Marcellus, NY -- (ReleaseWire) -- 06/26/2013 --Chocolate Pizza Company Inc.® was recently selected as a finalist in the Best of the East competition sponsored by Cincy Magazine in the category of Best Dessert. The selection was determined by online voting from the magazine’s readership and the general public and recognized Chocolate Pizza Company as one of the region’s top 3 confectioners in the highly competitive dessert category. It also earned Chocolate Pizza Company an invitation to the Best of the East Celebration on July 18th. Cincy Magazine is a prominent business publication serving Cincinnati and the southwest Ohio, northern Kentucky and southeast Indiana markets.

“Being recognized as one of the Tri-State’s best is an honor and a compliment to the passion of our team,” said owner, Ryan Novak. In March, Chocolate Pizza Company opened a store in the entry atrium of Jungle Jim’s International Market (4450 Eastgate Blvd, Cincinnati, OH) and immediately attracted a strong following of food enthusiasts who appreciate gourmet chocolate with a whimsical twist.

The company’s signature confection, Chocolate Pizza, blends rich milk or dark chocolate with homemade English toffee that is poured into rounds and topped with pecans, almonds, walnuts and white chocolate drizzle and served in a genuine pizza box. Chocolate Pizza comes in a variety of sizes and toppings and is a popular choice for business or personal gifts. Chocolate Pizza Company also makes Peanut Butter Wings™ - crisp, rippled potato chips covered in creamy peanut butter and dipped in chocolate. Paired together, the company’s “Pizza & Wings Combo” is a taste sensation that is exploding in popularity. Chocolate Pizza Company also creates over 100 specialty chocolates for retail and wholesale markets.

Featured on Food Network’s hit show, Unwrapped, Chocolate Pizza Company is a 25 year-old business headquartered in Marcellus, NY that has tripled sales the past 3 years under Novak’s leadership. Novak started with the company at age 15, washing dishes and mopping floors. He bought the company 6 years later at age 21 while still a senior at Syracuse University’s Whitman School of Management where he graduated with a degree in entrepreneurship. Chocolate Pizza Company has stores in Marcellus and Manlius, NY, Shelton, CT and Cincinnati, OH and wholesales to more than 1,000 retailers across the country including Hallmark stores, wineries and gift boutiques.

“My vision has always been to transform Chocolate Pizza Company into a national brand,” Novak says, “Selection as a finalist in the Best Dessert category for the Best of the East competition is a step in reaching that goal. We are proud to be in the company of the best in our craft.”

To learn more about Chocolate Pizza Company, visit its website, http://www.chocolatepizza.com and follow it on Facebook and Twitter.