For Phillip Ashley Rix, becoming a master chocolatier literally was a dream come true. While pondering his career path in his late 20’s, he had a vivid dream that he was in a chocolate shop with his mom and Willy Wonka. Rix had been a fan of the eccentric fictional chocolatier since reading Charlie and the Chocolate Factory and watching the movie in his childhood.
“I woke up at 3 a.m. and thought ‘I’m going to make chocolates for a living,’” he said. It was a sharp pivot from his earlier plans of studying chemistry and maybe going to medical school.
The Memphis native began reading, researching, and teaching himself how to make chocolates, eventually launching Phillip Ashley Chocolates online in 2012.
Kirsten Harrington 