After intently studying shelves brimming with an array of confections and weighing what to get, Jane Kennedy selected a small passion fruit truffle. However, she admitted, “I’m going to sample this and probably get the large size later.”
Visiting relatives, Kennedy had never been in Sweet Dream, a new Newton Centre chocolate shop (91 Union Street) that opened in March. She was delighted with the variety.
“This is a treasure,” Kennedy said, smiling as she grasped her prize.
The shop’s treats are all handmade by Benedetto Midiri, his wife Tetiana Chernyshova, and two other employees at Dante Confections, a chocolate factory the couple purchased in North Billerica.
Midiri said that, with three people working, in a day they can make 2,500 truffles, 30 pounds of peanut butter cups, 30 pounds of “oysters” (similar to turtles), 40 candy bars, and 10 pounds of clusters. If all four are working, they can about double that production.
It’s then up to Chernyshova’s son (Midiri’s stepson) Anton Chernyshov and his girlfriend Annabella Riatti to help customers find the perfect bite – a challenging task, given the mouth-watering choices.
American dream
Midiri and Chernyshova met and married in Italy, and about 5½ years ago, the couple moved to the U.S. and began working at the North End’s iconic Modern Pastry.
Chernyshova did not have a background in the food industry. She was an art teacher, psychologist, and government worker in her native Ukraine. By contrast, Midiri had experience working in the food business and his parents knew the owners of Modern Pastry. Even while they worked at the famous Italian bakery, they had dreams of opening their own place.
When the opportunity arose three years ago, they purchased Dante Confections from a relative of the owners of Modern Pastry. While the factory distributes its delicious delicacies to many East Coast shops, Sweet Dream is the first store that Midiri and Chernyshova have owned and operated themselves.
“I have a big passion for chocolate now,” said Midiri with an infectious smile.
Although the factory was well established, Midiri and Chernyshova brought their own creative touch by adding many new truffle flavors, including her favorite, the Ukraine. That candy takes its inspiration from treats common in her home country, including dried plum and almond covered in dark chocolate and decorated with blue and yellow, the colors of the Ukrainian flag.
Midiri’s favorite reflects his Italian background and is called the Sicily truffle. It includes Messina Mandarin ganache, Avola almond ganache, and Bronte pistachio cream.
Some of the other flavors the couple added to their menu include: pistachio, matcha (green tea powder), marzipan, zuppa Ingles (Italian trifle), strawberry cheesecake, triple chocolate, espresso martini, rainbow cookie, M&Ms, and Nutella. Next year, they plan to add red velvet.
In the short time they’ve been open, Midiri said that the most popular truffle flavors have been sea salt caramel, peanut butter chocolate, and passion fruit.
The surprise hit, however, was the chocolate-covered matzah they created for Passover, which they made only after customers kept asking for it.
They’re currently awaiting a permit to sell gelato as well as goods from Modern Pastry, including their ever-popular cannoli.
As the chocolatey aroma drew in customers through Sweet Dream’s open door on a recent weekday morning, one woman gazed longingly at the shelves and said, “We’re trying to find [a restaurant for] breakfast, but this will do for me.” For more information, visit Sweet Dreams on Instagram and Facebook.
