Canady Le Chocolatier, South Loop

Canady Le Chocolatier, South Loop

In a recent post concerning the availability of ice cream on the Near Southside, Amata mentioned Canady Le Chocolatier on Wabash; JBW, in turn, offered an enthusiastic endorsement of Canady's offerings. A short time after the appearance of those posts, I found myself back in our old South Loop neighbourhood for a little book shopping at Powell's and, upon emerging from that bookstore, suddenly noticed that Canady's shop is immediately adjacent to it.



I had to stop in and buy a few chocolates and, in the course of doing so, was offered a taste of gelato by the proprietor, Michael Canady. On a subsequent visit, this time accompanied by Amata, I brought the camera, chatted a bit with Mr. Canady, bought some more chocolates and was once again offered some tastes of the gelato.

Mr. Canady's shop is a nicely decorated and inviting space, with a number of interesting pieces of folk art hanging on the walls, things which he collected in the course of travelling around the world during his previous business career. His interest in art is very much reflected in the visual aspect of his chocolates, which are no less striking to the eye than to the palate. For example, the many-sided white chocolate ganaches are both stunning to look at and quite delicious:



Slightly more whimsical are the tuxedo-clad chocolate-covered strawberries seen here:



So far, Amata and I have tried four or five of Mr. Canady's chocolates and they've all been quite good. In addition, we've tried three of the gelati and I was very pleased both with the flavours and with the texture.

Much of the relevant information for Mr. Canady's offerings and their prices can be seen on the board which stands toward the back of the public space in the shop:



All in all, I think this shop is a wonderful addition to the South Loop and, more generally, a great addition to the downtown offerings in chocolates and gelato; though I will still on occasion visit my old standby, Leonidas (see link), I also intend to patronise this independent, local chocolatier. I encourage you to visit Mr. Canady and sample his wares.

Antonius

Canady Le Chocolatier
824 South Wabash Ave.
Chicago, IL 60605
312-212-1270
Fall and winter hours:
Mon.- Fri.: 10:30 a.m. - 9:00 p.m.
Sat., Sun. 12 noon - 9:00 p.m.

I was in the South Loop this morning for other reasons and stopped by Canady to get our son's preschool teacher a little end-of-the-year present. (Box of 12 beautiful pieces, $12.) They're now open earlier than they were when Antonius posted above:

Canady Le Chocolatier
824 South Wabash Ave.
Chicago, IL 60605
312-212-1270

M-F 9:30-9
S-S 10:30-9

We love this shop! I have tried 4-5 of his gelato flavors, and quite a few chocolates. Pistachio is my favorite so far! I gave a couple of the truffle gift-boxes for mother's day presents, and they were very well received. I cannot decide which is more charming though, the shop or it's owner? Every time we stop in for a treat, he is welcoming and has a story to share.

flourgirl wrote:We love this shop! I have tried 4-5 of his gelato flavors, and quite a few chocolates. Pistachio is my favorite so far! I gave a couple of the truffle gift-boxes for mother's day presents, and they were very well received. I cannot decide which is more charming though, the shop or it's owner? Every time we stop in for a treat, he is welcoming and has a story to share.

flourgirl

Finally, a response! Yes, the gelati I've tried have been very flavourful and Mr. Canady is, as you say, a very friendly and engaging man. And the chocolates he makes are both delicious and beautiful. I hope your post, along with Amata's recent one, in this thread will call attention to this wonderful little shop.

Antonius

I've been there twice in the last week, and I agree that the gelato is very very good. I usually order chocolate ice cream wherever I go, so I judge a place by their chocolate a lot of times. This man got his gelato to tast exactly like a high quality piece of dark chocolate. That is all you taste. It's wonderful.

The second time I went, I noticed that he had four new flavors- mascarpone, pineapple, tiramisu, and lemon sorbet. The gelato texture changes depending on the flavor. The mascarpone was extra creamy. It had a tang to it, so I'm guessing he used cream cheese as well? I looooved it. I had a chocolate, mascarpone, and lemon sorbet cup. The first few bites were heaven, but then my taste buds got overloaded with too many bold flavors. I should have gotten only lemon with mascarpone, or lemon with chocolate. I really don't know which of the three I liked better. The lemon sorbet was awesome-had a very bright lemon tartness and dense, soft texture. It made for a good palate cleanser in between bites.

