Delighting with chocolate, from LI to Israel

From Le Chocolat on Central Avenue in Cedarhurst to Cacao Hagalil in Northern Israel, Chanie Koenig has shared sweets and positivity globally.

“I love working with chocolate and I enjoy the people that I encounter,” Koenig said. “People who come into a candy store, are happy people — unless you’re coming in because you need chocolate because you’re in a bad mood — but I’m happy to make people smile.”

Koenig grew up in Woodmere and lived there for 26 years. She worked at Le Chocolat and later Jacques Torres Chocolates in New York City. Koenig attended culinary school then made the move to Israel at 29, following a dream to return to her roots, she said.

She grew up religiously observant, her grandfather was from Israel, and she had always hoped to find a home there.

Despite her culinary background, Koenig did not intend to start business, she took the initiative to open her chocolate company in Northern Israel so her nephew with lactose intolerance could eat sweets.

The solution was goat’s milk.

“He and a lot of people who are sensitive to lactose can tolerate goat milk,” Koenig said. “It’s easier to digest. It’s got smaller lactose molecules.”

She had worked at a chocolate company in Israel for a year, and then Covid sent her home, so she took to trying her own recipes and distributing chocolates on her own.

“I wanted to make sure that it was really a business that would grow and something that was worthwhile to pursue, that there was a market for it,” Koenig said.

She moved into a storefront in 2023.

Some of her greatest challenges were understanding legal regulations in Hebrew, Koenig said. And since Oct. 7, her business has seen fewer customers because of Northern Israelis being evacuated, but her location on a kubutz and partnership with the local country club has maintained some consistent traffic.

“There’s no tourism [and] people who live in the center of the country are nervous to travel to the north. I have no tourism, and I have people who would usually be traveling, doing less of that.”

But she has maintained a positive attitude and with that, a positive impact on Israelis with baking workshops and welcoming people in, she said.

“I had a family of grandparents that came in with their grandkids and they were looking for something for them to do, because now a lot of people are nervous about traveling,” Koenig said. “I was happy to give them an escape.”

Nefesh B’Nefesh and Jerusalem Municipality hosted a two-day Shuk Olim showcase, for olim-owned businesses.

“It is remarkable to witness olim transform their passions into unique businesses that are now part of the Israeli market,” said Rabbi Yehoshua Fass, NBN co-founder and executive director.