Leann -- 9/26/07  3:26pm

Kudos to Pedals for Progress! 

As a member of our community, we try to support area events such at the recent Art Hop a couple weeks ago. These events are great fun and always for a good cause. This support often comes in the form of product but just this past weekend, it was a matter of space. And with our recently renovated 444 Pine Street packaging and distribution center and it’s huge parking lot, we were happy to be able to help in some way.

Pedals for Progress hosted their 10th autumnal Pedals Collection here in Chittenden County and our parking lot played host. This organization collects unwanted bikes and gives them a new lease on life while helping with economic growth in developing countries. The collected bikes are sent to countries such as Ghana (great provider of cocoa beans) where locals are taught such things as bicycle repair and maintenance.

With each bike donated, the donor was also asked to contribute $10 to go towards the shipping of these bikes to their new home country. They received not only tons of good karma but also tax deduction receipts. According to the numbers, 285 bikes were collected. Kudos to all those working to look after our neighbors in this global community. To find out more about Pedals for Progress, visit them online at www.p4p.org.


Jill - A Chocolate Intern -- 9/20/07  4:34pm

Behind these Chocolate Walls.

Well, here I am. I’m sitting in the office of Vermont’s well known chocolate factory, Lake Champlain Chocolates. This is seriously a dream. I still don’t know how the staff even let me in the door let alone allowed me to eat their chocolates. But hey, long story short I’m the new intern and I love it.

First, let’s get things straight. I’ve never been one of those ‘chocoholics’ as they’re referred to. Don’t get me wrong, I enjoy chocolate but I didn’t take this internship just so I could eat chocolate until I got sick. To be honest, I have lived without chocolate before and have been fully functional. I did however; take this internship because all chocolate aside, this company is absolutely amazing. The staff is friendly, the work environment is great and hey, you can’t go wrong with a little chocolate. Let me tell you something. When I first went for my interview I was worried about what I was getting myself into. The factory location on Pine Street is getting a bit of a face lift so offices are moving and well, things are kind of everywhere. (Which is shocking because the company is still so organized!) Being a first time intern, I only imagined tedious paper work, heavy lifting of boxes, and pretty much any grunt work that people often pass on to interns. This was not the case at all.

My first project was getting to know the company. I was giving a factory tour, had some chocolate tasting, (I know, this all sounds so horrible doesn’t it?) and met the wonderful staff. I was assigned to a computer and I was off. Now don’t get me wrong. I fully take advantage of my chocolate relationship with the company. If I’m working on something and need to clear my head, I’ll take a walk down the hall to the factory and taste something. The amazing girls that run the tours even make me a drink when they have a chance. The Old World Hot Chocolate gets me through the morning.  I feel so bad asking, but they’re all so nice and don’t mind filling me in on what’s fresh off the product line. I’m really into the Dark Chocolate Truffles. Like I said, I’m not a chocoholic but I imagine by the holiday season I’ll be taking in chocolate straight through the veins.

Leann -- 9/14/07  3:52pm

I’m a chocolate snob. Who knew?

OK, I’ve got a lot to share today so I’ll apologize in advance for my ramblings.

Sometimes, things change. We find we’re not what we thought we were or we find we are what we thought we weren’t. As I discovered this week, such is the case with me. Through no fault of my own, I have to admit I’ve become a chocolate snob. What’s amazing is that it was not even three weeks ago when I professed myself to not be a chocolate snob right here on this very blog. I don’t consider it a lie because when I wrote it, I truly wasn’t. But things have changed.

This week, a small group of us attended training for use on tasting panels. Sounds fun, no? I can hear you now - “You get to sit and taste chocolate all day for work?” While it’s every bit as interesting as it sounds, it’s not necessarily as fun. The simplest description I can give it is that we learned to taste for chocolate attributes that normally we might not have noticed when we were just “eating” chocolate. When you hear wine lovers talk of the different flavors in wine, chocolate can have as complex a profile as any wine. Nearly anyone can do it but it takes training to learn to extrapolate just what those flavors are. 

Some of you are thinking you could sit and do this chocolate tasting thing all day. Fun thought. But no. You’ll be conked out in a sugar coma in two hours. Trust me. More importantly, some of you are thinking the only taste in chocolate is chocolate. That’s just what I thought. But what I discovered in training has since turned me off to a number of the chocolates manufactured by “the big guys” and even a few of those boutique chocolates that act as if they’re made by “the little guys”. It was heartbreaking.

I’ll continue to give every chocolate a chance. I might even give them a second chance because everyone deserves a second chance. And there is a large number of really great tasting chocolates I’ll continue to eat. But to be honest, the chocolate bar of my childhood shall never pass these lips now that I’ve learned the taste of sour milk. And there are a few of the more supposed “gourmet” chocolates that won’t get another glance from my direction as I now know I don’t care for the taste of hay and barnyard in my sweets.

But in the category of “it’s not all about me” here’s what I want you to do. Next time you settle in with your favorite chocolate (just plain, solid chocolate – milk or dark) and you break off a big piece ready to pop in your mouth - close your eyes. Put the chocolate in your mouth and give it a couple chews to get it melting. Then pause for a second and really taste what you’re eating. If nothing else, I think you’ll be amazed at just how many flavors besides just chocolate you can detect. And in my opinion, that’s what keeps me coming back for more of my favorites.


Leann -- 9/11/07  9:18am

The lost art of... chocolate sculpting?

This weekend, the neighborhood where our Chocolate Factory is located hosted the South End Art Hop. There are a number of artist studios in the area and they invite people to roam the neighborhood, check out their space, and visit the other art installations throughout the area. It’s a fun event for all ages and really opens our community up to the public. At our factory, we usually host art work from various artists and this year was no different. We hosted works from both an area photographer and a metal sculptor.

In addition to the art work, however, our own resident artist did a little work of her own. Emily, our factory store manager, is not only an artist in traditional medium but she’s also a chocolate artist and sculptor. So, for the event, she prepared a trio of chocolate robot sculptures as well as hosted a chocolate sculpting demo and it was fabulous! As they say, the joint was jumpin’. It was standing room only and you could have heard a pin drop as Emily demonstrated how she made her sculptures, all the while sharing funny chocolate sculpting anecdotes. It was such a success, she’s even going to host two more in the coming months.

There was something so cool about watching Emily as she worked with the chocolate. Many of us have no experience to speak of with clay or oil paints but we all have had plenty of experience with chocolate. And to watch her take this familiar and beloved material and create these incredible structures was just amazing. You almost forgot what it was. And what’s even better is she made everyone of us feel like we could possibly learn to do it too. Sure, I’ll never be able to make chocolate roses or paintings like the pros but I’m sure I could make something. And if I forget how to do it, I guess I’ll just be sure to attend the next chocolate sculpting demo. There are far worse things I could have to do!