That’s a lotta chocolate!
New York’s oldest continuously run chocolate manufacturer — which churns out treats in Marine Park — is celebrating its 70th anniversary on April 15. Joseph Michaels and Martin Rogak opened up JoMart Chocolates in Crown Heights in 1946 before moving to Avenue R in 1959. Rogak’s son Michael got the enviable job of helping out in the shop at age 9. Now, at 64, he and his wife of 40 years Debbi run the show. His sweetheart lives and breathes chocolate, but she doesn’t even nibble at the store’s sweet-and-salty caramels, fluffy marshmallows, or signature chocolate bars, because she is hypersensitive to sugar. But that doesn’t bother her — just watching others savor the store’s sweets is good enough, she said.
“I like watching other people enjoy our creations even though I can’t tell them what my favorites are,” she said.
But it’s a sweet gig for Michael, because tasting his creations is practically in the job description, he said.
“I eat chocolate every single day,” Michael said.
The Rogaks are proud to celebrate 70 years and honor their hard-working predecessors. The shop still gets customers from the early days, back when a pound of chocolate sold for just $1.15 (now it’s $35), Debbi said.
“It’s an incredible milestone for us,” she said. “We still have customers that remember the early days with my father-in-law.”
JoMart has 10 employees, and even though Michael is the founders’ only blood relation to work there full-time, all the confection-makers feel a familial affection, said one sweets-maker who has been working with the Rogaks for more than 30 years.
“We became so close, we’re like family here,” said Rose Lavorata. “I enjoy doing everything. I like to stay back here and play with chocolate.”
JoMart prides itself on its close customer relationships and the fact that all of the chocolate molding, crafting, and sampling takes place right inside, Michael said.
“I kind of like the idea that you walk into my store and you smell the product. I like that connection — my customers, it’s like, ‘Come on I’ll show you what we are doing,’ ” he said.
