Adventures in chocolate? Definitely! Creating an adventure mindset includes being curious, trying new things and trying familiar things differently. Chocolate is a great starting point. (It’s chocolate – so it can be an adventure at any point!). Since being told that the cacao bean is my spirit animal, I have learned about chocolate in-depth. From seminars at Harvard University, to touring “fincas” in Central America, to conducting countless chocolate pairings and beyond – I love exploring it all. And sharing with you!
The allure of pirate tales often centers around hidden treasures, daring exploits, and legendary figures. Yet, the Dutch privateer Piet Hein remains a lesser-known name, overshadowed by the more infamous buccaneers of history. The stories of his exploits would be...
Blackbeard’s Cacao Treasure Is your mental image of Blackbeard, the adventure-swashbuckler pirate from the early 1700s with a mythic-proportion level reputation for fierceness, based on Hollywood images? From the 1952 film, 2006 TV series, or the rogue as seen in...
Maureen Nikaido is on a mission to honor the farmers who grow cacao and educate American consumers about the goodness of bean-to-bar chocolate with her new brand – Moku. The first spark of this idea came in 2013 when she and her husband, Michio, toured a small museum...
Sophie: “Dad, wouldn’t it be great if there were an ElfCon? You know, an event like Santacon but where kids can be a part of it.” Dad: “That sounds terrific. Why don’t you create it?” Sophie, thinking later that night before bed: “Yeah, that would be pretty cool.”...
What happens when you keep following something that you are passionate about? Your curiosity brings you so many things to learn! Cacao is my spirit animal (so I’ve been told). So learning about chocolate has become my passion. (Is it yours too??) Following what...
Ancient Mayan cacao ceremony Is a cacao ceremony something you might be interested in for an adventure? Maybe the first question you may be asking is – what is cacao? Why would chocolate be considered a wellness product? And, as it’s possible you’ve...
Are you ready for another chocolate tasting adventure? This time let’s follow our curiosity and discover how to pair whiskey, whisky, bourbon or scotch with chocolates. While I’ve covered chocolate tasting and other pairings (see list at the end), the...
CBD/THC infused chocolates from coast to coast Here's a 4/20 adventure for you - discovering the growing trend of cannabis and craft chocolate. [[WARNING: KEEP ALL THC INFUSED GOODIES AWAY FROM CHILDREN!!]] When you hear pot and chocolate, do your thoughts quickly...
Beer and chocolate pairing? Blech! When I first introduced the idea of this adventure in taste to Mark, the owner of a local tavern, and his wife, that was their initial reaction. However, one of their favorite customers spoke up longingly about a memory of having a...
What happens when you take two common food items, coffee and chocolate, and pair them together? You may not think of this as much of a tasty adventure if your daily coffee is a mocha latte or you order a mild cup of joe with a side croissant with chocolate (or as the...
Part 2, How to Have a Coffee and Chocolate Pairing Party Want to have a tasting adventure? To try something new, either on your own or with friends? Have a chocolate and coffee pairing party! (For more info on this dynamic duo, pairing suggestions and a tasting mat...
I’m a registered drug buyer – an adventure in cannabis chocolate Ever wonder what it’s like to buy marijuana, legally? Across the country, the discussion about legalizing pot for medical and recreational use is growing louder, with more states getting in on the...
Fun Fact: Boston is steeped deep in chocolate history! This was my surprising discovery when I decided to create a Boston Chocolate Adventure for me and my sons (as a belated Mother’s Day adventure together). I started the same way I did for my New York...
Here's a tasty adventure - pairing wine and chocolate. Did you know that tasting chocolates has been compared to the same art of tasting wines? You don't have to be a wine or a chocolate sommelier to enjoy learning how to pair the two! The main ingredients for...
Tequila and chocolate pairings are becoming the trend these days. More and more restaurants are offering some kind of combination (such as hot chocolate with tequila, tequila infused truffles and ice cream - a top seller at Tipsy Scoop is the “Tequila Mexican Hot...
Can you really have adventures (and even life lessons) by drinking hot chocolate that others have ranked as Top Ten? This is what happens when you get a hair-brained idea to put together a Meetup for a hot chocolate tour of NYC. Last summer I tried a chocolate tour –...
Recently, one of my favorite sources for finding things to explore in NYC featured an article on Top Hot Chocolate places. The listicle showed up on a very cold, wintry day. As you may know, I adore chocolate! (If you don’t know, I’ll include links to my other...
A chocolate tour of NYC? With an adventurous outlook and a love of chocolate...well, why not? A few years ago, after I had learned that the cacao bean was my 'spirit animal' (or food), I decided that maybe learning to make chocolate or get into the chocolate industry...
Warning: this recipe for cocoa, bacon and steak has been referred to as "sensuous" and really good for that date (or "date night") when you want to use really intoxicating ingredients...chocolate, bacon, steak and more.... (really - you need more??) Chocolate Expo The...
Imagine yourself standing on a mountainside dirt road in the tropics. It's a humid day, the temperature is in the 80s and the sky is slightly overcast. You are in the middle of the rainforest, visiting an organic, beyond-Fair-Trade cacao farm with fifteen strangers...
Costa Rica. Chocolate. When you hear the first, do you connect it with the second? When I remember back to my adventures in Costa Rica, some of the best memories are chocolate related. I saw my first cacao tree, and it’s weirdly attached fruit of yellow/green pods,...