An alumnus of celebrated Toronto establishments like La Banane, Bar Isabel and The Black Hoof, chocolatier Olsen built CXBO into a local Kensington Market favourite almost as soon as it opened its doors in 2016, turning out visually stunning bonbons, truffles and chocolate bars. Then came 2020: the early months of the COVID-19 pandemic forced Olsen and his business partner Keenlyside to shutter the business entirely.
Passion, it turns out, is a hard thing to snuff out. Six years later, Olsen is gearing up to launch a brand-new chocolate venture, this time producing sweets on a far greater scale out of a 16,000-square-foot space — a dramatic leap from the original shop’s modest Kensington footprint.
Chocolate fans, take note. After six years away, one of Toronto’s most respected chocolatiers is finally coming back — bigger than ever.