Lake Tahoe Chocolate Factory

    By Art Nadler

    For the chocoholic with a conviction for a little more personal confection, Lake Tahoe Chocolate Factory has a tasty treat for you.

    The Nevada company specializes in putting people's photographs, images and company logos on chocolate.

    Lynn Falcone, who co-owns the company with Patrick Atherton, came up with this sweet idea about a year ago.

    Falcone isn't about to reveal how she gets the images onto the chocolate, but says the process can cost as little as $1.50 or as much as $50. Her largest job � which also happened to be the most expensive � involved building a life-size model of NASCAR driver Dale Earnhardt's racecar. The price was a frosty $12,000.

    "Our expertise is creativity, and our ideas are free,'' Falcone says. "Our items are very custom. We want to keep them this way, so you won't see them on the shelve somewhere.''

    The Lake Tahoe Chocolate Factory has several products ideal for images. These include a 3-inch by 3-inch cookie, an 8-ounce chocolate card in a box, chocolate and hard candy lollipops, Rice Krispie treats on a stick and a 1-_ ounce chocolate card in a gift box

    Falcone says she does a lot of wedding favors and gift baskets. One popular item is a NASCAR cake kit that includes a cake pan shaped like a car and comes with sugar stickers that copy the color schemes of real racecars.

    "We offer unique, different and delicious ideas,'' Falcone says. The Lake Tahoe Chocolate Factory occupies 1,000 square feet. It employs nine people, who work seven days a week. All products are individually wrapped and boxed. No edible paper is used. Prices include photographic or graphic logo designs.

    For more information, contact:
    The Lake Tahoe Chocolate Factory, P.O. Box 544, Zephyr Cove, NV. 89448. Phone: (775) 588-4686, or 1-800-884-1574. Web site: www.edibleimaging.com.