Achievements

SWEET SUCCESS

Achievements, Awards & Recognitions

Since its founding in 2001 Norman Love Confections has received tremendous regional and national recognition:

July

Norman Love Confections named one of the 10 Best Chocolate Shops in the world by MSN

March

Norman Love Confections Earns Florida Region Supplier-of-the-Year Award at Whole Foods Market Supplier Awards

February

Norman Love Confections expands partnership with Whole Foods to 22 stores

October

Norman Love Confections announces plans to open Chocolate Salon at UTC in Sarasota

July

Norman Love hosts cooking school at Gather Venice food and wine festival

May

Norman Love Confections earns Chrysalis Award for Business Development

February

Norman Love Confections opens at Whole Foods Market in Fort Myers

August

Norman Love Confections launches partnership with Whole Foods Market in Naples

April

Norman Love Confections earns Lee County Business of the Year at Industry Appreciation Awards

October

Norman and Mary Love celebrate the 15th anniversary of Norman Love Confections

October

Norman Love Confections opens its fourth Chocolate Salon in the Terra Design Center along the popular McGregor Boulevard corridor in Fort Myers

January

Norman Love becomes first chef chocolatier to be inducted into Dessert Professional Magazine’s Chocolatier Hall of Fame

January

Mary and Norman Love receive the Magic Wand Award for their continued support of Make-A-Wish Southern Florida

October

Chef Chocolatier Dan Forgey represents USA in Paris at the World Chocolate Masters and earns a spot among the top 10 chocolatiers in the world

October

Norman Love Confections partnered with an elite team of Southwest Florida chefs to bring a meal of culinary excellence to the illustrious James Beard House in New York City

October

Norman Love participates in the Food Network & Cooking Channel New York City Wine & Food Festival to benefit No Kid Hungry and Food Bank For New York City

August

The Daily Telegraph (U.K.) listed Norman Love Confections as one of the 10 most amazing shops in the world for chocolate

August

Chef Norman Love featured on the Food Network & Cooking Channel New York City Wine & Food Festival’s website as a food personality

July

SWFL Children’s Charities honors Chef Ryan Love of Norman Love Confections with a commemorative “Plan of Appreciation” for his donation of time and talents during the 2015 Southwest Florida Food & Wine Fest’s chef-vintner dinners

June

Dessert Professional magazine named Chef Chocolatier Maura Metheny one of America’s Top 10 Pastry Chefs for 2015 and the only chef from the Southeast U.S

May

Gulfshore Life magazine readers named Norman Love Confections the best chocolate shop in both Collier and Lee counties in the 2015 Best of the Gulfshore poll

February

Ronald McDonald House Charities honors Mary and Norman Love for their dedication and generosity to the children and families of Southwest Florida during the 21st Annual Storybook Ball

February

Norman Love invited to share chocolates and macaroons at the Food Network & Cooking Channel South Beach Wine & Food Festival presented by FOOD & WINE

January

Cooking with Paula Dean magazine names Norman Love Confections as one of 10 favorite chocolate shops in “Best Chocolates Across America”

January

Norman Love and his team invited to the seventh annual Cayman Cookout, a four-day gourmet culinary festival on Grand Cayman

January

Naples Illustrated Readers’ Choice Dining Awards honor NLC for “Best Gelato” and its gourmet chocolates as “Best Dessert”

December

The News-Press names Norman Love one of three finalists for Business of the Year

November

Norman Love named one of 10 2014 USA Today Entrepreneur of the Year finalists

November

Forbes names the BLACK collection among “The Finest Chocolate Truffles for Chocolate Lovers”

October

NLC named one of the world’s best destinations, including only six in the U.S., in The Huffington Post Chocolate Lover’s Travel Guide

September

Dan Forgey, one of Norman Love Confections’ creative chocolatiers, chosen to represent the U.S. at the World Chocolate Masters competition in Paris in October 2015

May

Norman Love names one of 10 most influential pastry professionals to present at the inaugural World Pastry Stars, an international congress of pastry chefs in Milan, Italy

