Las Vegas chocolate makers emphasize story behind cocoa beans, production process. With temperatures often surpassing 120 degrees, the Mojave Desert may not seem like the best place to set up a bean-to-bar chocolate operation. But, with hopes of creating something unique in a city known for serving up thrills, chefs Matthew Piekarski and Matthew Silverman took that challenge head on. In 2015, the friends opened Hexx Chocolate & Confexxions, as well as Hexx Restaurant & Bar, at Paris Las Vegas. In addition to serving customers in
an 8,000-sq.-ft. fi ne dining area, Piekarski, Silverman and their team produce small-batch, single-origin chocolate in an 1,100-sq.-ft. kitchen. Hexx also sells its “confexxions” in an on-site retail store and offers tours and free chocolate tastings.