BY KELLY MARIE MANCUSO
Nearly one month after announcing the sale of Aigner’s Chocolates, located at 103-02 Metropolitan Ave., new owner Mark Libertini and his fiancee Rachel celebrated the grand re-opening of the 85-year-old Forest Hills confectionery last week.
In an exclusive interview with The Courier back in September, Libertini promised to continue the tradition of Austrian chocolate making established by previous owners Peter and Pia Aigner and their family. This was evident by the display case brimming with time-honored Aigner’s favorites, such as chocolate sponges, marzipan, lollipops and truffles.
“The idea for me is to keep the Aigner’s brand and recipes the same,” he explained. “They have a great, rich tradition which I’d like to maintain.”
While keeping with tradition, Libertini also added his own twist to the shop’s decor and menu. Visitors will notice the addition of small sheets of chocolate, or chocolate cards, bearing hand-piped custom and seasonal expressions. Cards decorated with “Go Mets!” were created just in time for the Mets’ World Series appearance. Others read “Happy Halloween” and were decorated with bats and spiderwebs.
Halloween treats such a hollow chocolate pumpkins, miniature ghosts and hand-painted chocolate haunted houses lined the shelves and windows of the shop. A large wooden Halloween tree that was hand-carved by Libertini and painted to resemble chocolate greets visitors and passersby from the shop’s front window.
The 85-year anniversary of Aigner’s also coincided with the 85-year anniversary of Hostess’ Twinkie. To celebrate, dark chocolate-covered Twinkies decorated in festive orange sugar accents were featured at the grand re-opening.
Libertini kept the shop’s original sculpted tin ceiling and gave it a fresh coat of white paint. He also added enchanting crystal leaf chandeliers and warmed up the shop’s walls with pistachio and warm chocolate hues. Antique cocoa shipping crates and boxes line the tops of the shelves as a nod to the shop’s rich history.
The expanded coffee menu now includes cafe au lait, Costa Rican blended coffee and, of course, hot chocolate. Visitors can sip a latte while perusing the shop, or relax at the cafe counter in the window. Libertini hopes to expand the cafe portion of Aigner’s by next summer with the addition of cozy tables and sidewalk seating.
