The Art of Tasting Chocolate

MEET MOTT GREEN, GRENADA CHOCOLATE COMPANY, LTD.

PRESS RELEASE:

Fog City News, San Francisco’s foremost purveyor of international chocolate bars and magazines welcomes Mott Green, co-founder and chocolate maker of Grenada Chocolate Company Ltd. located in the cocoa groves of the pristine rainforest of Grenada, West Indies.  Founded in 1999 with the idea of creating an organic cocoa farmer’s cooperative, Grenada Chocolate produces small batch organic dark chocolate with cocoa beans grown on over 150 acres of organic cocoa farms in their cooperative in Grenada.  Grenada Chocolate is produced using solar powered refurbished vintage equipment and is made with certified organic cocoa beans, their own extracted cocoa butter, fine organic raw sugar produced and milled by an organic growers’ cooperative in Paraguay, whole organic vanilla beans grown bio-dynamically in Costa Rica and a trace of organic soy lecithin used as an emulsifier.  Co-founder Mott Green is in the Bay Area for an exclusive appearance at Fog City News to answer questions and talk about the joys and challenges of Grenada Chocolate. This Friday, February 29, 2008, 12:30 - 2PM.

Be one of the first in the U.S. to taste this rare chocolate!  Bars will be available for sale at Fog City News once Grenada finalizes arrangements with a North American distributor.  For more information about Grenada Chocolate, go to Grenada Chocolate's website.    

All events are open to the public and are part of Fog City News’ ongoing effort to educate customers by introducing them to some of today’s notable and innovative chocolate manufacturers, confectioners and experts. 

Where:
Fog City News
455 Market Street (between First and Fremont Streets)
San Francisco
Store Hours: Monday – Friday 8am-6pm; Saturday noon – 4pm
Information: 415.543.7400

Gourmet Continental Chocolates Course

Great news serious chocolate lovers!  Richardson Researches, Inc. will be presenting their Gourmet Continental Chocolates Course at the San Francisco Baking Institute, October 6th through October 10th, 2008. Hurry.  If you don’t know about Terry Richardson, Chocolate Guru, read my interview with Mr. Richardson here. 

Class Details:
The Gourmet Continental Chocolates is a one-week course with extensive emphasis on the techniques of making unique, delicious-tasting, gourmet-type confections.  Students will learn about chocolate handling and tempering procedures.  The students will participate in every aspect, from making the products to hand-dipping them in chocolate and, of course, to taking their finished products home.  Terry Richardson, the lead instructor, will be ably assisted by Thalia Hohenthal of Guittard Chocolate Company, and Peter Dea.

This course is geared for those who, by hands-on participation, want to learn about chocolate handling, hand tempering, dipping techniques and how to make fine confections. The class fee is $1925.00 for the week. For a full description of the course please visit their website. There is a minimum non-refundable deposit of $250.00 required upon registration.  The balance of $1675.00 is due not later than 25 working days prior to the class...Contact Sarah at SFBI by phone at (650) 589-5784 for further info.

Readers, I cannot emphasis enough what a rare opportunity this is.  If you have ever wanted to take your love for chocolate to the next level, have toyed with the idea of becoming a chocolatier or are one now and need inspiration, this is your class.

COPIA PRESENTS DEATH BY CHOCOLATE

Join us this Saturday for a day overflowing with chocolate.  The event is DEATH BY CHOCOLATE at Copia in Napa.  At last tally there were over 50 chocolatiers, confectioners and vendors highlighting their chocolate offerings.  We will be there attending seminars and tasting with you.  Tickets still available.

Drum roll please...

Remember when we first announced the Chocolate Adventure Recipe Contest way back in August? It was a joint venture between the website TuttiFoodie.com and Scharffen Berger Chocolate. The contest is over and the winners have been announced here.

Lisa from TuttiFoodie was kind enough to share one of the runner up’s recipes for a drink that we think would be perfect to serve after dinner on Valentine’s Day. A sweet finish to a romantic meal. Congratulations to ‘Ginger Delight’s’ creator, Karen Ariele Imm from Maryland.

GINGER DELIGHT

½ c Sweetened condensed milk

1oz. Scharffen Berger 62% semisweet chocolate

1/8t Ground ginger

12oz. Cold Guinness Brand Stout

Shaved chocolate (for garnish)

Method:

In a small, heavy-bottom sauce pan, over low heat, melt sweetened condensed milk and chocolate. Remove from heat and whisk in ginger. Place chocolate mixture into a medium-sized bowl. Set aside to let cool (between 5 and 10 minutes). Pour Guinness over the chocolate mixture and stir until well combined. Divide equally into two glasses. Garnish with shaved chocolate and serve.

FOG CITY NEWS CHOCOLATE HEADLINERS

FOG CITY NEWS is a chocolate Carnegie Hall.  If you are a player in the chocolate world you must play Fog City News when you visit San Francisco or you simply haven’t arrived.  It is the one venue in the City that I can count on to run into any chocolate celebrities passing through town. Why is this so?  It is all due to the hard work of proprietor Adam Smith. He has a discriminating palate. He knows the chocolatiers and confectioners. And they are pleased to make in store appearances to meet their fans. He also carries over 250 different kinds of premium, origin-specific chocolate bars imported from around the world. If you are seeking out an esoteric bar of chocolate that is proving difficult to locate there is a great chance that Fog City News will have it.

Their February In-Store Confectioners Appearance schedule is as follows:

Richard Donnelly of Donnelly Chocolates, Santa Cruz,
Friday, February 1, noon - 2 pm

Michael Recchiuti of Recchiuti Confections, San Francisco
Friday, February 8, noon - 2 pm

Lloyd Martin of Chocolate Visions, Scotts Valley
Monday, February 11, noon - 2 pm

Just Added: Shawn Askonosie, Askonosie Chocolate, Friday,
February 22, noon - 2 pm

This might be the year that you break away from the traditional red velvet heart-shaped box and dive into the fresh confections offered by these confectioners.  Fog City News will receive their shipments just seven to ten days before Valentine’s Day, thereby insuring utmost freshness.  Consider what a real chocolate truffle, made with fresh cream just days ago might taste like. Heaven.