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When Frederick chocolatier Randy Olmstead set up his gourmet truffle shop in Everedy Square 2 ½ years ago, he sometimes wondered if his chocolates would some day reach famous palates.

In the last two months, Olmstead's hopes became reality as movie stars and international dignitaries all took the opportunity to taste delicacies from his shop, The Perfect Truffle.

Last month, Olmstead shipped 100 boxes of truffles to Hollywood. They ended up in gift bags for attendees of a pre-Academy Awards party. This month, he was invited to create 600 truffles featured during the "International Women of Courage Awards" hosted by U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and attended by First Lady Michelle Obama and more than 300 women from all over the world.

Providing chocolates for the two events was fulfilling, Olmstead said.

"You have to know somebody, who knew somebody, who knew someone else ... there were about seven to eight layers of people involved," Olmstead said, chuckling as he leaned against the display window at his truffle shop. "But, just the ability to be invited to do it was the exciting part — just to be recognized."

Olmstead was able to get his "Sneak Peek Oscar Sweets" — which included flavors of champagne, chocolate-covered strawberry, Vienna cinnamon and dark chocolate — into the Oscar party gift bag in February as a result of a partnership with another business involving a well-connected public relations representative.

A Washington, D.C. caterer with whom Olmstead works on occasion, invited him to take part in the "Women of Courage" event. He created sweet orange spice and salted dark caramel truffles for that occasion.

Olmstead says he isn't up on current pop culture, and having scrolled through 1,200 photos of Oscar party attendees, he couldn't recall the names of many stars who walked away with his creations. The "Women of Courage" event, Olmstead said, was more tangible.

"The exciting part was that the Secretary of State and the First Lady were both [there] ... and could potentially have tasted [the truffles]," he said. "You always hope that being here in Frederick, the first family will come walking in — but so far, no luck. This is the closest I've gotten so far."

Olmstead made a career change from life as a federal government employee to pastry chef about five years ago. He was trained at the L'Academie de Cuisine, a culinary school in Gaithersburg, and studied under protégés of Roland Mesnier, former executive pastry chef at the White House.

Mesnier often calls on him to replicate the famous "Presidential Mints" for the former White House chef's state dinner fundraisers and book tours.

But it's the truffles that Olmstead makes right here in Frederick on which he focuses most of his energy.

"I like staying local and incorporating local themes," he said. "This is where I started, this is my base, this is my foundation. I should be respectful of all the people who have supported me for four years, and I want to give back to the community."

Olmstead moved to Frederick from Montgomery County with his wife and two children about 13 years ago, and began selling his chocolates out of the kitchen of the Evangelical Lutheran Church before moving to his Everedy Square location.

He said that he takes great pride in the connections he's made over time in Frederick, which he deems his hometown. This is evidenced by the unique and local-themed creations that don his display case.

A "Heritage Red Wine" truffle honors the partnership he has with Frederick Wine Cellars on East Street, his first retail outlet in the area.

And green lettering honoring the Downtown Frederick Partnership's 20th anniversary is penned on a uniquely tailored "Black Forest Truffle," which Olmstead created after reading surveys taken by city residents. It features a cherry filling and dark chocolate ganache to represent Frederick's German and agricultural origins.

Olmstead also agreed to donate a portion of the proceeds from the truffles to the Partnership through the month of March.

"We've been very happy to see the downtown merchants supporting the partnership and our 20th anniversary, and Randy creating a truffle for us has been so wonderful," said Kara Norman, executive director of the partnership.

Norman said she was particularly impressed with how intensely Olmstead focuses on blending taste and quality to produce the perfect truffle — and his ability to have fun while doing so.

"We're in the midst of trying to figure out, ‘Is this the taste of Frederick?' and he was always trying to make the situation light," Norman said. "And when you're laughing and trying to get something done, it's always a good time."

Olmstead said he hopes to expand in the future, but he's not necessarily looking for his next endeavor to land on an unmanageable stage.

When asked if he's looking to vie for a spot in the gift bags of say, Oprah Winfrey — who is known for transforming small-business products into worldwide favorites just by mentioning them — Olmstead quipped, "If she called, I'm sure I'd do it, but it'd keep me up at night."

E-mail Erica L. Green at egreen@gazette.net.