http://ozarkspub.vo.llnwd.net/o37/KSMU/audio/mp3/lawyerturn_1800.mp3
In just a few months, it will be one year that Springfield has been home to a chocolate factory. It was last May that former Springfield lawyer Shawn Askinosie traded in his business suit for an apron and opened Askinosie's Chocolates on Commercial Street. KSMU's Jana Greer toured the local chocolate factory and spoke with Askinosie on his new life as a chocolatier.
On any given day, just a few years back, you could have found Shawn Askinosie in a court room trying cases as a criminal defense lawyer. But these days you'll find him downtown making chocolate from scratch and giving tours of his chocolate factory.
Askinosie says he started cooking as a way to find relief from his high stress job. He explains how he went from lawyer to candy maker.
Since then, Askinosie has surrounded himself with all things chocolate...his specialty making premium dark chocolate. He says he only buys cocoa beans from farms he has visited and from farmers he has a personal relationship with, so he says he's become a bit of a world traveler
Askinosie's cocoa beans come from in Ecuador and Mexico. From there he grinds the beans into a thick paste, then is molded, solidified and packaged.
His chocolate can now be found in 77 stores throughout the US. He has also sold to places around the world including London, France and Australia. His most recent endeavor was selling and shipping a metric ton of his chocolate to Sweden.
Selling a specialty item may cause some concern when a recession has been predicted for the US. But Askinosie says selling his chocolate overseas is just one way to deal with a potential recession and that he believes his product is safe.
Askinosie's future plans are to continue to let the company grow and although he no longer practices law he says he does keep a suit in the office just in case. To try the chocolate for yourself you can visit the factory's website by using the link at ksmu.org
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