It’s Saturday night and I’m driving home from a day of fun and shopping. It’s about a 3 hour drive and it’s close to 9pm. This is about the time I really started craving something sweet. Something like the Milk Chocolate Sea Salt and Almond squares. In my mind, I could taste the mix of salt and sweet. No problem. I’ve started keeping a small stash of my favs in my bag for just this reason. So, as I drive 80 mph down the interstate, I fish around in my purse for a piece of chocolate. Probably not the safest thing to do.

Bummer. Not only can I not find the particular type I’m looking for but I can’t find a piece of chocolate, period. Now my mind is set on having chocolate which means I need to pull off the interstate, run into a convenience store and find something that will satisfy this craving. I don’t really care for roaming around back roads of Vermont looking for an open store late at night. Not to mention it’ll slow me down and undo all the benefit of having driven so fast to begin with.

With the exit coming up, I pull off and find a little mom and pop store and run in to ransack the candy aisle. I’m not a chocolate snob, refusing to eat other chocolates, even candy bars from the larger manufacturers. I just have to find something that will do the trick. So, with a final scan, I grab a ton of fruity candy, a bottle of pop and a package of peanut butter cups. And I make a mental note – stock purse up with chocolate squares before my next road trip!


Leann -- 8/21/2007 12:30pm   

Is it chocolate turkey time already?

It’s still summer for a few weeks more and while the nights here in Vermont are getting a little cooler and the shadows are starting to get a tad bit longer, I’m certainly not thinking about fall and winter just yet. Summer is so short here, I hate to get too far ahead of myself.

So, being in a summer frame of mind, you can imagine my surprise when I walked by the factory window and saw them making chocolate turkeys! For the briefest of moments, I couldn’t remember what the date was and had to remind myself it was still, in fact, summer. Once I’d relaxed and settled back down from my fright of a premature ending of my precious summer, I watched the chocolate turkey making for a few minutes. And truthfully, I was a little amazed.

At one station, the chocolate molds are being hand filled. Those that are already filled are turning around and around on the magnetic tumbler which I think is just one of the coolest things ever. And over at another area, out pop these perfectly formed little turkeys out of milk chocolate and dark chocolate. It’s kind of mesmerizing to watch it all go on. And to think that these cute little guys are going to spend Thanksgiving with families all over the country, holding the place for family members until they’re ready to come to the table. It’s pretty darn cute – even if it does make November seem closer than ever!

Leann -- 08/14/2007 8:30 AM

Who's going to help me with these wedding favors?

As I go through each week, one of the things I work with is wedding favor orders, ideas, and marketing. It's a big industry in general and it’s a big part of a chocolatier’s business during those months when there aren’t many chocolate-related holidays, such as summer. It’s quite fun to work on and gives you a real creative outlet. I say that right now from the inside looking out.

When someone calls looking for the perfect wedding favor for their event, it’s usually pretty easy to figure out the exact item that would go with their style, budget and picture in mind. They tell you what their colors are. They tell you what their chocolate preference is. They tell you how many and how much and voila, you have something perfectly designed for them and everyone is happy. It always seemed so easy.

What I never thought about is how overwhelming it can be from the other side. Here is a bride or a bride’s mother calling. They already have a million things going on and each detail is just as important as the last. Now they have to figure out the wedding favor and they simply want it to be perfect. And even though a wedding favor might seem like a small part of the overall day, it can take on monumental proportions when you start exploring all the options.

Wondering how these thoughts occurred to me? Well, my nephew is getting married and as a wedding gift, I offered to take care of the wedding favors. I thought it’d be simple since I deal with wedding favors all the time. And now here’s my dilemma – I want them to be perfect and convey the exact mood he and his fiance are hoping for. And I want them to love them.

So, do I do chocolate truffles in an engraved ballotin? I could do chocolate hearts in a sheer, organza bag. I could even do a chocolate bar and give guests beautiful, labeled containers that they fill themselves with their favorites. I just don’t know. I feel like one of the many brides that call looking for help with their favors. And I’m excited about it. Who does a person who works with brides arranging wedding favors call when she needs wedding favors?


Leann -- 08/09/2007 2:30 PM

Do you ever get sick of chocolate?

During the course of a normal day here at Lake Champlain Chocolates, visitors inevitably ask “Do you ever get sick of chocolate?” It’s one of our favorite questions which is a good thing since we hear it so frequently. It’s innocent enough. We’re completely surrounded by dark chocolate, milk chocolate, chocolate truffles, homemade chocolate ice cream and more everywhere you look. Usually we’ll answer with a chuckle and say “Oh no, never” which is then followed by a shared discussion of our mutual love for chocolate.

Leann -- 08/06/2007 8:30 AM

Ice Cream in Saratoga

Not long ago, before I worked in a chocolate factory, I would go visiting at friends’ houses and bring a dish to share. They’d ask me to bring my curry dip or my asian wings or even this fabulous red velvet cake I make. It was fun. I loved preparing things I knew they’d love and I loved the accolades I received while they ate them. It was a sense of accomplishment. How times have changed.

These days, when invited to a party or a shindig, I ask the age old question “What can I bring?” I don’t know why I ask. I already know the answer. Chocolate. It never fails. Someone of less confidence might even wonder if my invitation to said event was designed around having me bring chocolates. So, I try to switch it up bringing chocolate truffles to one gathering, chocolate caramel nut clusters to another. Perhaps even some Belgian chocolate pistoles for making chocolate fondue.

Well, this past weekend, I planned to meet friends for opening day at the horse races in Saratoga. What to bring. Hmmm… I could do chocolate covered nuts. I could do our Chocolates of Vermont. But it’s summer and it’s Saratoga and I really wanted to do something different. Something no one would expect.

The idea didn’t come from me. It came from Jim, our owner. He suggested I bring some of our pre-packed pints of ice cream. He even knew how to get dry ice for me so they’d stay frozen for the 2 hour ride. Seemed crazy. Even a little ambitious. But I did it. And it was a huge hit! I think the Chocolate Banana might have been a bigger hit than even the ice cold bottle of Moet that friends sent to our table. Not only was the ice cream just yummy, it was a huge surprise because they never saw it coming. I didn’t win big on the ponies but I did win big with my friends and in the grand scheme, that might be more important.

But now comes the problem. How will I ever top it? They’ve come to expect great things from me and I just don’t know where to go next. Maybe next time I’ll have to make our Ultimate Chocolate Cake. Mmmm mmmm mmmm!