SpiceLines

Matthew Shepherd's chocolate Buddhas, scented with aromatic orange peel and
ginger, are an offbeat Halloween treat for favored pranksters.

Chocolate skulls. Chocolate ghosts. Chocolate pumpkins.

But why go for the obvious?

Around here certain Halloween goblins will get Matthew Shepherd’s chocolate Buddhas when they come to call. These plump little guys are perfect for Halloween—an eerie greenish hue on the outside, but on the inside there’s a treat: dark chocolate flavored with bits of candied ginger and aromatic orange peel.

Matthew, who trained as a perfumer as well as a chocolatier, points out another advantage: “You can rub the Buddha’s tummy for luck.”

A good thought for the last, surely unlamented, days of October, 2008.

Matthew’s Chocolates, 107 North Churton Street, Hillsborough, NC 27278. Phone: 919/732-0900.