I really don't know a lot about gelato. I used to live in Kansas City, and after trying it there at a couple of places, I wondered why people liked it at all. It was disgusting. They don't know what they're doing. Then I visited New York and tried Otto gelato, because everyone said it was the best. I was blown away, both by the gelato and the sorbet, and had to keep going back and back. So using that as a comparison, I'd say Canady is almost but not quite as good. The flavors I tried are excellent. The texture is not as creamy.

While eating there, I remember thinking that if you bought pints of this gelato and sorbet to serve at a dinner party, your guests would be really impressed.

I live nearby too and love the gelato - especially the chocolate. It's fun when you drop in and he has a new gelato flavor because he gets really excited about it and usually insists that you try it.

For my last birthday, my fiance had him make a custom chocolate gelato cake! It was a little fragile since it was basically a lot of gelato on a cookie crust, but it was certainly tasty

Want to throw in my praise for Canady as well.

My parents discovered the place a few months back and have been going almost religiously every weekend to get some chocolates to last them through the week. They first took me not long before Mother's Day, and I have been back three or four times now.

Mr. Canady is extremely friendly and welcoming. Both his chocolates and his gelati are very well made and extremely satisfying, and I find it a nice twist on the classic cannoli that he offers the shells filled with his gelato.

Some particular favorites:

Gelato: pomegranate. Completely out of the ordinary and very tasty.

Chocolates: passionfruit-mango. Never in a million years would I have chosen this for myself, but my father gave it to me and it is exquisite. Just the right amount of tart/sweet of the fruit to go well with the dark chocolate exterior.

I am also a big fan of the pomegranate in dark chocolate, and the black walnut piece. Dad's recent favorite (I took him to pick some out for Father's Day, as I had taken mom for Mother's Day) is one of the date pieces.

One note: since Mr. Canady's operation is small (I've only ever seen one other person in the back), he will often be working in the back when you walk in. Don't be put off if he doesn't rush immediately to the front. He will acknowledge your presence quickly, but may need a minute to finish up a step before being able to step away to really assist and engage you.

It's surprising that this thread has so few responses. Hopefully others will jump on the Canady bandwagon soon.

For the past three years, since first seeing this post, I've made a valentine's day tradition of walking down to Canady to buy my love a box of chocolates.

These are indeed excellent chocolates, and seem to be improving over time. They've got an excellent texture and bold flavors in both traditional and uncommon varieties. Of the few boutique handmade chocolates in the Chicago area, it's easy for me to say that these are the best.

Others are starting to agree, as the small shop becomes more and more crowded with every visit.



Best,
Michael

Michael,

It is great to see that this fine little shop is not just surviving but apparently thriving. It remains one of my favourite small businesses in the city.

Antonius

I recently did my own personal taste testing of nine different artisanal chocolatiers in the Chicago area. Canady did very well (although I like Piron even better, but that's an easy choice - if you're near the South Loop, go to Canady, and if you're around Evanston, go to Piron). My favorite at Canady was the gianduja feuillete crunch. They also do an excellent job with creams and cordials. However, there were a few that I was less crazy about (e.g. the white chocolate and the coconut).

I'm surprised that no one has mentioned the prices there. Keep in mind that high-end chocolate is going to be more expensive than your local candy bar or Fannie Mae. However, at $33 per pound, Canady was one of the least expensive high-end chocolatiers (as was Piron, at $36). Several other chocolatiers in town are charging in the sixties and at least two are in the $80-100 range. So not only do Canady and Piron have great chocolates, but within this group, they provide great value as well.

Canady's were also the most beautiful chocolates of anyone's, with the most strikingly different appearance from each other. Some of the colors and appearances gave clues to the contents, such as the red cherries on one, the swirl shape of the banana, the yellow coloring on the amaretto filled one, and making the red pepper one look like a metallic bomb (explosive type "bomb", not a "bombe" pastry).

They were not open at 11:00 today and calls are going to voice mail. Are they still open? I thought they would be busy for Mother's Day.

twix wrote:They were not open at 11:00 today and calls are going to voice mail. Are they still open? I thought they would be busy for Mother's Day.

