IF you go down to The Groves today you're in for a big surprise.
Midway along the parade of shops in Lowther Street you'll find a new cafe, Chocolate & Co.
From the outside, it looks so inviting.
Three sets of blue cafe table and chairs are laid out on the pavement in front of the building which has been painted a pretty light orange colour.
Inside, the blue and orange theme continues while soft lighting and green plants hang from a ladder on the ceiling.
Homemade cakes and treats tempt you from behind the glass counter. Choices today include a rustic looking Victoria sponge, blueberry Bakewell, brownies and billionaire shortbread.
But the main attraction has to be the cafe's signature hot chocolates which are made with Colombian chocolate and made in a traditional South American way.
A unique cafe
On the face of it, these signature hot drinks could be Chocolate & Co's USP. But there's another layer to the business too.
For Chocolate & Co is a charity and a social enterprise, designed to give people who are struggling with life a second chance.
Founder Linda Barrie - the local businesswoman behind the city's successful confectionary company Choc Affair - set up Chocolate & Co to offer employment opportunities to people with criminal convictions and/or addictions. Linda said: "People need a sense of purpose for their day."
The charity's first venture was a mobile van selling hot drinks.
And last week, it opened its first cafe - at Lowther Street, where Linda and her daughter Mariah work with a team who are benefitting from the company's unique ethos.
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'It saved my life' - verdict on Chocolate & Co by staff who work there
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Linda first began offering work to ex-offenders or addicts at Choc Affair after she was asked by a contact in the probation service to offer a job to a client. "We never looked back."
She said she was committed to giving people a second chance, adding: "Life is not easy for a lot of people and any one of us can make a mistake."
The new cafe has around 30 covers and is open from 8am to 4pm, Monday to Friday.
Meet the team
Tim Holdroyd is 37 and has been a chef for 20 years. But for 15 years, Tim was addicted to cocaine. He has been homeless and spent time in a hostel where he first met Linda and found out about employment opportunities at Chocolate & Co.
Tim told The Press: "My work coach told me about Linda opening a cafe and asked me to come up with ideas. I got a list of ingredients and made a chocolate Yorkshire pudding with chocolate gravy! "
Tim hopes this makes the menu soon, along with his chocolate fondant, with a gooey, melting middle.
And he does not mince his words when he says what the job at Chocolate & Co means to him. "It has saved my life. If I didn't have this to aim for I'd probably be on drugs and back on the streets.
"It makes me feel more human. It has given me a second chance."
Tim has also been able to take advantage of Coffee Shop Counselling, a mental health service offered by Chocolate & Co in conjunction with the York In Recovery group.
"I've been on the NHS waiting list for counselling for seven months," says Tim. "I started here and within two weeks I have had my first session."
To mark the cafe's launch, Tim helped prepare a buffet for the opening party. It was busy and stressful, he recalls, and the last time he had to do something like that he had drugs to help him cope.This time, he had to do it straight.
"I was nervous, thinking I can't do this without drugs. But luckily I had the support from this brilliant team and pulled it off, drug free. It has given me more confidence."
Kierin Barson is 21 and spent time homeless and in a hostel after leaving care. He has struggled to get a job - until now.
And not only is he working at Chocolate & Co (where his signature milkshakes are on the menu), he now has his own flat and is building a sense of independence and boosting his confidence.
He said: "I used to volunteer with Chocolate & Co when they had their mobile drinks unit. They are fun people to work with and the day is never boring.
"I liked volunteering as it was something to do and better than spending every day sitting in the hostel.
"This has been really good as it is hard to get a job when you have no experience. I had been applying for jobs and got nowhere. I feel I have family here."
Lisa Kerry helped Linda run the Chocolate & Co mobile drinks unit for a year before starting at the cafe. Aged 38 and divorced with three children, she is a recovering alcoholic who also has mental health problems and says one of the important aspects of Chocolate & Co is that employees don't have to hide their personal struggles.
She said: "When I had a job before I found it difficult and never opened up or talked about my mental health problems and alcohol addiction."
Lisa - who has been sober for two years - says it makes the world of difference to work with people who understand her challenges.
"When I came out of rehab, I didn't feel confident I could talk to my employer about my problems. I wanted support and I didn't want to lie."
Lisa echoes the ethos of Chocolate & Co when she says: "We need to look past addictions and give people a chance. Don't think because somebody has an addiction they will be unreliable.
"I came to Chocolate & Co when I was three months clean. I feel because they gave me a chance knowing my issues I feel more loyal."
In her role, she is now supporting other staff members. At the new cafe, she and other staff can also signpost customers to support services too.
Lisa said: "We want people to know that if they have addiction or a criminal record they can come in and chat about it.
"Of course, we are a normal cafe, but there is that other element to it. And it feels good."
Pay it forward
The cafe has set up a 'pay it forward' scheme where customers can 'donate' item menus for others. On the wall on the left side of the service counter a board is covered in bills and chits with notes detailing various amounts. Some have a personal message and say "£5 love from Hilary" while others specify the order: "1 x Extreme Hot Chocolate".
A note above reads: "If you need a little help, just take what you need to the till, no questions asked".
What's on the menu?
Besides an array of cakes and treats, diners can choose lunch options too including a macaroni and cheese and maple bacon toasted sandwich at £6 and a selection of home-made pies with mushy peas at £6.50. There is a wide choice of coffees as well as tea and milkshakes and cold drinks. Oh, and the cafe's signature hot chocolate.
And how was the hot chocolate?
If you like hot chocolate this is the place to have it! The team are using a range of quality chocolate from Colombia, which will also be made in the traditional Colombian way using an Orleta jug and a molinillo wooden whisk, over a gas flame.
Customers can choose from a selection of milk, dark and caramel chocolate and add a choice of spices and toppings.
I opted for the 60 per cent Dark Chocolate version, which came served on a platter with a chocolate-coated marshmallow 'stirrer' alongside (£4.50). The hot chocolate was perfect - about the best I'd ever had. Not too sweet, not too bitter, but with a lovely smooth and warming chocolate flavour. It had a topping of whipped cream dusted with cocoa which added the final note of indulgence.
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