58 | T H E B A R OSSA M AG
“People said, oh you should
open a shop, but if you open a
shop you need to be there 9-5.
“I thought that if I can tie up
bed and breakfasts and hotels,
places like that, I can supply as
a wholesaler. And that was the
way I went.”
Six months later, Bryon was
working sixty-two hours a week,
making three to four hundred
chocolates per day.
He would package in the
evenings and deliver once a
month to thirty-three B&B’s
around Barossa, Clare and even
Mt Gambier.
“When you’re working in
something you’re enjoying it’s a
pleasure. It’s kept me occupied. I
think it’s helped keep me alive.”
Though bed and breakfasts have
been Bryon’s lifeblood, he has
also showcased his creations at
the Barossa Farmers Market each
Saturday since 1991.
Over the year’s Bryon has catered
for weddings and received
numerous requests from
customers. The strangest being a
chocolate male’s anatomy. When
asked if he accepted he chuckles,
“No, no, I took the bar on that,
though I have made breasts
several times.”
Bryon has also enjoyed making
odd flavours, like chocolate
coated cheezels, pretzels, and
even chilli and wasabi flavoured
chocolate.
“I still think I make the best
rocky road,” Bryon admits.
“That has been my big seller.”
“I’ve always been an
experimenter, that’s my
pleasure. Just doing this day in
and day out would bore me to
tears.”
Now, after thirty years of
chocolate making, Bryon is
retiring for a third time at
ninety years of age.
He is passing the business to
winner: best regional
contemporary restaurant
2015 & 2016
Restaurant & Catering SA
distinctive, unfussed,
brilliantly balanced
dishes in the heart
of the Barossa Valley
Lunch 7 days a week: 12:00 - 2:30
Dinner Monday to Saturday: 6:30 - 9:00
(08) 8564 2488
www.vintners.com.au
@vintnersbarossa