Acclaimed chef Alain Roby, owner of the All Chocolate Kitchen at 33 S. Third St. in downtown Geneva, wants to make sure his chocolate is as tasty as it can be.

That’s why he only sells products made with Gran-Cru chocolate. Sourced from Criollo beans, only 3 percent of the world’s chocolate has earned the Gran-Cru distinction, he said.

“People really enjoy the quality,” said the pastry chef and chocolate artist. “It’s like the difference between a bad wine and an amazing wine.”

Like other candy makers in the area, Roby is getting ready for the upcoming holiday season. This week, the store will receive a shipment of 1,500 pounds of chocolate that it will turn into an assortment of sweet treats, including truffles and chocolate bars.

Roby doesn’t necessarily have a favorite candy to make.

“I like all of them,” he said. “They are like my children.”

The life-size sculptures that Roby has created entirely out of chocolate make All Chocolate Kitchen a popular attraction year-round.

In December 2012, Roby set a record for world’s longest candy cane after creating a 51-foot candy cane made of 900 pounds of sugar.

That was his third Guinness World Record. He also holds records for the tallest cooked sugar building and tallest chocolate sculpture.

Roby just hopes he can put a smile on the faces of his customers.

“Our goal is to make people happy,” he said.

Others besides Roby will be able to put their culinary skills to the test as All Chocolate Kitchen – in partnership with the Geneva Chamber of Commerce – will host a gingerbread house competition at 6:30 p.m. Dec. 6 as part of the Geneva Chamber's annual Christmas Walk.

There is a $15 entry fee and all proceeds will benefit the Saving Tiny Hearts Society, which has the mission of raising money for research into congenital heart defects.

Information about the competition is available by going to All Chocolate Kitchen's website at www.allchocolatekitchen.com.

Also in Geneva, this is the first holiday season for Kilwins Chocolates & Ice Cream, which opened in March at 407 S. Third St. in downtown Geneva. The store is part of a franchise based in Petoskey, Michigan.

Assistant store manager Janet Valla said she is looking forward to the holiday shoppers that will soon be walking through the store’s doors.

“I like working during the holidays,” she said. “I really enjoy making someone smile, or helping them find the perfect gift.”

The store sells a variety of tasty treats, including chocolate, fudge, toffee and ice cream.

“Eighty percent of what we sell is homemade, whether it is from our Petoskey kitchen or in our store,” Valla said.

The Geneva store has its own kitchen, where employees make fudge and caramel apples and hand dip such items as pretzels, Rice Krispies Treats and Oreo cookies.

“All of our hand-dipped items are really good sellers,” Valla said.

Kilwins Chocolates & Ice Cream will be open during the upcoming Christmas Walk, and those who stop in the store will be able to sample some of the store's items, including a drinking chocolate, which should warm them up if wintry weather has set in.

“It is really rich and chocolaty,” Valla said.