Chocolate For Soldiers

Here are some good reasons to go to Diane Pinder’s brand new chocolate salon in Cranford, Donna & Company.

Chocolates at Donna & Company in Cranford.

Diane Pinder and Craig Shelton.

First, it may be the best chocolate you’ve ever sampled. Tuscan artisan chocolate;  recipes straight from Tuscany combining unusual flavors (pistachio, sea salt, olive oil) with some of the richest, most intense chocolate around. Diane makes everything fresh right in the back of the store.

Meantime, Pinder’s  amazing chocolatiering  skills have been noticed by one of the state’s top chefs. Craig Shelton, formerly with the Ryland Inn, now owns a line of gourmet coffees, and he’s teamed up with Diane to promote a line of coffee based chocolates.

Second, Pinder is making and selling some of her fine chocolate bars for Fisher House, the nationwide network of homes near military hospitals which provide free residency for military families, while a wounded loved one is undergoing treatment nearby.  She charges $1.50 per bar, and donates two thirds of the profits from each to charity. 

The war hit close to home for Pinder, whose son served in Iraq, and is now posted at Fort Dix, training soldiers for deployment. She understands the anxiety of military families (while her son was overseas, she slept in his bed every night)  and as a retired nurse, she knows all too well the toll that terrible war injuries can exact on everyone involved.

Pinder’s shop—located a stone’s throw from the Cranford train station,  will officially open for business in a few weeks. But if you stop by you can buy a sampler box, and a Fisher House bar.

We salute Diane Pinder  for a great product, and for the way she’s used her skills to help heroic families.  It’s extraordinary chocolate, helping those most in need of our support and admiration.

Tags: Ryland Inn | chocolate | Fisher House

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