Despite the pandemic, business is good for O.B. chocolatier

As the U.S. works toward full economic recovery from the coronavirus pandemic, a Glen Head resident says sales of her specialty chocolates are actually booming in post-lockdown Oyster Bay. Katya Witthuhn opened Bluebird Chocolates on Sept. 24, focusing primarily on wholesale and special orders of hand-crafted, artisanal chocolate.

“After my daughter was born, I was looking into changing my career,” Witthuhn said. “I wanted to do something I was interested in, something I was passionate about.”

With the support of her husband, Brian, Witthuhn abruptly abandoned a career in trade credit insurance, enrolling in the pastry program at the Institute of Culinary Education, named the Culinary School of the Year by the International Association of Culinary Professionals in 2015, 2011, 2008 and 2003, from which she eventually graduated first in her class.

“I thought of going into wedding cakes when I was in school,” Witthuhn said. “But when we got to chocolate, something just clicked with me and here we are.”

Witthuhn’s shop, at 8 Audrey Ave., next door to Periwinkles Catering Co., features her uniquely crafted, colorful sweets made with Valrhona chocolate, which Witthuhn regards as an ethically sourced product that is both high in quality and taste.

“They have the best chocolate, but they also pay their farmers a fair price,” Whitthuhn said.

Whitthuhn’s handmade candies feature vibrant outer layers colored cornflower blue, silver, pink or black-and-orange, to name a few, all with flavors equally bright. Though her business is fairly new, she’s already built a roster of year-round flavors like strawberry, salted caramel and pumpkin spice, more eccentric flavors like olive oil or fig balsamic, as well as seasonal ones like eggnog, gingerbread, cranberry and apple pie for the holidays.

“Since opening just a few months ago, I [have] met a lot of interesting people in the industry and my neighborhood,” Witthuhn said. “I love that I was able to open up in a town where people seem to really like shopping small.”

Before her Audrey Avenue location, Witthuhn worked out of a small commercial kitchen in Hicksville, focusing on wholesale and event orders. When the spot in Oyster Bay opened up, Whitthuhn said it was too good of an opportunity to pass up. In this new, bigger space, Whitthuhn said she looks forward to hosting events of her own like tastings and classes once she settles in.

Whitthuhn also said she wants to foster more partnerships throughout the community through events and is open to brainstorming new ideas. In November, she held a pop-up at the Cold Spring Harbor Wine Shoppe, where she worked with the shop’s owners to pair a particular wine to each of Whitthuhn’s chocolates. Currently, a selection of Bluebird flavors inspired by former President Theodore Roosevelt is available at the newly opened Theodore’s Books, just down the road from the shop.   

In addition to submitting catering or special order requests through the shop’s website, Bluebird chocolates are available at a number of small businesses across Long Island like Hometown Flowers in Huntington, Wolffer Estates vineyard in Sagaponack and Chronicle Winery in Peconic.

Whitthuhn was born and raised in Russia, but came to the United States in 1997, bouncing between California, Texas and Indiana before moving to Port Washington from New York City in 2015, then finally Glen Head in 2019. Whitthuhn’s daughter, Sasha, is a kindergartener at Glenwood Landing School.