Patch Small Business Profile: Mama Cocoa’s Delights

Aztec Spice, a dark chocolate truffle that includes cinnamon, vanilla and chili powder topped with smoked paprika, is one of Mama Cocoa’s concoctions.

Cinnamon and chili powder with chocolate and smoked paprika? Who would think of it?

Mama Cocoa’s Delights is a 10-month-old candy shop in old town Bowie.

Of the Aztec Spice, “heat starts mixing in with the dark chocolate and you can tell by the smile on a person’s face that they are having a huge, divine experience that they didn’t expect,” said "Mama Cocoa," also known as Tamarra Thomas.

Thomas, 38, lives in Bowie and previously worked in the administrative side in the non-profit and political worlds in her 20s. At 29, she had enough of that, and decided to change her life. She went to chef school to become a pastry chef.

“I love baking. When you take your ingredients and apply heat to them, you end up with something completely different,” she said. “When you know what each ingredient does, you can play around. The rules don’t apply as much anymore.”

After about seven years of being a pastry chef at a number of area restaurants, she was laid off. Thomas always wanted to start her own business, so the timing seemed right. She went into overdrive, gathering information, writing a business plan, finding an investor and then purchasing a commercial grade oven and other equipment.

“I have a friend who talks about how much she hates her job,” said Thomas. “I don’t have that conversation anymore. I love what I do,” Thomas said. 

But why candy?

“Dessert is so much fun,” she said. “Everybody has to eat, but dessert is a choice people make, so you want to give people something exciting.”

sells truffles, bars, cookies, chews, crunches, lollies and made-to-order custom cakes.

Thomas’ products have been chosen to be sold in a congressional gift shop, for which she is making chocolate in the shape of the Capitol Dome and chocolate squares with the symbols of the political parties on them, an elephant and a donkey.

Each piece of Thomas’ all-natural candy is handmade and hand wrapped in recycled material.

“The fact that it is all natural, the fact that each piece is handmade, that is where my core is,” she said. “That’s how I connect with people. I never want to get so big that I stop connecting with people.”

Mama Cocoa's Delights is at 13015 9th Street in old town Bowie. The shop, located in the back of the Antique Depot, is open Thursday-Sunday from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Contact information: 301-366-9395, mamac@mamacocoasdelights.com.