"Founded by Jinji Fraser, this Baltimore-based artisan chocolate operation treats chocolate as a storytelling medium: sourcing, travel and communication matter as much as the final making. Fraser developed a Smith Island–inspired fudge to evoke hometown nostalgia, aiming to capture the hazelnut-like flavor of the famed 100-layer island cake. The fudge is intentionally simple and forgiving—no baking or extended stirring—made by briefly melting cacao butter, then blending whole raw hazelnuts, cacao butter wafers, cacao powder, salt and raw blue agave syrup until uniform (optionally finished with a drizzle of dark chocolate syrup). The mixture is poured into an 8×8 pan, frozen about 45 minutes, then cut into 16 pieces; it stores in the fridge or frozen (up to six months). Fraser, who previously worked in nutrition, emphasizes fun, low expectations for home cooks and a broader commitment to sourcing and the stories behind chocolate." - Kat Thompson