The Chocolate Life

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Hello, I am happy to have joined The Chocolate Life

I am just really starting to awaken my senses to the chocolate world around me. It is one thing to eat chocolate, but to actually open your self up to the flavor notes and textures, is another thing entirely. As a child I knew that certain chocolate tasted better , or had a smoother texture than others, but I would never have imagined the extent at which chocolate is reviewed and revered.



I am surprised at all the notes --- to have tasted a… Continue

Added by Amber on April 10, 2008 at 8:22pm — No Comments

Chocolates in Alaska

A couple of years ago I experimented with some of our local wild berries and made some jellies for people to taste. I added them to my chocolate collection that I had put together. There is a berry here that the locals call "laughing berries". They are salal berries and are extremely flavorful. People use them to make jams and jellies and pancake syrup.

I made jellies out of the salal berries and they were very well received. They had ten times the flavor of the other jellies I had made… Continue

Added by Nina on April 8, 2008 at 3:33pm — 1 Comment

Megan's "Profiles In Chocolate"

Well today April 4th ,2008 I have decided to join the blog by sharing with The Chocolate Life members my story of taking historical figures from American History/culture and transforming these historical people famous faces(profiles) into what I call "Profiles in Chocolate"



Back in 2004 I started to think about a ways to combine my Passion for American History and Chocolate ! and after a few weeks the concept of our first "Profiles In Chocolate " was Choosen it was to be our 16th… Continue

Added by Megan Hardgrave on April 4, 2008 at 10:39pm — No Comments

Brownie Shotz, adventures in starting a chocolate business, con't.

Thanks guys for reading and commenting on my posts. It means a lot to me.



I heard this morning on the news that the US lost another 80,000 jobs in March. That’s added to the 50,000 lost in February. Wow! That’s a lot of jobs. So now it’s more important than ever to start a new business. Any business is good. The food business is good but tricky. But if you hit a winning formula, you have a block buster. It seems you might have a bit… Continue

Added by Jim Sanders on April 4, 2008 at 3:21pm — 2 Comments

Live Video Chats for Chocolate Life members

I have found a service that enables me to 'cast - in real-time over the web while simultaneously hosting a chat session. I am interested in knowing if holding regular, say every two weeks or so, video chats would be interesting to members. If a reasonable number are, I will set things up, get the equipment working, and schedule the first chat for sometime after Tax Day.



One thing that I thought might be cool to try is a sort of quasi-interactive chocolate tasting. We could agree on… Continue

Added by Clay Gordon on April 3, 2008 at 6:11pm — No Comments

Starbucks and Hershey Launch Starbucks Chocolate

Today, Monday, March 3rd is the national launch date for an ambitious new line of chocolate products from Starbucks. But don't go looking for them at your local Starbucks coffeehouse because you won't find them there. In an interesting branding twist, Starbucks Chocolates will initially be made available through mass retailers, grocery stores, and drug stores and it is unclear when, if ever, you will be able to buy them at the counter where you order your half-caf no-foam skim latte every… Continue

Added by Clay Gordon on March 27, 2008 at 5:39pm — 5 Comments

World Pastry Forum Curriculum and Faculty Announced

The World Pastry Forum is a series of five-day intensive programs (demo and hands-on) offered immediately prior to the National or World Pastry Team Championship. Both the forum and the championship are organized by a company called Carymax, one of whose founders is one of the founders of Chocolatier Magazine. This year's events are being held at the Gaylord Opryland Hotel in Nashville, TN, August 26-30 with the World Championship immediately thereafter.



This year's Demo… Continue

Added by Clay Gordon on March 27, 2008 at 11:00am — No Comments

The adventures of starting Brownie Shotz continues

One thing I’ve learned about a start up business is that there is a disconnect between production and sales. You either have too much product and can’t sell it or you have too many sales and can’t fill them. It can be very nerve racking but I think it’s fairly par for the course. Especially when you’re manufacturing a brand new product like I am with Brownie Shotz. If you’re buying your product, the same thing holds true. How much do you buy so that… Continue

Added by Jim Sanders on March 26, 2008 at 11:21pm — 1 Comment

Brownie Shotz, adventures in starting a chocolate business, con't.

Terrific! Someone out there has encouraged me to continue my story (thanks Carol) so that’s enough for me.



Well, after the first blush of starting a new business wore off a bit, it came time to figure out how to really make Brownie Shotz a going concern. For the first few months, I kept baking brownies in my kitchen, refining my product as I went along. I made a few sales but it was very evident from the start I’d need help, especially in the… Continue

Added by Jim Sanders on March 23, 2008 at 10:07pm — 3 Comments

Brownie Shotz, adventures in starting a chocolate business

Yesterday was the first anniversary of Brownie Shotz and I wanted to mark the occasion somehow. I thought I would relate my adventures thus far. (I wanted to do this yesterday but I got too busy). So anyhow, one year ago (the first day of spring) I had dinner with a friend and one of her clients. The client (whom I hadn't met before) had started a potato chip business several months earlier. As he related the story of how he started, I became more and… Continue

Added by Jim Sanders on March 21, 2008 at 1:01pm — 2 Comments

Article on Ghana's Cocoa Hybrid's Nutritional Similarities

Interesting article on "Four hybrid cocoa species developed in Ghana to have improved resistance to pest damage during storage have similar nutritional properties to conventional cocoa, says a study that topples a barrier to commercial trade."

