World's largest chocolate store? South Bend Chocolate Co. now a "supermarket of confections.".

• Author: Kaelble, Steve
• Position: AROUND INDIANA

FOR THE RECORD, cabernet sauvignon pairs well with dark chocolate, and pinot noir is a good culinary match with milk chocolate. But that isn't the real reason Mark Tamer started serving wine at his chocolate shop.

"In a lot of our markets, during big TV events it's a slower time in sales for us," says the president of the South Bend Chocolate Co. "So we added a bar with TVs."

Actually, it isn't just big televised events Tamer hopes to cash in on. It's home games--Fighting Irish football games--and the huge crowds they draw to the South Bend area every year. The company's Chocolate Cafes already do well with tourist crowds, but why not cater a little bit more toward the preferences of a crowd of football fans? Still, he points out, "it's an upscale bar, not a college bar."

The bar is only part of what the company added to its flagship Chocolate Cafe in South Bend. An establishment that was about 10,000 square feet grew in March by 7,000 square feet, creating what the company claims is one of the world's largest chocolate shops. (A Google search reveals the world's largest chocolate bar is a Nestle's 10-pounder and the world's largest chocolate fountain is located at the Bellagio in Las Vegas, but nothing on the largest chocolate store.)

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Now more than ever, it's a destination for the whole family, from beer-and wine-drinking Notre Dame alums to families with small children. "I call it the supermarket of confections," Tamer says. "We've taken it to the ultimate level."

Among the other new features is a bakery, so the care can offer its own baked goods. There's an area referred to as the South Bend Candy and Card Co. that features not only South Bend Chocolate Co. products but greeting cards and a variety of other treats from elsewhere, including European candies. "We're hoping that kids will buy a...