So Peter and his parents bought it, created a tasting room (made of reclaimed materials), added thousands of new products - and opened doors as High Spirits. The Crabtrees were concerned about having a good neighbor that would complement the restaurant. When the state changed its regulations on liquor stores, in 2012 the state-owned shop next door was up for sale. The story of the evolution of this family business doesn’t end there. To hear that from a customer is very rewarding.” Chocolate, Food and Spirits In my mind, that’s what we’re here for, that’s how we grow. “They wrote that every time they come in, we’re doing something better than before,” he says. The biggest compliment, he says, was from longtime customers who left a note on a comment card.
And while the bistro is still a popular destination for those patrons, Crabtree says he is seeing more and more customers coming in specifically to dine. “He is really great at thinking outside the box,” Crabtree says.ĬhocMo quickly became a popular spot for small groups meeting over lunch or coffee and laptop-toting workaholics taking advantage of Wi-Fi. “We dig back into our heritage and that’s the cool thing about being a bistro - we can show off our roots and we don’t have to stick to one kind of menu,” Crabtree says.Ĭhef Robert Goninan gets the credit, too, for coming up with fun ideas. Some of the bistro’s recipes, such as the mocha tortoni, come from the Crabtree family. The dessert menu, of course, is abundant with chocolate - like a mocha tortoni (frozen mocha mousse in a handmade chocolate cup) - but there are plenty of other mouthwatering options, like pistachio crème brulee. In addition to the local beef, other local ingredients include smoked salmon from Crimson Cove and Viking Feast ice cream. “We try to make just about everything in-house,” Crabtree says. Popular choices include Peter’s Burger for lunch and dinner (with Beecher’s cheese, bacon, tomato, lettuce and chipotle aioli) and the signature Corned Beef Hash for brunch. Through a few other evolutions, ChocMo grew to serve dinner and weekend brunch. “It gives us the flexibility to try new things instead of being pigeonholed into a particular cuisine.” “A bistro has a menu that’s changing and is driven by whatever the fun things the owners want to showcase,” Crabtree says. The next evolution wasn’t far behind - a remodel, just a year later, and a new menu of burgers and such. For a year, the menu consisted of paninis, salads, coffee and desserts. Luckily, there was space for a physical expansion, and ChocMo was born as a bistro in April 2011. “We wanted to create a cool space for people to come in and enjoy our chocolate, and provide more of an experience,” Crabtree says. Operated by Crabtree with the help of just one employee, the shop didn’t stay small for long. Originally, the chocolates were sold at the farmers market but within two years, a small retail spot opened doors on 7th Avenue in Poulsbo. He sold pigs and steers at the Kitsap County Fair through the 4-H program - and used the earnings, as a teen, to start CBC Chocolates a decade ago. Rapid Growth to Popular DestinationĬrabtree, a fourth-generation farmer, grew up helping raise animals on the farm. “We expected demand to increase but not this fast,” Crabtree says. ChocMo has become so popular that the farm operations - 40 acres of pasture - will have to be expanded to keep up. Peter Crabtree (center) with his parents, Glen and ColleenĪmong the local things featured is Black Angus beef, pasture-raised by the Crabtrees themselves on their family farm, Silver Creek Angus. “We focus on local and fun things, and we try to showcase the chocolate too,” says Peter Crabtree, who owns ChocMo with his mother, Colleen. Keeping up with the tradition of showcasing interesting food, the menu will have choices like a chocolate linguini, paired likely with a bacon cream sauce and blackened chicken breast. From its original beginnings as a tiny chocolate shop, it has evolved into a full-fledged restaurant that continues to surprise.Ĭase in point: A new lunch menu being introduced this fall that takes the focus off sandwiches to include more entrees. Poulsbo’s ChocMo is a business that never stands still.
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