Hampton Chocolate Factory: Everything you need to know

Hampton Chocolate Factory: Everything you need to know

Hampton Chocolate Factory was originally a shop in the Hamptons in New York. It was opened in 2014 and brothers Austin and Grant Gappelberg were there since day 1, going with their family to farmers markets, testing out artisan chocolates.

The family eventually opened a storefront and then a dessert truck.

Sounds like a success, right? Well, yes, but then no. The world changed in 2020 and the shop closed during the COVID times. Around the same time, the brothers went one by one to the University of Tampa.

Could you blame them? Trading New York for Florida seems like a rite of passage these days (I type, as someone who moved from New York to North Carolina and doesn’t miss the snow one bit).

The brothers studied business and had the brilliant idea to reopen the family business. But, instead of heading back to the Hamptons, which is very popular during the tourist season and less so during the offseason, the brothers opened the shop in Sparkman Wharf.

If you’re not into cruises, you might not know Sparkman Wharf.

It’s a super popular waterfront space with high end shops, a beer garden, and restaurants that is basically the backdrop of the Port of Tampa. So, while you’re sitting eating your ice cream, you’re looking at cruise ships getting ready to embark.

The location is great, but the ice cream is even better.

Okay. Sure. Yes. It’s a chocolate shop. Chocolate is in the name. And sure, the shop sells chocolates. But, Tampa’s hot. And so, the brothers decided that they needed something to cool down customers. So they bought an ice cream machine.

And, if I had to guess, most people are coming for the Insta-worthy ice cream.

That’s something the shop has done really well and a lesson we all should learn from Gen Z.

Social media is so important to a business’ success, whether anyone wants to admit it or not. And these days, the camera eats first. We all take photos of our food before we take our first bite. So Hampton Chocolate Factory created desserts that you want to take photos of, that you want to share — with your social media feed.

And that’s free advertising, right?

Kids are smart.

So, the menu boasts a frozen s’more sundae that’s a frozen s’more topped with a huge swirl of chocolate and vanilla twist soft serve, a liege waffle sundae that’s a waffle topped with chocolate and an equally large swirl of ice cream, sundae cups, and strawberry cups (including a summer-version that features Dubai chocolate-covered strawberries, combining two popular social media trends: chocolate-covered strawberries and Dubai chocolate), and the giant cone.

The giant cone is a 5-pound ice cream cone. You have to pre-order it and you can eat it in two ways. First, you can take your time and share it with your family and friends. Or, second, you can eat the entire thing in eight minutes and get it (and a t-shirt) for free.

I so badly wanted my dad to get this when we went because I think the video would have been great to have on my camera roll … but my mom wanted to split calories with my dad, so they shared a liege waffle sundae.

And me? I shared a frozen s’more sundae with me, myself, and I.

I know, I’m as shocked as you are.

No I really am. See, I like dessert, as I said. But vanilla ice cream doesn’t do it for me. And I got a swirl of chocolate and vanilla on top, anticipating being a little underwhelmed but doing it for the photo.

But there’s some magic in that ice cream. Okay, not magic. But, the machine is customized to whip less air into the ice cream, creating a thick and creamy soft serve that’s really good. It tastes like high end, thick, almost custard-like ice cream as opposed to the thin, icy soft serve you get at most shops.

I got my s’mores topped with the Marshmallow S’more sundae (you get to choose from a dozen sundae flavors). The cashier who recommended it said that despite its redundancy (s’mores on s’mores on s’mores), it was her favorite. So I went ahead and topped my frozen s’more with mini marshmallows, graham cracker crumbs, marshmallow cream, chocolate sauce, and a drizzle of dark chocolate (for extra measure).

I ate the whole thing, except the two bites my mom took and the bit that melted into the holder because really, Tampa’s hot.

The shop sells pre-packaged chocolate that you can take to go, like caramels, chocolate-covered blueberries, lemon and white chocolate-coated shortbread, and handmade marshmallows, plus truffles you can buy individually and of course, a Dubai chocolate bar (which was $27.95, so we left that because I’m sure it’s worth every penny, but I don’t need to spend my pennies to find out).

We didn’t buy anything to go because we had our fill of chocolate and sugar for the next week when we left the shop. But I do regret not buying a giant cone t-shirt. I didn’t buy it because I didn’t try the giant cone, but I did take a photo with the floor-to-ceiling giant cone in the shop.

I’ve said this before, but nothing haunts me more than the t-shirts I don’t buy. I always preach, “Buy the souvenir,” and then I never do.

So one day, I’ll find myself back in Sparkman Wharf. I’ll order a layered shake or a sundae cone. Or maybe another frozen s’more. But I’ll walk out with a t-shirt. And another photo for the ‘gram.

Hampton Chocolate Factory: Frequently Asked Questions

More Chocolate Shops:

This isn’t the only chocolate shop we’ve written about on Drugstore Divas. You can check out our review of Dick Taylor Craft Chocolate Factory & Tasting Room in Eureka, CA and Boehm’s Candies in Issaquah, WA.

We also attended a chocolate workshop at Montadero Chocolate in Caguas, Puero Rico, which was a lot of fun. We had the best time making our own chocolate bars. If you want to do something similar, but with a shorter plane ride, you can do that at Nashville’s Goo Goo Chocolate Co.