After 20 months of extensive renovations, Obsession Chocolates has leapt onto the Eau Claire café scene – and brought their artistic chocolates with them.

The space at 18 S. Barstow (the former Eau Claire Children’s Theatre) is dramatic and homey at the same time: soft armchairs are arranged in a close circle under a sculpted white ceiling. Burgundy ribbons secure a napkin around your silverware set, which you will use to devour biscuits and gravy.

It’s like the dichotomy that makes owner Rebecca Flynn’s truffles so wondrous – the adventuresome pairing of rare herbs against the simple, familiar backdrop of chocolate.

After ushering me back into what I am unofficially calling the “factory,” she showed me a machine that gushed melted chocolate – a mini Wonka waterfall. The chocolate artist used it to fill a sheet of snowman molds and then sent the material through a cooling tunnel to “temper” it (make it stay hardened). Then she runs a flame over the surface so an exterior layer of chocolate can bond with it easily.

“Chocolate is a very scientific ingredient. It requires ... a touch,” said Flynn. “I’ve always liked science and chemistry.”

Though this new chocolate machine holds 50 pounds of the stuff, Flynn reminisces about the one back at the Water Street location. “We had a tiny chocolate machine that only held 10 pounds. We thought we were hot stuff!” she laughed. But they don’t automate everything. “We still do a lot of things the old fashioned way,” she said. “We still handwork our truffles and do all the painting by hand.” Between the raw cocoa and the tiny works of art, three people are involved.

And there’s plenty of space for them to work. Flynn is still reeling about the sheer amount of space, comparing the current area behind the counter to the entire business on Water Street. “It’s just amazing,” said Flynn.

They also employ three bakers who create baguettes and croissants practically daily. They even make New Orleans’ style doughnuts, called Beignets, that are pillowy-soft and doused in powdered sugar, then dipped in chocolate sauce. Instead of a dense cakiness, you’ll be met with a collapsing airiness.

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I also had the pleasure of being one of the first customers served for breakfast the day after Thanksgiving. Needless to say, I chose the most decadent-sounding menu item: the Stuffed French Toast, served artfully with two triangular pieces standing upright. The pieces sandwiched a layer of cream cheese and were liberally drizzled with chocolate sauce and covered in raspberries and blueberries.

It’s no wonder, really, that these professional items show up at Flynn’s restaurant, as she was a personal chef for years. “I cooked with Walter Scheib [former executive chef of the White House] during the Clinton-Bush years. A lot of that knowledge transfers over,” she said. Still, among the more unique menu items like the Mediterranean Lentil Couscous Salad and the Frittata are classics borrowed from her mom’s recipe box (Tuna Melt) or from a dear friend (Chicken Dumpling soup).

“My mom has been such a big part of this,” she said, noting that the Christmas décor throughout the store was her handiwork.

As for Flynn, you’ll never find her at just one station. “I’m pretty much all over the place. I’m in the kitchen cooking breakfast and lunch. I’m developing new recipes,” she said, explaining that she can be inspired by anything from a dessert to a martini recipe for her truffles.

“I usually work from 6:30, 7 in the morning to 9 or 10 at night. I wouldn’t trade it for anything.” I asked her if she’s always had an urge to expand her business. “Absolutely – dream big, right?” she said, and she’s still dreaming. “I can see my truffles going nationwide."