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Point Pleasant Today
By the People, for the People
Chocolatier Turns Love Of Cooking Into Bustling Bonbon Business In Point Pleasant
Lauren Klein started her artisan bonbon company Handcrafted Chocolate online after baking in her mom's kitchen during the pandemic.
Feb. 4, 2026 at 8:39pm
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After losing her job as a pastry chef in New York City due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Lauren Klein started baking bonbons and selling them online from her mother's kitchen in Freehold, New Jersey. Her small home-based business quickly grew, and in 2021 she launched Handcrafted Chocolate as an e-commerce company. Klein's appearance on the Food Network's Spring Baking Championship in 2025 further boosted her business, leading her to open a storefront in Point Pleasant in November 2025.
Why it matters
Klein's story highlights how the pandemic disrupted traditional career paths, forcing many to pivot and start their own businesses. Her success in turning a home-based baking operation into a thriving local chocolatier also speaks to the growing consumer demand for artisanal, locally-sourced food products.
The details
Klein started Handcrafted Chocolate by baking bonbons and hot cocoa bombs in her mother's kitchen in Freehold, eventually securing space in a local restaurant's kitchen to expand her production. She officially launched the e-commerce business in 2021, focusing on shelf-stable chocolate products that were easy to ship. Klein's appearance on the Food Network's Spring Baking Championship in 2025 brought her increased visibility and sales, allowing her to open a storefront in Point Pleasant that November.
- Klein started baking in her mother's kitchen in Freehold in 2020 after losing her job as a pastry chef.
- Handcrafted Chocolate launched as an e-commerce business in September 2021.
- Klein appeared on the Food Network's Spring Baking Championship in 2025.
- Handcrafted Chocolate opened its Point Pleasant storefront in November 2025.
The players
Lauren Klein
The owner of Handcrafted Chocolate, an artisan bonbon company in Point Pleasant, New Jersey. Klein started the business after losing her job as a pastry chef in New York City during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Mike Cavanaugh
The owner of the local restaurant Tatchen's, who allowed Klein to use his kitchen at night to produce her bonbons and hot cocoa bombs when she was first starting out.
Scott Friedman
Klein's fiance, who is an executive chef with Compass Group.
What they’re saying
“These are really special. You have to keep up with this.”
— Mike Cavanaugh, Restaurant owner
What’s next
Klein plans to continue expanding her Handcrafted Chocolate business, potentially opening additional retail locations in the future.
The takeaway
Lauren Klein's journey from home-based baker to successful chocolatier demonstrates how the pandemic disrupted traditional career paths, forcing many to pivot and start their own businesses. Her story also highlights the growing consumer demand for artisanal, locally-sourced food products.
