Vosges Haut-Chocolat Expands Beyond Lincoln Park

One company’s rapid expansion now means taking over a former Whole Foods bakery, which will soon become its high-end chocolate capital on the North Side.

Vosges Haut-Chocolat and its even higher-end sister company, Wild Ophelia, are taking up residency in a former Whole Foods at 2950 N. Oakley Ave. in North Center, city of Chicago building permits confirm.

The company's first Chicago location was near the Bucktown-Lincoln Park border at 2211 N. Elston Ave., followed by two that opened simultaneously—one at 951 W. Armitage Ave. in Lincoln Park and the other, 520 N. Michigan Ave. along the Magnificent Mile.

The company also has locations in Los Angeles, Calif., and Las Vegas, Nev., and New York. It welcomes visitors to an "experiential realm of storytelling through the medium of chocolate," according to its website.

"By means of esteemed craftsmanship and conscious innovation, we inspire you to interact with the world in a different way," it says.

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The estimated renovation budget for the North Center site is $1 million, but company representatives say that's just the tip of the iceberg.

Owner and chocolatier Katrina Markoff, 40, is making a $10 million investment in Vosges, reports the Chicago Tribune, a move to put her chocolate business on the map. The new 43,000-square-foot location in will house everything from Vosges’ offices to its manufacturing equipment.

"I really wanted people in Chicago to be aware of who we are," Markoff told the Tribune. "If you're a foodie, yes, you know Vosges, but if you're not, you don't."

Markoff, who originally received her training at Paris culinary school Le Cordon Bleu, is now mixing up head-turning treats like the Pink Himalayan Crystal Salt Caramel Bar and the popular Mo's Dark Chocolate Bacon Bar.

"I really wanted people in Chicago to be aware of who we are..."

The new space, which is near the Chicago River, will also offer public tours and a include a new café and gastropub. The big move is all to support new clients such as Target and Walgreens.

Whole Foods, which occupied the building for almost 15 years, once used the space as a bakery for ten of its then-16 locations around the city, Chicago Real Estate Daily reports.

It closed in 2008 after most of its stores installed in-house bakeries.

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