Metro Roundup: Peterbrooke Chocolatier opening soon in Cahaba Heights

Chocolate lovers rejoice. A new gourmet chocolate shop will soon be opening in Vestavia Hills.

Peterbrooke Chocolatier, a European-style chocolate shop chain based in Jacksonville, Florida, is set to open its doors in The Heights Village shopping center in Cahaba Heights later this summer. 

The second Peterbrooke Chocolatier location in Alabama, the Cahaba Heights location is a family affair, with several members of the Tharani family going in on the venture. The decision to open a Peterbrooke franchise was spearheaded by Sarah Tharani, who frequented the Tuscaloosa location while a student at the University of Alabama.

“While I was in college, Peterbrooke was the neighborhood chocolatier and that’s where you went when you wanted chocolate, if you had any events coming up, if you needed a gift or a little sweet treat,” Tharani said.

Tharani eventually introduced her parents and other family members to Peterbrooke long before she realized it was a chain. After graduation, Tharani attended UAB to complete a master’s degree and begin her career as a physician assistant. Before long, Tharani had convinced her husband, brother and parents to come together and open a Peterbrooke location in the Birmingham area, choosing Cahaba Heights for its family-friendly and small-business-friendly environment.

“We really appreciate the sense of community and the friendliness of the people in Cahaba Heights,” she said. “Everyone is very welcoming and so it felt like a really good place to start.”

Peterbrooke offers a wide variety of chocolate-covered treats, from familiar items like pecans and pretzels to unusual and decadent fare such as chocolate-dipped Oreos, potato chips and even gummy candies. 

“Anything you can imagine, we can dip it in chocolate,” Tharani said. 

Along with gift baskets, corporate gifts and other items coated in milk, dark or white chocolate, the Vestavia Hills Peterbrooke Chocolatier location will also offer gelato. “The gelato case comes directly from Italy, so it’s a very authentic gelato,” Tharani said.

The Vestavia Hills Peterbrooke Chocolatier location is scheduled to open in the first or second week of July and will be located next to Tanology in The Heights Village shopping center. For more information visit peterbrooke.com.