Bitzel’s Chocolate, the 7,000-square-foot chocolate factory and attraction in Suwanee, announced the addition of George Foley to its team as executive chef and chocolatier. Foley, who most recently was a Viennoiserie baker at Bacchanalia and Star Provisions, will focus on menu development, culinary training, and building relationships with local farmers and national companies.

“I’m thrilled to be a part of such an amazing concept and to get to work with a chocolatier like Ray Bitzel,” Foley says.

Bitzel’s Chocolate, the brainchild of chocolatier and entrepreneur Ray Bitzel and his business partner and co-founder Dave Rose, creates affordable, chef-crafted chocolate confections and offers visitors a Willy Wonka-style experience as they watch as various treats move through the production process.

“Of course, the chocolate is the star of the show, but what I love is that we’re giving visitors an entire experience here,” Foley says. “We’re taking them on a journey from learning how chocolate is made to seeing the machines and the production process to tasting the different types of chocolate that they may have never experienced before, such as gold chocolate and ruby chocolate.”

Foley comes to Bitzel’s from Bacchanalia where he concentrated on croissants and pastries. He also has worked as a corporate chocolatier at Bodega Chocolates in Fountain Valley, California, as executive pastry chef for the Dolce Group in Los Angeles, as pastry chef at Salty’s on Alki Beach in Seattle, and as the overnight baker viennoisarie at 3 Michelin Star The Inn at Little Washington.

Foley, who’s enjoyed a long career in the hospitality industry, says that continuing to focus on hospitality is what helps keep things fresh and exciting for him.

“Hospitality is the gift of making everyone feel welcomed, accepted and comfortable in your presence,” he says. “It’s a privilege to be a part of that. And that’s especially true when you’re working with chocolate, which everybody loves, in an environment like Bitzel’s that’s just full of wonder and excitement. I’m looking forward to seeing the smiles on our guests’ faces on an everyday basis.”

Related: Bitzel's Chocolate to bring immersive chocolate experience to Suwanee, Georgia this fall