I don't see their hours on their own website, but a listing on Centerstage says that they open daily at noon.

i'm a big fan of the chocolates here (not so much of the gelato, partly because they are always too soft). michael canady is extremely friendly and informative. a few weeks ago he 'forced' a limoncello chocolate on me because i was browsing thru the truffles and mentioned that i didn't like the liqueur, limoncello. it was a fantastic combination of tart lemon and chocolate. one of my other favorites is the truffle filled with tamarind paste. i want to emphasize earlier comments on the reasonable prices. most truffles are $1.50 and are much, much better than more expensive brands like vosges and coco rouge (not to mention the new Chocolategrape, which is as bad as it's silly name). FYI, canady's will be at taste of chicago for the first time this summer- only selling gelato. michael has already bought a large blast freezer in anticipation.

I found myself in the South Loop with time on my hands this morning, so I decided to walk over and have a chocolate or three.

Sadly, I found the storefront papered over with no mention of the business moving.

I hadn't been in at least a year or so, so please let me know if the shop has moved.

I always felt it didn't get the traffic it deserved, being tucked away on a quiet strip of Wabash.

The outpost they hand in the French Market (Olgilvie Center) closed some time ago.

I called just now, and neither location's numbers are connected. Very sad news...I was just there a couple of months ago for a chocolate class, and I have a Groupon for a gelato class. I'm going to email now and provide and update when he responds

I'm pretty sure the sad news of Canaday's closing was reported a few months ago in the openings & closing threads.

Hey, you're right! I wonder how I missed that. Guess I better get a refund.

Not closed, just moved!

Canady Le Chocolatier
2136 West Fulton Street
Chicago, IL 60612
(312) 208-5094

Pie Lady, I think that location is just for classes. At least, according to this report --
http://www.sloopin.com/2012/07/canady-l ... op-on.html
-- he plans to only do the classes.

Oh. Well, I'll be there on the 28th for the gelato class, so I'll let people know what it's like.

Given what I had known of Canady from his fans on LTH, his website, and eating his chocolates, I always held him to high standards expecting him to use high quality ingredients and making things from scratch. I saw the great care and high attention to detail that went into make his gorgeous chocolates in the glass cases and gold packaging.

I took the gelato class when they first launched, almost 18 mos ago IIRC. I was quite disappointed having tried their chocolates. I was expecting to learn how to make gelato at home with my ice cream maker, but I was sorely disappointed that the gelato used a commercial base. We proceeded to make a peanut butter flavor gelato using a large tub of Reese's peanut butter (I didn't even know that they made jarred peanut butter!). Imagine my horror when he removed a Jewel pound cake from his refrigerator to be used as a base layer for a dessert with the peanut butter gelato.

I was disappointed and let down by some of the ingredients he chooses to use in his gelato.

Pucca wrote:Given what I had known of Canady from his fans on LTH, his website, and eating his chocolates, I always held him to high standards expecting him to use high quality ingredients and making things from scratch. I saw the great care and high attention to detail that went into make his gorgeous chocolates in the glass cases and gold packaging.

I took the gelato class when they first launched, almost 18 mos ago IIRC. I was quite disappointed having tried their chocolates. I was expecting to learn how to make gelato at home with my ice cream maker, but I was sorely disappointed that the gelato used a commercial base. We proceeded to make a peanut butter flavor gelato using a large tub of Reese's peanut butter (I didn't even know that they made jarred peanut butter!). Imagine my horror when he removed a Jewel pound cake from his refrigerator to be used as a base layer for a dessert with the peanut butter gelato.

I was disappointed and let down by some of the ingredients he chooses to use in his gelato.

This was my experience, as well. I took the candy-making class a couple of years back and while I definitely learned a lot, I was really disappointed by the quality of ingredients that were used in the chocolates, especially the fillings. So, while I'd definitely recommend the classes, I can't say I feel the same way about the prospect of buying chocolates there.

=R=

Pucca wrote:I took the gelato class when they first launched, almost 18 mos ago IIRC. I was quite disappointed having tried their chocolates. I was expecting to learn how to make gelato at home with my ice cream maker, but I was sorely disappointed that the gelato used a commercial base. We proceeded to make a peanut butter flavor gelato using a large tub of Reese's peanut butter (I didn't even know that they made jarred peanut butter!). Imagine my horror when he removed a Jewel pound cake from his refrigerator to be used as a base layer for a dessert with the peanut butter gelato.

