Forget about frying an egg on the sidewalk in Tucson's punishing summer heat.
How about melting chocolate in a chocolate factory?
That's what might have been happening at the six-week-old Monsoon Chocolate, 234 E. 22nd St., at South Fourth Avenue. After a string of 105-plus days, the owners of the chocolatier/cafe announced today that they would be closing for the "foreseeable" future. The culprit: Climate issues in their dining room.
Apparently Tucson's recents string of 100-plus-degree days is making it too hard for Monsoon Chocolates to operate. The shop announced it was closing until it could make repairs to improve the dining room's climate.
According to the Facebook post that went up around 10 a.m. the owners "will not be able to operate our cafe for the foreseeable future, due to climate control issues in our dining room. We have notified our landlords about this problem, and hope to come to a resolution as quickly as possible."
Monsoon Chocolate opened in early May and served breakfast and lunch in addition to its confections. But as temperatures started inching beyond the century mark, the owners started hinting at the climate issues. The shop closed early on Sunday, citing in a Facebook posting that it had been having climate issues in the dining room.
"We just can’t operate in good conscience today," the early morning post read. "It’s too hot for our staff, too hot for our guests, and too hot for ... well ... chocolate."
The post was accompanied by a picture of a bar of chocolate melting on what looked like the walkway.
The owners have since indicated that they would reopen after making renovations to the shop.
"Please bear with us while we go through this transition — we’ll be back as soon as we are able," they wrote.
Monsoon Chocolate opened in early May in a space that for years was home to La Buena Cocina y Tortilleria.
