Myzel's Chocolate: Kamila Myzel's Midtown Candy Shop Offers Over 100 Types Of Licorice
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) – Chocolatier Kamila Myzel sees her Midtown shop as something special.
"I think it's unique," she said. "It's cozy. It's small but has a lot of charm and good chocolate."
Over several decades, she's earned a reputation for her vast selection, which includes marshmallow bars and peanut butter cups.
"My favorite is chocolate pecans, hazelnuts, almonds," Kamila said.
Glass jars hold over 100 types of licorice. The black varieties, made from real licorice root, can be soft, hard, or chewy and range from unsalted to quadruple salted.
"I used to have a Dutch boyfriend who hooked me on the licorice," she said.
Kamila bakes espresso cookies and almond crescents with skills inherited from her grandmothers back in Poland.
"I think it's in my blood," she said.
She first moved the United States in the 1980s, having been granted political asylum while Poland was under martial law. Back then, she spoke Polish and German but not yet English.
When she took over the chocolate shop, her parents worked by her side. These days, she gets help from a sister-in-law and a niece.
Kamila's favorite part of the job is chatting over the counter.
"I wouldn't be able to live without people," she said. "They're involved in my life, and I'm involved in their life story many times."
Keeping the doors open hasn't been easy.
"Basically, because of COVID, people gave me so much strength that I said to myself, 'Now, I'm going to fight for this store,'" she said.
She credits the shop's longevity to passion and pride.
"I put my heart in it, and I think people see this," she said. "It's very personal. It's something that I love, and I think I'm sharing this with my customers, so this is why they're coming back."
Myzel's Chocolate
140 W 55th St #1
New York, NY 10019
(212) 245-4233
http://www.myzels.com/
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