May 2011 Blog Posts (7)

Hello, fellow chocolate lovers and all those reading The Chocolate Life!

I am relatively new to the world of chocolate and would appreciate any advice you were willing to give me.

May I please ask a favor?

I am looking for a contract chocolate manufacturer in either the US or Colombia who can produce 85 % plus cocoa, gluten-free and allergen-free batches (certified).

Can anyone suggest someone?

Thank you!

Regards,

James Swanwick

james…

The world is supposed to end today and I have no idea what to fix for supper, much less who to invite.  The prospect of having to prepare my last meal on earth is entirely too overwhelming.  All I can say is, just about the time Doomsday hits, no matter how grand the plans or big the roast I’ve marinated, I just know I’m  going to decide that we’d might as well order pizza.  Making chocolates is pretty much like that.  I sketch out half a dozen varieties in my head that I know I can whip out…

I’d never entered a contest before, unless you count the lottery where all I’m judged on is my ability to select random numbers (a skill, by the way, I appear to be miserable at), but when I heard that my favorite chocolate boutique,…

Just got the schedule for the Salon de Chocolate, which is held now for the third year and sponsored by the Franco-Ecuadorian Chamber of Commerce. I was invited to participate as I was last year, but had to decline since we are too busy. Also, just was not convinced that spending a couple of hundred dollars (since it's not really an invitation but a paid chance to participate), with a "successful" turnout of maybe 700 people, would be good for business. Unfortunately, there's just not that…

About 12 years ago I bought the Dutch translation of Chantal Coady’s book “The Chocolate Companion”. One of the chocolatiers that got very high rates was Paul de Bondt. I had never heard of him but I became very curious after reading her review. Although he is Dutch his shop is not in The Netherlands but in Pisa, Italy. But I knew then: one day I will visit Pisa!

A few years later I discovered a few of his bars at Le Salon du Chocolat in Paris. They were excellent!

In September…