Today we’d like to introduce you to Madison Greco

Hi Madison, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstory.

A member of my marathon training group showed up one Sunday and announced she was going to culinary school. My most immediate thought was……..why haven’t I thought of this? Enrolled a month later.
My dad was always into food. Cooked for a while to make ends meet and at some point got himself a great paying job (not in food of course!) Our visits together always included dining at Chicago’s most exclusive/new restaurants. I attribute this to developing my interest in food, and palate at a young age.
After finishing school, I bounced around working on the hot side of the kitchen. Quickly I learned it was not for me. Fabricating meat, cooking in high pressure environments – NO THANKS! If it weren’t for my $40,000 investment in school, I likely would not have tried one more things before quitting. That thing was Pastry. I made my way to my first hotel job and loved it. Precision, finesse, control,…………all of these things speak to me as a person. I quickly earned the support of the hotel. They sent me to classes with 3 star Michelin chefs – took an interest in developing my skills. In the 2008 housing crash I was sent out on Task Force to open a hotel in Boston. The food service outlets were overseen by a team from France who worked for a 3 star Michelin chef. Two months later I headed back to Chicago – jobless. At that time I took the opportunity to go to yoga school. For years I have gone back & forth trying to figure out what I feel more passionate about. Quickly I realized that the kitchen is where I belong. I remained in the hotel industry until 2013. It was then that I moved to Los Angeles. I left the kitchen and worked in the yoga world. I missed the kitchen, but found so much value in connecting with people every day, exercising my muscle for customer service. It was such an opportunity for growth personally for me.
In 2016 we moved to Philly. I wanted to go back to the kitchen, but couldn’t see working for someone else. I started looking through the contents of my basement – my husband (pastry chef of 40 years), always wanted to open a patisserie. He carried around equipment for years hoping to make that dream happen. I found tons of chocolate molds. That’s when I decided that I was going to focus solely on chocolate. Chocolate is so niche in the pastry world. It’s very regimented, challenging, expensive, labor heavy. Such a challenge. It’s one of those 10,000 times activities. When you work in hotels you develop skills for everything in the pastry kitchen. Often, you don’t get the chance to focus on one thing. Chocolate work forces me to find patience (something I lack in my day to day life), it’s helped me tap into creativity that I never knew I possessed. I started Good Good Chocolates in 2016. Good Good is a play on words. Bon Bon in French loosely translates. Over the first few years I dipped my toe into the wedding industry, making custom favors. I have a small group of loyal retail partners. I developed products – including the Philly Bar – I sell thousands each year. I wasn’t sure the direction I was heading but didn’t want a retail store. The expense, dealing with employees. It just didn’t appeal. I was making money, that went right back to the business, but it was starting to look like this small business was more of a hobby and it was time to take a risk to change things. Shortly after making this decision I was diagnosed with ovarian cancer. After making it through surgery and treatment, it has become even more clear that moving forward with a brick & mortar location was the plan. I am now in remission and hope it sticks. I am also opening a store in Philly. An even more sweet end to the story

We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?

Never.
Endless learning opportunities. Money is always in short supply. Managing construction on the project is excruciating. Seems so simple, you hire someone they do their job. Not so in construction. My lease was signed 5/29/23 – I still don’t have a store complete.
Employees!

Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?

I specialize in a segment of chocolate making called molded chocolates. Each chocolate is built in a polycarbonate mold. The process is very specific. Any one mistake in the 2+ days process can yield candy that is unusable. It forces you to be present and focused at all times. I don’t make chocolate – I purchase it and turn it in to other confections. My chocolate of choice is Valrhona Chocolate, founded in 1922. A “B Corp”. This type of chocolate is called couverture. It basically means that it is processed with a higher level of cocoa butter, exercises more care in the quality of cocoa beans, & how they are turned into chocolate when they make their way to France. My approach to making chocolate is to use the chocolate that pairs the best with the ultimate pairing. Much like wine, chocolate has nuance and flavor characteristics from where it is grown to how it is processed. My product is all about quality. I use the best of what I can source to create the perfect bite. I will not compromise and I think you can taste it in the final product.

Can you share something surprising about yourself?

I eat extremely healthy and don’t eat sugar unless absolutely necessary

Pricing:

• varied.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.goodgoodchocolates.com
• Instagram: @goodgoodchocolates
• Facebook: Good Good Chocolates