I was disappointed and let down by some of the ingredients he chooses to use in his gelato.

All Illinois food establishments that make their own ice cream are legally required to use a premade base, unless they have pasteurization equipment on the premesis and can pasteurize their product in house. This is prohibitively expensive as the only Illinois Dairy Board-approved pasteurization equipment is mass production sized.

Technically any restaurant that makes their own ice cream is supposed to use this premade base as well. They get away with not doing so because the Dairy Board consists of only a few people and doesn't have the man power to check up on restaurants. The Board focuses its limited resources primarily on ice cream-focused businesses.

bnowell724 wrote:

Pucca wrote:I took the gelato class when they first launched, almost 18 mos ago IIRC. I was quite disappointed having tried their chocolates. I was expecting to learn how to make gelato at home with my ice cream maker, but I was sorely disappointed that the gelato used a commercial base. We proceeded to make a peanut butter flavor gelato using a large tub of Reese's peanut butter (I didn't even know that they made jarred peanut butter!). Imagine my horror when he removed a Jewel pound cake from his refrigerator to be used as a base layer for a dessert with the peanut butter gelato.

I was disappointed and let down by some of the ingredients he chooses to use in his gelato.

All Illinois food establishments that make their own ice cream are legally required to use a premade base, unless they have pasteurization equipment on the premesis and can pasteurize their product in house. This is prohibitively expensive as the only Illinois Dairy Board-approved pasteurization equipment is mass production sized.

Technically any restaurant that makes their own ice cream is supposed to use this premade base as well. They get away with not doing so because the Dairy Board consists of only a few people and doesn't have the man power to check up on restaurants. The Board focuses its limited resources primarily on ice cream-focused businesses.

I didn't learn of this requirement until local vendors like Nice Cream faced the heartache, which was several months after I took my class.

edited to add, this requirement does not excuse the Reese's peanut butter and Jewel pound cake.

Pucca wrote:

bnowell724 wrote:

Pucca wrote:I took the gelato class when they first launched, almost 18 mos ago IIRC. I was quite disappointed having tried their chocolates. I was expecting to learn how to make gelato at home with my ice cream maker, but I was sorely disappointed that the gelato used a commercial base. We proceeded to make a peanut butter flavor gelato using a large tub of Reese's peanut butter (I didn't even know that they made jarred peanut butter!). Imagine my horror when he removed a Jewel pound cake from his refrigerator to be used as a base layer for a dessert with the peanut butter gelato.

I was disappointed and let down by some of the ingredients he chooses to use in his gelato.

All Illinois food establishments that make their own ice cream are legally required to use a premade base, unless they have pasteurization equipment on the premesis and can pasteurize their product in house. This is prohibitively expensive as the only Illinois Dairy Board-approved pasteurization equipment is mass production sized.

Technically any restaurant that makes their own ice cream is supposed to use this premade base as well. They get away with not doing so because the Dairy Board consists of only a few people and doesn't have the man power to check up on restaurants. The Board focuses its limited resources primarily on ice cream-focused businesses.

I didn't learn of this requirement until local vendors like Nice Cream faced the heartache, which was several months after I took my class.

It doesn't speak to the candies, though.

=R=

Pucca wrote:I didn't learn of this requirement until local vendors like Nice Cream faced the heartache, which was several months after I took my class.

edited to add, this requirement does not excuse the Reese's peanut butter and Jewel pound cake.

I never had Reese's. Is it worse than any other commercial peanut butter or were you upset at him using commercial at all?

wouldn't the point of a class be to teach techniques? why would a teacher use $$$ ingredients in that context?

at home, students would be free to spend as much money as they want to when they make their own candy/gelato using methods they learned in the class.

Roger Ramjet wrote:wouldn't the point of a class be to teach techniques? why would a teacher use $$$ ingredients in that context?

The same ingredients were used for the classes and in the products being sold in the shop.

=R=

ronnie_suburban wrote:

Roger Ramjet wrote:wouldn't the point of a class be to teach techniques? why would a teacher use $$$ ingredients in that context?

The same ingredients were used for the classes and in the products being sold in the shop.

=R=

Do you know what brand of chocolate he used? If it was really a terrible quality then that makes his product more impressive to me- his chocolates were beautiful and really tasty.