Suzie Wharton, Chocoholic Tours's founder
A chocoholic from birth, Suzie Wharton (view photo) skipped the conventional first words of 'mama' and 'papa' and went straight to 'chocolate'. This was no ordinary messy infant wasting the precious food of the Aztecs – she was obsessed. She pushed to get the praline centres before the pack, jostled for the chocolate ice cream, and hunted for the most spots on a chocolate freckle.
This experience provided an interesting background for a career in the health industry and owning a motel and restaurant. Suzie has run chocolate walking tours of Melbourne since 1995 and she is the author of Spoil yourself: a chocoholic guide to Melbourne.
Suzie leads a passionate team who also guide the chocolate walking tours in Melbourne.
Chocoholic Tours in the media
(details in the articles may be out-of-date now; please check our disclaimer)
- April 2010 – that's melbourne (VIC) – that's melbourne is Melbourne's website for everything to see and do in the city, including what's on (and Chocoholic Tours is listed!), places to visit, shopping, dining and nightlife
- September 2009 – Royal Auto (RACV, VIC) – Tours de force – "'Melbourne has become the chocolate capital of Australia,' says tour operator Suzie Wharton. 'And these days, lots of Melburnians see the city as a place to visit, not just a place of business.' Suzie's tours are a delicious stroll through the city's arcades and laneways, taking in Melbourne's hottest chocolate spots."
- June 2009 – Wentworth Courier (NSW) – Melbourne makes travelling south of the border the perfect family holiday – "If you want it all, you can discover Melbourne's world of chocolate and desserts all in one tour. The chocolate walking tours are for all ages."
- April 2008 – Melbourne's City Weekly (Fairfax) – Sweet surrender – Giving in to our chocolate desires
- March 2008
* Voyeur (Virgin Blue inflight magazine – Sweet success)
"While the emphasis of each two-hour tour is largely on the chocolate, Wharton says it's also a great way to get to know Melbourne. "That's what it's all about, really – introducing people to the city and showing them some beautiful sites and chocolate along the way. After many years of doing these tours I know all the store owners, so it's nice for people – particularly those who are strangers to the city – to meet some locals."
* Postcards (Channel 9)
* Lexus Magazine
* JetStar (JetStar inflight magazine) - November 2007 – Condé Nast Traveler – Great-Value Vacations – "Chocoholic Tours offers walking tours that focus on cacao-based treats, from hot chocolate to handmade candies, in shopping and architectural districts. It can also organize special gallery antiques, and fashion excursions."
- October 2007 – Melbourne's The Age (Sweet delights)
- September 2007 – 9am with David and Kim (Channel Ten)
- August 2007 – Melbourne's The Age (Winter warmers)
"It doesn't seem right that confessed chocoholic Suzie Wharton is as thin as a whip. Perhaps it's all the walking she does taking five tours of sweet-tooths around her favourite chocolate spots each Friday and Saturday." - July 2007 – Melbourne's The Age (M magazine)
- June 2007 – Sydney Morning Herald – Melbourne's top 10 winter walks
- April 2007 – Melbourne's Herald Sun and Today Tonight (Channel 7)
- January 2007 – Haigh's Happenings Summer/Autumn Edition 2007
"Suzie Wharton's leisurely 2-hour guided walks around the city of Melbourne are guaranteed to take you to the best shops and cafés to buy and eat chocolate. And you can trust that this woman knows her stuff – Suzie's first word as a baby was not 'mama' or 'dada' but 'chocolate'!" View Haigh's Happenings in full at Haigh's website (Adobe PDF file, 507KB, four pages) - December 2006 – Melbourne Weekender (Channel 7)
- October 2006 – The Age – How sweet it is
- June 2006 – The New Zealand Herald – Sweet treats on streets
- March 2006 – The New Zealand Herald – This little piggy went to market – (Suzie) "is thinner than a whippet. I happen to think this is suspicious. Suzie has anticipated this. 'How can this skinny little runt be a chocoholic?' she asks. This is a rhetorical question. The answer to which is something about dedicating her life to the chocolate gods which means the calories drop off twice as fast. I didn't ask her if she runs; I didn't need to. A chocolate tour with Suzie is done at a swift trot."
- 2006 – What's good for you? (Channel 9) – Does chocolate really give you pimples?
- May 2005 – The Great Outdoors (Channel 7)
- 2005 – Australian Traveller – Chocoholics (Not So) Anonymous
- December 2004 – Newsweek International Edition – Travel: Getaways with Ganache
- May 2004 – telegraph.co.uk – Australia: Under wraps
Acknowledgements
Chocoholic Tours would like to thank the support from Louise Macdonald, one of Melbourne's top milliners, who provided photos of some of her creations for this website; photographer Greg Elms, whose beautiful shots are available throughout the web pages (and on the book Spoil yourself: a chocoholic guide to Melbourne); and Web Team, which designed and developed this website, and keep it up-to-date.
Suzie Wharton would also like to thank Kirsten Tibballs of Savour and Patisserie School in Melbourne for the chocolate knowledge she has bestowed upon her over the years.
