Chouquette (pronounced shoe-ket), owned by Sarah Dwyer, a chocolatier, is the creator of a chocolate puzzle that is interactive, edible, and reportedly mess-free. The company sells the puzzle, wine chocolates, and more, and its chocolates are made in the U.S. using Guittard chocolate, with caramel and designs produced in-house and screen-printed using cocoa butter (natural colors like beetroot powder for red).

The company also recently released a Lunar New Year-themed collection, and it employs a neurodiverse staff. To learn more about the brand, we reached out to Dwyer. 

Liz Parker Kuhn: Can you please tell me how you got the idea for Chouquette, and when the company started? What was its first product?

Sarah Dwyer: Chouquette is inspired by my Parisian neighbor who called her son “Chouquette” ("little cabbage"), and it is the first thing I learned to make at pastry school—a little choux pastry ball covered in pearl sugar. The closest American comparison would be a doughnut hole! We started in 2010, mostly at farm markets.

The first product was our vanilla sea salt caramels—classic, all-natural flavors. Then, when a "helpful friend" told me that I couldn’t have a successful company that sold sweet caramels, we branched out into our first savory-inspired flavor—balsamic caramel (it’s still my favorite!)

LPK: You have a storefront in Maryland—did you always have a brick-and-mortar store, or were you online-only to start?

SD: We started at farm markets in Bethesda, MD, and online, and then moved into selling to retail stores.

LPK: How did you come up with the idea for the Chocolate Wine Puzzle and Wine Chocolates, and did you do any consumer taste-testing? Also, you use Guittard chocolates for these—is that different than your other products, and how did that collaboration come about?

SD: I love pairing chocolate and wine—bringing out the best of each. The idea of the chocolate puzzle came during COVID, when the demand for puzzles and chocolates increased. We received our patent in 2025. And I like a bit of humor with my chocolate, therefore I really look for laughter and chocolate as sweet perfection.

I have a pretty large customer base who will try anything, even pickle juice caramel—the puzzle was more of a “I can make this work” situation.

[Regarding Guittard], I went to a chocolate show when I first started, and thought their chocolates were great! I admire Guittard’s longevity and care for the people and places where their chocolate is grown.

LPK: You have a new Lunar New Year collection out recently, and your collection changesevery year (ie, for 2026 it is Year of the Horse). Can you please elaborate on that product? 

SD: The Asian American Museum of Art reached out to request a Lunar New Year set. So we consulted with one of our employees, Stephanie Chan, to make sure we were collaborating and not appropriating. We love making the new animal each year—I have to wait until 2032 for my next Year of the Rat. Our design team loves a challenge like this!

LPK: You employ neurodiverse people to staff your kitchen—can you expand a bit on that? Can you talk about your partnerships with Cornerstone Montgomery and Sunflower Bakery as well?

SD: Hiring neurodiverse individuals is the smartest business decision I ever made! I have been so lucky to find great people with differences, not disabilities, and some of their differences are chocolate-making superpowers!

We first worked with Cornerstone, a local mental health provider, because of their robust job coaching skills in 2012. Once we heard about Sunflower Bakery’s pastry training program, we knew they would be another perfect partner. They message me when they have a good fit! We do not do traditional interviews. Instead, we offer a two-shift job trial working with the team in production and packaging. We love it when it is a good fit!

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