03/20/2026
You guys know I spend a massive chunk of my week in the office. I’m running numbers, analyzing MLS data, and researching Lincoln's real estate scene from behind a screen. But my real passion is getting out of the office, going on driving adventures, showing houses, looking at acreages, finding the places that make our city special.
This week, I found the next great weekend family tradition.
I headed over to Village Lane—right on 40th and Old Cheney in front of the Williamsburg Hy-Vee—to a spot called The Chocolate Season. I sat down with the owner, Erica, to figure out how she and her husband Brad built this place. What I found wasn't just an artisan chocolate shop. I found a masterclass in intentional connection.
Erica told me the entire concept for The Chocolate Season was inspired by her Grandma Hezwick. Her grandma was a farmer's wife who would randomly drop off angel food cake or meatloaf at your house, just to let you know she was thinking of you. Erica wanted to build a place that captured that exact feeling. In a world where we spend half our lives mindlessly scrolling Instagram or TikTok, she wanted to orchestrate a physical space where you can actually put your phone down, engage with the people across the table, and feel seen.
And she is executing it at an elite level. There is zero artificiality here. Everything—from how they greet you at the door to the small-batch truffles made from world-class Valrhona French chocolate—is completely genuine.
But here is the real reason I’m sharing this with you today: Waffle Weekends.
Every Saturday and Sunday, this chocolate shop transforms into an absolute destination. I'm not talking about pouring pre-made batter out of a plastic bucket. Their batter was R&D'd for months to get it perfectly fluffy and filling. The flavors are all made in-house and change seasonally.
Erica’s favorite? The Baconator. It’s a waffle with bacon baked right into the center, topped with salty caramelized pecans, salted butter, and pure organic maple syrup. As Erica told me, "There is no Hungry Jack syrup allowed here." It is wildly delicious.
But maybe the most impressive thing about The Chocolate Season is how much they actually care about parents. When Erica was designing the shop, the interior designers told her a "Kids Corner" would be a complete waste of valuable retail space. She told them absolutely not. She kept the Kids Corner so that parents could come in, hand their kids a chocolate-covered pretzel or a graham cracker, and sit down with an in-house crafted latte for just a minute of peace.
As Erica told me, "Sometimes you just need a mental break. That little recharge for 30 minutes helps the rest of your day not collapse." As a father, I felt that in my bones.
Small businesses like this don't happen by accident. Someone didn't just roll out of bed and open the doors; they poured a massive part of their heart into it, and it shows in every single detail.
If you are looking for a place to build a weekend memory with your family, or you just need to escape the digital noise for half an hour, this is the spot. Head over to The Chocolate Season this Saturday or Sunday. Grab a waffle, get a box of chocolates, and support one of the absolute best small businesses we have in Lincoln.
The store is open weekends until 2:00 PM, and Tuesday through Friday until 5:00 PM. Get out there and check it out.
