Valerie Confections, the locally owned cafe specializing in gourmet chocolates and more, is opening a new multi-use facility in Glendale.
Although the exact address of this new site is unknown, co-owners Valerie Gordon and Stan Weightman Jr. hope to open at the beginning of October, according to Eater LA. The husband and wife duo are teaming up with James Beard Award-winning pastry chef Dahlia Narvaez to oversee all kitchen operations. Narvaez has previously worked as the executive pastry chef at Nancy Silverton’s Mozza Group and has decades of experience through positions at Campanile and La Brea Bakery.
Together, the trio will open a mega multi-use facility that will be used for production, retail, events, and eventually, as office space for the growing team. The facility will also feature two large bakery production kitchens, a tasting area, green spaces to grow edible flowers, a chocolate kitchen visible to the public, and a large packing/shipping area. All of these features are essential to the company’s expansion, as Godron projects the number of wholesale retailers will grow from approximately 100 right now to about 300 by the end of 2023.
“Stan and I keep calling this ‘Valerie 2.0,’ Gordon tells Eater. “What we always wanted to create with this company is finally happening.”
This exciting expansion means a much greater presence of Valerie Confections throughout the country. Unfortunately, when the new Glendale facility opens, Gordon and Weightman will close the HiFi location at 3360 W. First St. Until the move happens, the site’s production kitchens will remain in production, and customers can pick up orders from the kitchen.
“The greatest lesson in owning a business is knowing when you need to be flexible and looking at what you can do versus what you can’t do,” Gordon continues. “Now that we’ve made it through the pandemic, we’re looking toward the future.”