May

Selected by Gulfshore Life as Best Confectioner/Chocolatier; dessert; Ice Cream Parlor, Non-Chain Bakery and Best Novel Novelty (macaron ice cream sandwich)

April

Norman Love is inducted into the Junior Achievement of Southwest Florida Lee County Business Hall of Fame

February

Selected by a highly respected consumer rating publication as a Best Buy for Special Treats for Valentine's Day

October

Artisan Gelato named 31st annual Taste of the Town Best of Taste dessert winner by Junior League of Fort Myers

October

Norman Love named head jury member for 2013 World Chocolate Masters competition in Paris

February

O, The Oprah Magazine names NLC’s heart-shaped confections to The O List, “A few things we think are just great!”

February

Selected by a highly respected consumer rating publication as a Best Buy for Special Treats for Valentine's Day

December

National Geographic’s The 10 Best of Everything named NLC as one of the 10 Best Chocolatiers in the world

November

Selected by a highly respected consumer rating publication’s Best Products of the Year issue as a Best Buy $50 and under

May

Received the Inaugural 2012 Distinguished Entrepreneur Award from the Small Business Development Center at Florida Gulf Coast University

February

Selected by Gulfshore Business magazine as one of the 40 people of influence who have guided Southwest Florida during the past decade

February

Selected by a highly respected consumer rating publication as the number one (and Best Buy) chocolate

January

Named Southwest Florida’s top entrepreneur of the past decade by The (Fort Myers) News-Press

June

Received 2011 Florida Retailer of the Year Award for Leadership from the Florida Retail Federation

March

Selected by a highly respected consumer rating publication’s sister magazine as the best chocolates

February

Selected by a highly respected consumer rating publication as the #1 premium chocolate

April

Honored with a Cordon d' Or - Gold Ribbon International 'Cookbooks & Culinary Arts' Culinary Academy Award receiving the “Great Tastes” Florida Product award

February

Appearance as a guest judge on The Food Network Challenge series, "Chocolate Wonders"

February

Selected as a guest Chocolatier to feature his chocolate artistry at Fannie May

December

Norman Love Confections Holiday Collection featured on The Rachael Ray Show as “Snack of the Day"

October

Appearance as a guest judge on The Food Network Challenge series

October

Honored as one of North America's "Top 10 Chocolatiers" by Dessert Professional Magazine

June

Appearance as a guest judge on The Food Network Challenge series

February

Recognized as Top Chocolate in the "Reader's Choice" edition of The Robb Report magazine

February

Selected by a highly respected consumer rating publication as a Top Chocolate to Sigh For and an Excellent Gift-Box Confection for Valentine's Day

October

Norman Love Confections' chocolate artisans won awards at a statewide culinary competition in the Sculpted Centerpieces and Culinary Super Challenge Team categories

October

Norman Love Confections was honored with the 2008 "Small Business of the Year" Award from the Greater Fort Myers Chamber of Commerce

September

Norman Love honored as one of the Hot 100 by Gulfshore Life Magazine due to his contributions to the community.

April

Selected by a highly respected consumer rating publication as a top chocolate for chocolate lovers who like to experiment

February

Selected by a highly respected consumer rating publication as one of the choicest chocolates: for adventurous tastes

December

Selected by a highly respected consumer rating publication as one of the 201 Best Gifts (gift-boxed chocolates) and Tops for $200 or Less

February

Selected by a highly respected consumer rating publication as the Most Delectable Gift-Box Confection

December

Selected by highly respected consumer rating publication as a Best Gift idea for the holidays

March

Selected as one of "10 star chocolate makers" by Saveur magazine

February

Selected as the No. 1 chocolates in the nation by a highly respected consumer rating publication

December

Selected by Entrepreneur magazine's The Hot List as a best business idea

May

Selected as one of the top ten places to purchase chocolates by USA Today

February

Selected as the No. 1 chocolates in the nation by a highly respected consumer rating publication

May

Awarded a Degree of Doctor of Culinary Arts by Johnson & Wales University, North Miami, Florida

January

Selected by USA Today as one of the top 10 artisan chocolate companies in the country