Midnite Chocolates – Starting Out
Finding some sweet relief in the middle of the pandemic, Winston Williams started making chocolate bonbons at home. Soon, it became a whole business, and he launched Midnite Chocolates in November of 2020.
Sharing his story of what led him to become a chocolatier and starting his business, Williams said that after his job as a pastry sous-chef on the Strip was furloughed due to the shutdown, he experienced severe depression.
“I needed to do something with my time; I just didn’t know at first it would be chocolate,” he said. “After spending weeks at home lying in bed, I figured, I have to do something. So I tried to think of something I could make for friends and family and have them taste.”
Wanting to do something different than the pastries he normally worked with, he started looking up different ideas on Instagram, focusing on bonbons. He reported that he’s always worked with chocolate but wasn’t sure if he could do it at home because of how messy it can be.
“Chocolate is something that makes people happy, so I started there. I didn’t see a lot of chocolatiers that looked like me, so I decided to just do that,” he said. “It made me happy, and I felt like I was doing something meaningful.”
Taste Testing & Chocolate Making
Shipping chocolate to people to taste-test and bringing samples around to his neighbors and even at local businesses he patroned, Williams began developing his business idea in July of 2020. He also made videos on TikTok showing the process and found that people loved it.
“It made me happy to see that I was making other people happy. I got a lot of great feedback as people enjoyed seeing me make the chocolates,” he said. “People were sending me so many messages with positive comments, saying to keep going and keep it up.”
Pleased with the response he received, Williams started making chocolate all the time.
“I found that I really like staying in the house and working from home,” he said. “It’ll be four in the morning, and I’ll still be up making chocolate. Every day there’s something new, and I’m growing with it and embracing it as it changes over time.”
The Chocolate
Bonbons For Everyone
While experimenting with making chocolate at home, Williams focused on making bonbons. Recounting his experience of first discovering bonbons while working at upscale dining establishments, he shared that the mission of Midnite Chocolates is to expand the reach and accessibility of gourmet chocolate.
The first time Williams ever tried a bon-bon, it was also the first time he’d ever heard of it. While working at a restaurant in Chicago, years before moving to Vegas, he saw chocolate he didn’t recognize.
“I asked the person I worked with what it was, and they were surprised I didn’t know what a bon-bon was,” he said. “So, I tried one and immediately fell in love with it. I thought to myself: everybody needs to be able to try something like this.”
When the pandemic hit and he needed inspiration, bonbons led him down the path to creating Midnite Chocolates. Playing with different ingredients and recipes, Williams designs hand-crafted bonbons that look like decadent works of art that you can eat.
“I want to help expose people to new and different things, like gourmet chocolate,” he said. “And I enjoy being able to share this experience with others.”
Midnite Chocolates: Made With Love
When asked what inspires his recipes, Williams said, “love,” smiling with joy and passion in his eyes as he said it.
“All these chocolates are freestyled; they’re made based on the inspiration I receive and how I feel in the moment,” he said. “When I’m feeling bad or mad, I let it out and put my emotions into the process.”
Ultimately, this allows Williams to release that energy while creating something beautiful, delightful, and delicious. And it’s something that comes naturally to him.
“I really enjoy making chocolates. My mood always improves when I make them,” he said. “It’s like a meditation practice.”
The Recipes
Midnite Chocolate bonbons are all made from scratch with Belgium chocolate occasionally mixed with various things like seasonal fruits, nuts, caramel, and other ingredients. The fruit used in the chocolates varies depending on the season and the availability of certain fruits. Williams said that he acquires his ingredients from Sprouts.
Combining recipes learned over the years while studying at The French Pastry School in Chicago and while working in restaurants, Williams offers many delicious recipes.
“I put my take on it; what I think looks good or tastes good, what people will like, and things I think people should taste,” he said. “I’m not afraid to try new things.”
Here are a few of the recipes currently available on the Midnite Chocolates’ website:
- Caramel Crunch Bonbons
- Raspberry White Chocolate Bonbons
- Pecan Caramel Clusters
- Dark Chocolate Bonbons
Boxes currently sell for $12 and include eight bonbons. Chocolates sell as a box of an entire single recipe or a box of assorted chocolates.
While the main focus is bonbons, Williams said he wants to expand to other types of chocolate. Recently, he made a white chocolate cereal bar. He’s also working on some truffle recipes at the moment and takes custom chocolate requests.
“In the fall, I plan to have more and make more special recipes,” he said. “I love to offer variety.”
At this time, Midnite Chocolates’ delivery range is limited to just Vegas during the summer. Shipping out-of-state resumes near the end of August, when the weather starts to cool down again.
Midnite Chocolates’ Challenges
Williams reported two major challenges with starting his business and with its ongoing operations after launching.
“You didn’t actually make that yourself, did you?”
When he first started sharing his creations with people, he found himself met with comments from people who didn’t believe he’d actually made the chocolates himself.
“I had a hard time convincing people I was the one who made them. I’d bring the chocolates to people to try at the stores I shopped at or at get-togethers I attended, and they wouldn’t believe me at first, or at all,” he said. “Me being alone and doing it myself, it’s hard to keep going sometimes, especially when people question you. But I kept going.”
Williams said that things are going really well for him right now and that he enjoys the fact that what he’s doing is something new and different.
“I’m giving people who look like me a chance to do something like this; something to see and not to judge,” he said. “Working in upscale restaurants, I never felt offended by how people responded to how I look. As long as I love what I’m doing, nothing’s going to take that away from me.”
