Will Gustwiller (By Frank Sabatini Jr.)
Chocolatier, South Park

Chocolatier Extraordinaire Bids Farewell to His South Park Cafe

By Frank Sabatini Jr.

After operating Eclipse Chocolate for a little more than 10 years, owner Will Gustwiller has closed the 4,000-square-foot bistro and retail store due to lagging profits. But all is not lost.

In fact the industrious chocolate maker, who we caught up with for an interview last summer, tells us the closure “will give me a lot of extra opportunity to create more confections and move completely online without the distraction of running a restaurant.”

Gustwiller already established robust online sales ever since the pandemic hit, saying that he’s been shipping his bars, truffles, “drinking chocolates” and recently launched sprinkle blends all over the U.S. with solid success.

“I won’t go brick-and-mortar ever again,” he added. “I think most independent brick-and-mortar businesses will be a thing of the past when you can do it online. For me, this will be a welcome life change.”