A century of treats from a family of Dorchester-based chocolatiers
“Life is like a box of chocolates, you never know what you’re gonna get,” is how Forrest Gump put it, but if the box is made at Phillips Chocolates on Morrissey Boulevard, what you’re getting is guaranteed: quality, handcrafted, gourmet chocolates.
A visit to the small shop adjacent to I-93 during Valentine’s Day week will send many sweets lovers with the holiday in mind straight down memory lane. Whether it’s the smell of a classic cream or chewy caramel, or the taste of Phillip’s famous turtles, just about everyone who enters the shop becomes “a kid in the candy store.”
Matt Sammartino and his dad, Joe, are the latest in a family of chocolatiers that dates back to 1925. Cassidy McNeeley photo
Said Joe Sammartino, whose grandparents, Philip and Concetta Strazzula, founded Phillips Chocolates: “People come in and say, ‘Oh, my mother used to take us here,’ or ‘my grandmother used to take us here.’ It’s like a memory for them.
“When they walk through that door, and they have that smell, it brings them right back,” added his son, 40-year-old Matt. “You can see their faces change. They walk through the door, and they smile.”
Despite walking through that same door for decades, the Sammartino men somehow haven’t grown immune to the special aroma. For Joe, it brings him back to the very beginning.
In 1905, his grandparents left Italy and joined millions who came to America in that era in search of a new way of life. Philip, who was formerly a fisherman, traded in the sea life for the sweet life of working at a candy factory. In addition to consuming the goods, Philip absorbed just about everything there was to learn about the candy business. Soon after, he and Concetta began making their own chocolate in their Revere kitchen, and by 1925, they had opened Phillips Sweets in Belmont.
That store remained open until 1977, but in between, their sons, Philip Jr. and Matthew, and their son-in-law, Joseph Sammartino, brought the Phillips recipe to Dorchester.
“I grew up in the chocolate business,” said Joe, who is a part of the third generation of family chocolatiers. “The first generation was my grandmother and grandfather, and they worked as a team. They started in Revere in their kitchen, and that’s where Phillips was born. From there, my dad and two uncles picked it up, and they came here in 1952 to Morrissey Boulevard, and we have been here ever since.”
He joked that by the time he was old enough, working in the shop wasn’t an option but a requirement. “I used to like making “Heavenly Hash.” It’s milk chocolate, marshmallow, and nuts filled with paste. I used to put a glove on and mix it up by hand; it was a fun thing.”
A box of the signature chocolate turtles at Phillips Candy House. Cassidy McNeeley
Son Matt said that by the time he got involved, things were a little different from his father’s experience. “We’ve introduced the website, which has been running for about 30 years. We most recently expanded our wholesale opportunities.”
He added, “We have been selling a lot in other small grocers and local stores and been able to get our product out to a lot more people outside of Dorchester, which is great. It’s really evolved the business over a short time.”
General Manager Michael Pocrass said the shop’s busiest season is Christmas time while noting that one day brings more foot traffic than any other day in the year: “February 13.”
So, if you still haven’t gotten a Valentine’s Day gift for a loved one, you’ll have plenty of company at the Candy House on Friday when you secure your V-Day treat from an assortment that includes milk and dark chocolate assortments in a heart-shaped box, to Valentine chocolate pops, and milk chocolate mini lips.
“The traditional heart shapes, of course, are a staple for us,” said Joe. “But they get creative, too, especially when it comes to their most popular item: the turtle.
He explained that to make a regular turtle, “You start with a dollop of chocolate, and then you take nuts with caramel around them and drop that on top, and then you funnel on the top of the chocolate.” The nuts vary from pecans, almonds, and cashews, and can be coated in milk or dark chocolate.
“You end up with a bottom shell, sort of speak, top shell, and in between is caramel and nuts,” he said.
But for Valentine’s Day, the family chocolatiers add another step. “We make a turtle heart, so we actually make a plaque, which is chocolate in the shape of a heart, and then we put chocolate turtles all along on top of the heart.”
For Matt, nothing says “love” like a salted turtle, but February’s chocolate of the month – sea salt caramels – come in a close second, followed by peanut butter cups.
While he likes the mixture of salty and sweet, the rest of the family seems to prefer another combo: minty and sweet. “Our peppermint patties are really extraordinary,” said Joe. “My mother lived to be 103 years old, and every night she would go into the refrigerator after dinner and grab one cool peppermint patty. She thought that helped her longevity.”
Isaiah Robinson packages an order of Phillips Chocolates’ famous turtles at the Dorchester headquarters on Morrissey Boulevard. Cassidy McNeeley photo
Added Matt: “Those are a staple, I think, in all of our refrigerators at home. My kids depend on them; we keep it stocked.”
His two sons, 11 and 9, are already involved in the Phillips fun. “They’ve worked a few shifts with me, and they love it. Yesterday they were talking about the summer and how many days they can come to work. They can’t get enough of it,” said Matt. “You can’t really blame them, it’s pretty awesome to be able to work at a candy store.”
His rule, however, is that they bring home just one piece of candy per visit to the shop. But there’s a loophole: “They might come in multiple times a day, and that’s fine.”
Having the kids around is really full circle for Joe Sammartino. His grandparents got this all started, and now his grandkids are ready to continue on the legacy.
“It’s awesome, it really is. Having grown up with it and seeing it continue is just wonderful,” he said.
See more at Phillips Chocolates website.
