Americans consume 2.8 billion pounds of chocolate each year, or more than 11 pounds per person, according to thechocolatestore.com. I admit, I probably eat more than 11 pounds of chocolate in a year. It’s easy to do with a place like Fudge Farm that specializes in all sorts of chocolate concoctions.
From different flavors of fudge, to various chocolate covered treats and milkshakes, you, too, can reach your 11-pound allotment at Fudge Farm (1503 E. Carson St.). Owner Walt Rainey stated that he and his wife previously worked for one of the largest confections companies in Western Pa. When that company went out of business, they took their knowledge of the industry to open their own.
Rainey and his wife opened their first location in August 2015 at the Waterfront. They expanded their business in the summer of 2016 with a location at The Mall at Robinson, which closed a year later. They opened the South Side location in January 2017.
When you enter the Carson Street location, you are immediately consumed by the smells of chocolate. You’ll notice swings to your right, which make for a great photo op, and to your left is the counter filled with chocolates. If you are like me, you want to have an opinion on everything, so you get a little this and a little that to find your next favorite treat. In general, chocolate covered pretzels are one of my favorite treats. The ones at Fudge Farm didn’t excite me as much as I thought they would.
As much as I love chocolate, I may love peanut butter a tad more, and chocolate and peanut butter are one of my favorite flavor combinations. They have a chocolate covered Nutter Butter cookie that I thought was tasty. My third treat happened to be my favorite of the three. It is a ready-made s’more. A toasted marshmallow, on top of a graham cracker, all covered in chocolate! I loved it because, hey, sometimes you just want a s’more, you need a s’more, but you aren’t going camping anytime soon, so this hits the spot as a quick version of a favorite childhood treat.
After indulging in the chocolate treats, I decided to taste what they are named after—the fudge. When many people think of fudge, they may envision just plain chocolate, but Fudge Farm has over two dozen flavors they specialize in, such as French Vanilla, Butterscotch, Pecan Pie, Coconut Rum and Cookies & Cream. I was feeling adventurous, so I tried the Chilly Willie, which is chocolate fudge topped with red pepper flakes. It was an interesting combo; if you like a little spice, you may want to give it a try, but I’m not sure I would order it again.
To cool off my pallet I moved on to the rocky road fudge, which was delicious. I like the contrast of the crunchy nuts with the soft fudge, and of course, the marshmallows are a bonus. I went on to try the chocolate walnut and the pecan turtle, and both were yummy and something I would order again. All the fudge is rich, so you don’t need a lot to satisfy your chocolate cravings. On my next visit I plan to try the salted caramel and peanut butter, which are two of the most popular flavors.
Now onto the milkshakes! The milkshakes are one of the most popular items, and they are named after different establishments on the South Side. “Fat Heads” is finished with a hot piece of pound cake and “Carmelia” has a caramel popcorn topping. I decided to order the Jaggerbush and the Urban Tap. The Jaggerbush is peanut butter chocolate ice cream crowned with a chocolate pretzel, and the Urban Tap is made with salted caramel ice cream and a hot brownie to top it off. Of the two, I preferred the Urban Tap because of the brownie. It was warm, with a soft center and crispy edges…that alone won me over.
I like a milkshake that requires a spoon versus a straw. Also, I wanted more peanut butter flavor in the Jaggerbush. Fudge Farm recently announced that they are switching to Perry’s brand ice cream, which is used by several other confectionaries in Pittsburgh, and that makes me happy, because they have some of the best ice cream I have tasted. I am hoping that it will make the milkshakes a little thicker.
I’d rate this establishment 3.5 out of 5 Breelicious Bites. They are good at what they do, and I’d like to taste the milkshakes again, with the new ice cream. Stop by the Waterfront or South Side location to satisfy your sweet tooth.
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S’MORES! Shown above, along with Fudge Farm’s Rocky Road Fudge and Urban Tap Milkshake. Fudge Farm is located at 1503 E. Carson St., South Side, and directly across from Panera Bread at the Waterfront in Homestead. For more information, call 412-689-2500.
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