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Hari Esmail is the sweetest guy! And by that, we mean his Chocolate Cottage offers sweet chocolates, sweet beverages and. . .sweet deals.

Chocolate cottage's truffles and chocolates have won many awards. Perhaps it's the Belcolade chocolate they use, or maybe it's the loving care, small-batch attention and glorious packaging (all imported from France) that they employ. Whatever the secret, this is one place that is worth the trek to Langley to visit.

As well, it's an ideal place for an afternoon coffee or tea stop in their classic-and-cosy on-site tearoom.

An historic Langley building has undergone a sweet renovation, and it's a dream come true for Hari Esmail. The old Murrayville Garage at 21488 Old Yale Road has been resurrected as the new home of the award-winning Chocolate Cottage. "It had great potential as a tourist attraction and was big enough to take us to the next level," says Hari, who has now occupied the "new" space for two years.

All of the renovations were done with loving care -- many by Hari, himself. Although he comes from a banking background, Hari Esmail is obviously handy with a crowbar and hammer. He told me proudly that he had removed the weathered wood from the ceiling upstairs to recycle as panelling in the tea room: "And I even left the old nail holes, because I think it adds something." It certainly does, and that something is charm.

For years, Chocolate Cottage operated out of a warehouse at 64th Ave. and 202nd St. in Langley. But business was growing, and Hari (and his former partner, Shirley McWilliam, who retired soon after the move) wanted a new location with a more appropriate ambience that would compliment the company's name and logo -- which depicts a cosy cottage. For 18 months, myriad possible locations were visited, considered and ultimately discarded. Then a customer who works in real estate mentioned that the old garage near Five Corners -- which was built at the turn of the century -- was on the market. And the rest, as they say, was history. And historical history, at that.

According to Langley artist Brian Croft, who works with historian Norm Sherritt to develop watercolour portraits of the community's past, the building was originally constructed around 1898 and was primarily a blacksmith shop. A large wooden ramp at one end permitted carriages to be winched up to the second floor, which served as a paint shop. In 1922, Sherritt's dad removed and re-built the front portion of the building to service automobiles, and the building then became the Murrayville Garage. Shirley once admitted that she had reservations when she first visited the old structure. "We came to see this smelly great pit of a garage and I was concerned about the odour," she said. "It would take a lot of work." But Hari saw the potential of the place, and Shirley became more enthusiastic when told the smell would go away during renovations.

"The heritage aspect fascinated us," added Shirley, who said she always expected the historic and unique Five Corners that the Cottage borders on to add to the draw of the place. It has done just that, as the location has become a "sure-thing" tourist attraction throughout the region.

Plans were drawn up by Fastech, with the input of local heritage experts, and the old building was reborn. . .again.

The new Chocolate Cottage features a large retail centre, rooms for making and packaging chocolate, truffles, and fudge, and a whimsical walkway depicting old English shop windows, painted by Barbara Levers. A tearoom is a cosy respite from the elements, regardless of whether you visit in the heat of summer or a dismal, moody day in the cooler months. A charming English garden snuggles against the building at the back and sides.

"This is a dream come true," said Hari, as he had always envisioned making the finest chocolates possible, and having a wonderful place where people could purchase them.

Three-and-a-half years ago, Chocolate Cottage proved it was the best in Canada by topping the Canadian Fine Foods Show in Toronto in not just the chocolate category, but by being named the best overall Canadian product.

That rich, potent Belcolade chocolate is not just reserved for fancy truffles -- it's also used for all kinds of novelties treats from chocolate "cigars" to golf balls, cell phones, and the Chocolate Cottage's unique "CDs."

While undertaking the task of converting the old garage into his new business location, Hari did some research and found old photos of the building. Croft used the pictures to create two paintings, one of which depicts the structure when it was a blacksmith shop, circa 1915, and shows the original configuration of the business with the carriage ramp. The other painting is set in about 1931, when the building had become a garage, and shows a 1931 Chrysler Series CG Imperial Town Car Le Baron (AA) with 4-speed transmission, fuel pump, and a "Futura" design instrument panel. Both paintings hang over the counter in the Cottage's retail store.

Wholesale and retail sales are possible. Please call ahead for tea reservations or large orders.

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