The Chestnut Hill resident who has a passion for making chocolate beverages previously conducted the music for such Broadway musicals as “Rent,” “Hair” and “The Book of Mormon.”[/caption]

by Elizabeth Coady

In the most extraordinary of career changes, David Truskinoff traded conducting Broadway musicals to become a hot chocolate connoisseur serving up delicious foamy cups of the liquid from an electric truck off Broad Street.

Thirty years in theater had taken its course, and Truskinoff, 55, was looking for a change and another passion. First, he and his wife Marcy Schlissel, an occupational therapist, relocated to Chestnut Hill from New York. Then he revisited the inspiration he got after reading an article about the cacao industry. He began to research the subject of chocolate in-depth, ordering beans from around the world and making test batches.

The result: La Chocolatera, an electric truck from which he serves his handmade gourmet hot chocolate concoctions. To keep initial investment costs down rather than open a café, Truskinoff invested in a Navistar eStar (electric commercial vehicle) and serves his drinks from the truck on Wednesdays, Thursdays and Fridays in Love Park just north of City Hall. On the weekends, you can find him parked outside The Barnes Museum on Benjamin Franklin Parkway.

We visited the truck for a taste test and can attest that Truskinoff’s “original,” made with 68 percent dark chocolate and milk, was delectable and as comforting as a favorite winter blanket. Customers can also choose from a mint chocolate drink in which Truskinoff uses peppermint oil and vanilla or a sweeter cocoa drink made with a 55 percent chocolate. The truly indulgent can opt for a marshmallow, browned with a blowtorch, on top of the drink.

We asked the chocolate barista to answer several questions for us, and he happily obliged:

What inspired you to make such a radical career change?

“I just knew it was time for me to do something else. There are probably a hundred reasons that went into my changing paths, but I just wasn’t feeling fulfilled by what I was doing anymore. I also had a strong urge to somehow get my hands into some dirt. (And I mean that literally.)

“I would tell my wife, Marcy, 'Maybe I can be a farmer … plant potatoes or something.' At which point she’d bust out laughing at the thought of my getting up before 8 a.m. Musicians are NOT known to be early risers! Anyway, here I am now with 150-pound sacks of raw cacao beans. I’ve got my hands in the dirt, and I love it. Oh, and yesterday I got up at 5:30 a.m. to make chocolate!”

Tell us about your time on Broadway. What shows did you work on? Any favorites?

“My first Broadway show was 'Rent.' I started with the first national tour in 1998 and ended up conducting it all over the world before taking over the Broadway production for its final 3 years. 'Hair' (the 2010 revival) and 'The Book of Mormon' were a blast, but 'Rent' will always be my favorite.”

How did you get into musical directing?

“I actually started as an actor. At age 30, I decided I wanted to have more to do with the actual shape and tempo of the productions I was working on. The logical next step was being a conductor.”

You can find David’s truck on Wednesdays, Thursdays and Fridays in Love Park just north of City Hall. On the weekends, you can find him parked outside The Barnes Museum on Benjamin Franklin Parkway.[/caption]

Any anecdotes you can share about your days in theater? Any inside gossip on the stars you can share?

“Show business only looks glamorous.”

I saw you operate that espresso machine – lots of hand and arm action. Figuratively speaking, are there any similarities between directing an orchestra and being the maestro of your own chocolatera on wheels?

“Well, cocoa nibs tend to sound a semitone sharp when the temperature gets below 50 degrees, and dark chocolate for some reason tastes better in B flat major. Other than that, no.”

What makes your cup of hot chocolate better than the next guy’s?

“We make our own chocolate. We start with organic and sustainably sourced cacao beans imported from Central and South America. We roast and refine them in our facility in Mt. Airy … We don’t use syrup or cocoa powder and we keep the sugar down to appropriate (and healthier) levels ... The result is a richer, more nuanced and well-rounded chocolate taste.”

You said in a previous interview that drinking chocolate was a passion. Really? Or is making chocolate your passion?

“I feel passionate about making excellent drinking chocolate. Passion is where you find it … opera, tennis, knitting, doing crossword puzzles. For me, passion is having a deep desire to feel or do something in the absolute best way you can. Without passion life can feel pretty mediocre. I don’t really care for mediocre.”

What have been the highs and lows of operating your own hot chocolate truck?

“A definite high: witnessing chocolate make people so dang happy. Not such a high: my truck, bless her heart, can be a tad demanding.”

What are your long-term plans?

“I’m really looking to turn this into a Drinking Chocolate Café. I envision a wine bar but for drinking chocolate. The truck is a start. So much of what I want to do with chocolate would best be achieved in a café setting.”

Finally, what’s the secret to making the most delicious cup of hot cocoa?

“Three things: 1. A steady beat, clean articulation, louder fortes, softer pianissimos and a lot of rehearsal … Wait; what was the question? 2. Roasting the cacao for 525,600 seconds. 3. Passion.”

You can visit David’s website at oohlachocolatera.com or his Facebook page.