Flatiron Hot had the opportunity to ask Andy Laird, co-founder of Nunu Chocolates, some questions about a brand that has become synonymous with variety and creativity in the crowded world of chocolate. Founded by spouses Justine Pringle and Andy Laird, Nunu chocolates has established locations throughout the city and around the world, offering numerous chocolaty treats prepared on site, as well as a selection of unique wines and craft beers. Andy spoke in general about his business and in particular about its participation in culinary popup market Madison Square Eats (Mad. Sq. Eats) 2014. Mad. Sq. Eats, presented by UrbanSpace and the Madison Square Park Conservancy, is located in the Flatiron District right near Madison Square Park. It runs through May 31st from 11:00 AM – 9:00 PM daily. We highly recommend checking it out and stopping by Nunu Chocolates while you’re there.

What does Nunu mean?

Justine grew up in South Africa and was called that by her family as an affectionate nickname.

How did you end up at Madison Square Eats?

We’ve been part of Madison Square Eats since the first one and we’ve loved it ever since.

What are some of your most popular offerings?

At our shop in Brooklyn people can sit with a glass of wine, a frozen hot chocolate, or a craft beer and watch us making all the chocolate right there on site. We wanted to transform all these different elements to market so in addition to our best-seller salt caramels and other chocolates, we have 6 constantly-rotating lines of craft beer, 20 selections of wines, and a signature frozen white wine sangria that we created specifically for Mad Sq Eats.

What are your favorite things about the Flatiron District? Why did you set up location in this neighborhood?

Our customers at Mad Sq Eats are amazing and they all work or live right in the area. It’s a pretty special experience to be able to have great food and drink with a killer view of the Flatiron Building.

How do you make your chocolate? Where does it originate?

Our chocolate is made from single-origin, sustainably farmed cacao grown in eastern Columbia. We want the process to be a part of the experience so at our shop in Brooklyn, people can walk in and smell the caramel being made, hear us bringing out molds of our earl grey ganache, or watch us hand dipping our hokey pokey.

You’re best known for your chocolate selection but you also offer drinks. How do you choose them?

We love doing wine-chocolate and beer-chocolate pairings and even use beers and booze as ingredients in some of our chocolates. We pour what we like and are always rotating the lineup. The craft beer scene has exploded in recent years and there’s always room for trying more!