When Patrick Magee was growing up down the road from Corvallis in the 70s and 80s, he developed a strong attraction to the gourmet chocolates and candies of Burst’s Chocolates. Coming from a family of chefs, he graduated from Oregon State University with dreams of studying fine cuisine in Europe. In the end, though, Europe had nothing over the irresistible draw of Burst’s. Magee returned from to Corvallis in 1996 after three years in Europe with full intentions to return to further his culinary career but; one fateful day, stepped into Burst’s with the intention of finding a temporary job. Former owner Don Burck offered him a position on the spot as a confectioner, and as the year drew to a close so did Magee’s desire to return to Europe.
After rediscovering his love of Corvallis and Burst’s and realizing that his true wish was to carry on Burst’s legacy of hand-made luxurious treats, Magee took Burck’s offer of taking over the business. The rest, as they say, is history. 10 years later, Magee is still running Burst’s Chocolates and continuing the original values of quality and value that were set in place when Burst’s was first founded in 1938 by Rhea and Charlie Burst.