Ghanaian cocoa hybrids have no nutritional drawbacks

I can't help but wonder, in comparison, how do they taste? :P

Added by Sera on March 18, 2008 at 11:30pm — No Comments

A Night of Wine and Chocolate

The Mark Hotel in Manhattan (no longer a part of the Mandarin Oriental Hotel Group, located on E 77th St.) has regularly hosted wine classes directed by Master Sommelier Richard Dean.



In 2004, the program was expanded to showcase the pairing of wine and chocolate and to do so it enlisted the support of Valrhona and the winemaker Louis Jadot. Representing Valrhona were Mr. Bernard Duclos, the director of US operations for Valrhona, Kim O'Flaherty, their US Corporate Pastry Chef, and… Continue

Added by Clay Gordon on March 17, 2008 at 10:35am — No Comments

Rogue Chocolatier

Colin Gasko has released his next three origin chocolates — Jamaica, Hispaniola, and Trinidad. Like his first two releases, these chocolates are all 70%.



My earlier post about Rogue Chocolatier has all the background info and includes reviews of the first two bars, Ocumare and Sambirano. Trinidad and Hispaniola chocolates were purchased at Kitchen Window, and the Jamaica was purchased at… Continue

Added by Casey on March 12, 2008 at 4:56pm — No Comments

Amazing Trail to the World's Finest Chocolate with Clay Gordon

Clay Gordon is leading a small group of us throughout Europe upon a 5-star quest for the best chocolate in Switzerland, France & Belgium in July.



CALLING ALL CHOCOLATE LOVERS to join us inside the salons, factories and kitchens of Felchlin, Bonnat, Pralus and Bernachon. We will be personally introduced to world-class master chocolatiers and sample a good deal of chocolate throughout this spectacular and once-in-a-lifetime journey!



Enjoy sumptuous multi-course dinners… Continue

Added by Holly & Paul Stabin on March 8, 2008 at 3:43pm — No Comments

UnData - New UN database helps answer your chocolate questions

"Since its foundation, the United Nations system has been collecting statistical information from member states on a variety of topics. The information thus collected constitutes a considerable information asset of the organization. However, these statistical data are often stored in proprietary databases, each with unique dissemination and access policies. As a result, users are often unaware of the full array of statistical information that the UN system has in its data libraries. The current… Continue

Added by Clay Gordon on March 7, 2008 at 12:30am — No Comments

Local Press Coverage of the 6th Annual Death by Chocolate Festival at Copia

Local press coverage of the 6th Annual Death by Chocolate Festival at Copia can be found here.



Copia bills itself as the American Center for Wine, Food, and the Arts and on February 23rd they should have added chocolate into that title somewhere - at least for the day. California and Ziad Kurjie of the US operations of Patchi Chocolates (who are headquartered in Lebanon).



I had the pleasure… Continue

Added by Clay Gordon on February 27, 2008 at 2:30pm — 3 Comments

Introduction

I am a friend of Clay's. He helped me get my start in the chocolate industry. A lot has happened since he gave me my first advice 5 years ago! Everything from Food Network to Newsweek, opening and closing my first chocolate shop and now writing a book that will be released nationwide in September of 2008. Life is exciting and delicious!



I have a lot of successes and some failures that will be great food for thought for some of you. Feel free to post questions on my blog and I will… Continue

Added by Bethany Thouin on February 26, 2008 at 1:57pm — 2 Comments

Academy of Chocolate Announces 2008 Winners

The Academy of Chocolates has announces the winners of the Chocolate Awards for 2008. I think many of you will be pleased with the results.

I, for one, feel tickled that I'm familiar with most of the names and bars, but also that I've been lucky enough to taste some of them too. If nothing else, this list will work as a good starting point for my next chocolate order. :)

Added by Sera on February 26, 2008 at 12:06am — 2 Comments

Not-so-trivial trivia

Here's a question for any seriously informed chocolate people. What's the story with the Smith (aka W.C. Smith) company? The used enrober market is peppered with Smith machines, and a quick search turns up enrober patents listed under a W Smith & Sons Inc. My search for info on the company that makes/made these machines has been fruitless, however. Are they closed? Were they bought out? Is the Smith line currently made/supported by another company? Is it some kind of national… Continue

Added by Brendan on February 21, 2008 at 5:59pm — 2 Comments

Standing Up for the Fondeur - a Missive

I've noticed a trend that disturbs me. There are enough misconceptions and unjustified biases in the chocolate world already; it's time this one was laid to rest. I've seen it time and again, in news features and in company literature. I saw it just now. As interest in fine chocolate rises and the number of domestic bean-to-bar manufacturers rises (thank goodness), I see it more often.



"We don't just melt other people's chocolates."



The sentiment is a fair one, but it's so… Continue

Added by Brendan on February 18, 2008 at 2:30pm — 1 Comment

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1 Tempering Machine VS Melter

Tempering Machine VS Melter
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