A Sticky Situation
Starting the businesses around the fall of 2020, Williams went several months without any issues shipping his chocolates to people. But, as the temperatures started rising and summer approached, he found that he had to cut back on his shipping radius greatly.
“I want my chocolates to arrive in the same condition they ship, and I want the customer who ordered them to be happy with their purchase. But since they’ll melt in the heat right now, I can only deliver here in Vegas at this time,” he said. “Impressions are everything, and I want to make a good impression. And, I want you to enjoy it and come back.”
Working by himself, Williams currently hand-delivers all his local orders while he’s temporarily halting shipments out of the city or out-of-state until at least the end of August. To supplement the business’s revenue while he’s limited on shipping, Williams also does chocolate catering on the side, providing his recipes and more at local events.
“I provide chocolate bonbons, cookies brownies, and many more sweet treats,” he said.
Impact of the Pandemic
Starting his businesses during the pandemic, and ultimately, as a result, Williams shared that the pandemic has been impactful in both positive and negative ways.
“Before the pandemic, I was already feeling overworked, overwhelmed, and burned out. I started wondering if I was doing the right thing working where I was at the time,” he said. “I needed a break, and I got one.”
He went on to say that even after his job furloughed him, work overpowered his mind.
“I didn’t feel like I could do something by myself,” he explained. “Now, I’m doing what’s best for myself.”
In addition to that personal growth, Williams said that a positive impact of the pandemic involved people’s heightened awareness of supporting small businesses.
“People were more mindful of what they were buying and who they were buying from,” he said. “A lot of people aren’t taking things for granted as much anymore; they’re starting to think differently now.”
As more people understood the importance of shopping locally and showed up to support the businesses they liked and wanted to see survive and thrive in the pandemic, many businesses like Midnite Chocolates blossomed despite the challenges they faced. In return, consumers received more satisfaction and fulfillment from their patronage of those small businesses.
“My chocolate is making people happy, and that’s exactly what drives me,” Williams said. “I get messages daily from people telling me how much they enjoy trying the new recipes and seeing me make it. Regardless of the situation, I’m doing what I love and what I do best.”
Midnite Chocolates’ Goals
The main goal of Midnite Chocolates involves expanding the availability of “fancy” candy to more people.
“A big goal of mine is to make gourmet chocolate, like bonbons, accessible to everyone,” he said. “I’ve only ever been exposed to them in five-star restaurants as it’s a type of chocolate that’s often treated as fancy or exclusive. They’re for everybody.”
Aside from that, he has one major personal goal in mind.
“I’ve always wanted to be on TV,” he said. “I’d especially like to have my own chocolate show one day. That way, I can make even more people happy with chocolates. Sooner or later, you’ll see me on TV one way or another!”
Looking down the road, Williams says he wants to see Midnite Chocolates become one of the biggest chocolate companies in the world.
“I went to school and learned how to do everything, so I know bread and pastries, sugar-works, ice cream, everything,” he said. “If I wanted to open a restaurant, I could.”
Working towards that goal, Williams said that he’s working on improving his marketing skills for the business and marketing himself better overall. In particular, he’s focusing on expanding his business through social media, especially on Tik Tok.
“I also want to work my way towards shipping to more places and even travel more to expand my chocolates into new markets,” he said. “And, I want to do more videos of me making the chocolate, as well as to conduct classes for people on chocolatiering in the future.”
Williams is also looking into selling his chocolates at local pop-up markets and events around town to get his name out there even more and continue building on his business’s growth.
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On Being a Chocolatier and Owning His Own Business
The Best Part
Williams shared a few of his favorite things from his experience of making chocolate and turning that into a business idea.
“For one, I enjoy how people find it really surprising that I can actually do it myself,” he said. “Making chocolate is actually a beautiful thing. I think of it as art.”
In addition, Williams said that his favorite thing is that his chocolates bring people joy.
“It makes them smile,” he said. “And that makes me smile.”
Lessons Learned
Williams also spoke of the things he learned and gained along the way since he started his chocolate-making journey.
“I learned to keep moving forward and that it’s okay to be happy, especially about the things that you’re doing and that you shouldn’t be embarrassed about it if it makes you happy,” he said. “Things change in an instant, but as long as you just stay true to it, you can continue to be happy.”
Moreover, he said that he gained the knowledge that he could accomplish anything he set his mind to and that feeling of accomplishment and self-sufficiency drives him to keep at it.
“I learned that I could do it; I can do whatever I want! It’s a beautiful, freeing feeling,” he said. “I can make my friends and family happy and everyone around me. And, I can make myself happy by doing something positive.”
A Message to His Supporters
Williams concluded by saying that, “whatever you do, try to be the best you can be at it” and to not listen to the negative people who only want to bring you down.
He also expressed his gratitude for all the support he’s received since starting his business.
“I really appreciate everybody from my friends and family and everyone that’s reached out to me to keep going,” he said. “It really helps me and allows me to continue so I can help others keep going. Before the fame, I just want to say THANK YOU, everyone!”
#GetinMotion with Midnite Chocolates
Follow Midnite Chocolates on Instagram, Facebook, and TikTok for the latest recipes and videos of Winston Williams making the chocolates!
To purchase chocolates, visit MidniteChocolates.com or message Winston through Midnite Chocolates’ social media pages.
