought the New York native — who's also lived in Chicago — to Pittsburgh in the mid-'00s. But a longtime love of food led Weck to open Sinful Sweets Chocolate Company, in the heart of Lawrenceville, late last year.
Among Sinful Sweets' offerings are hand-dipped chocolate-covered pretzels and fruits that are hot sellers; salt caramels and chocolate-covered bacon are trendy as well. (For winter-time frozen treats, ice cream from Perry's, a Buffalo, N.Y.-based vendor, is available, too). Weck's wares are artfully decorated, as is the colorful shop, replete with one pink wall.
Weck, who runs the entire operation himself, originally considered opening a pizza shop. "I was working in education for years, but I'd come home and watch the Food Network — Man vs. Food, that kind of thing," he explains. "I knew I wanted to work in food, it was just a matter of what kind."
Weck has an edge in the cocoa-based field: An uncle in Chicago runs a chocolate factory. He apprenticed there, and realized that a chocolate shop is a pretty positive place — a good fit for his personality. "In a pizza shop, there's a hot oven [and] people might be uncomfortable, unhappy," he says. "No one's unhappy when they come to the chocolate shop."
4415 Butler St., Lawrenceville. 412-235-7865 or www.sinfulsweetsonline.com
