Luxury cars and luxury chocolates: a match made in heaven.
The Phillip Ashley brand, based in Memphis, is changing the dessert landscape with its wildly imaginative chocolates that are synonymous with luxury. Helmed by the mastermind himself, Phillip Ashley Rix, spent his childhood tugging at his grandmother Jean’s apron strings itching for a chance to try his hand in the kitchen.
Decades later, Phillip Ashley Chocolates was established with the desire to design and develop the finest, most unique chocolate experience. Phillip’s chocolates are available for purchase online, shipped throughout the country and internationally. The brand, so widely regarded, even got the attention of one of the most iconic automotive brands on the market: Cadillac.
In addition to creating a custom collection for Cadillac brand’s first electric car, Celestiq, Rix also provided signature chocolates for launch events tied to the 2023 Lyriq and the Escalade V-Series in Phoenix, Arizona. More recently he teamed up with the brand for a Love Jones collection, inspired by the cult classic film during AFFF in Miami and for a Cadillac sponsored evening soirée in Martha’s Vineyard.
“We are two American luxury brands and those two things go really well together,” says Rix. “We said, you do something really well, and we do something really well, so let’s put those two things together where it makes the most sense.”
Rix is no stranger to working with classic brands. Rix has curated dining experiences at the James Beard House in New York City, created tens of thousands of chocolates for Hollywood’s elite at the EMMYS, GRAMMYS, OSCARS, and worked with high-profile clients like FedEx, Disney, and A-list celebrities like Stevie Wonder.
Known as a modern day “Willy Wonka,” what makes Rix’s brand so unique are blends like Sweet Potato, French Bleu Cheese, and Bacon Caramel Shortbread just to name a few. As for his favorite flavor, he says he “hasn’t made it yet.” He gets inspiration from everywhere, more recently creating a collection based on your favorite snacks from the movie theater. “I’ve had a vivid imagination my entire life, so I’ve always just been curious about people, about experiences, and obviously food,” shares Rix. “I lived inside my head a lot. I was just very imaginative and very creative.”
He continues, “I’m always thinking about what lives in the real world that I can reimagine to turn into chocolate. That’s my best way of describing it. I’m always observant, constantly talking to people and meeting people, and learning about what their experiences are.”
Rix’s “ah-ha” moment happened overnight — literally. “Just one day I woke up in the middle of the night when I was living in Baltimore,” he shares. “I had a dream and thought, “I’m going to make chocolate and be a chocolatier for the rest of my life.”
And the rest was history.
“Very few people that look like me do this. I definitely want to change that.”
