Any other indie chocolate worshippers out there?

perk Chocolate....are you kidding....?? A womans natural aphrodisiac!!

I love chocolate anything (candy, drinks and whipped body creams)- (hint hint)

I've had women try my xocolatl body cream and instantly get that glazed, sex craved look in their eyes...Yes, folks...it really gets the ole' olfactory organs working (evil grin)...

I have never experienced true gourmet chocolate and one of these days I would LOVE to be able to go somewhere and sample the very expensive, gourmet type chocolates!

uh, yes. CHOCOLATE body cream.

i believe that glazed over look in the eyes was present when Star and I first smelled the lotions (and scrubs) from the Simply Soft line of Country Meadow. wait...i'll make it even easier

soon it will be featured on her website in its new packaging too ;)

now that you are properly hooked up with lotion and scrub goodness, let's get back to this discussion of chocolatey goodness in the form of a get-together.

HELL YEAH! you said tonite, right? giggles seriously, though, this sounds like uber lots of fun...and maybe Rebecca will induldge us by bringing samples of her lotions (nudge nudge).

Chocolati is a great chocolate shop too. They have a retail shop on 99, as well as their coffee shops in Greenwood, Greenlake and Wallingford.

ALSO a great place that makes ALL their own sauces and such for everything is Da Vinci cafe at 97th & Greenwood. WOWIE! their stuff is even wheat and gluten free - but you'd NEVER know. seriously.

Sadly, none of those places are large enough to host an event but maybe we could feature some of their stuff.

August event perhaps?

Xocolatl=the old mexican term (I believe) for the word chocolate... and yes chocolati is a wonderfully addictive place to go... hubby and I try to stay away from there as I can just feel the pounds piling on....

I would most definately be interested in doing something 'chocolate'....and I would also be most willing to bring samples of our xocolatl cream....

I love the Xocolatl!

My dear friend, Gregory, owns a truffle and specialty chocolate company - Chocolatada - here in Seattle. Last year he hosted a series of chocolate dinners that was divine! You can currently find him weekend mornings at the Seven coffee house on 78th at Greenwood making his grilled chocolate sandwiches...oh my gawd they're amazing!

If you do lean toward an event of sorts, I bet he'd be interested! I've told him about Biznik many times, but I'm going to nudge him again to join.

Mmmm...off to find something chocolate....

Hannah, This sounds like a wonderful (yumlicious) idea!! I hope you put together a Biznik event based on chocolate. Here are a few ideas...Theo Chocolate in Fremont does factory tours reportedly with all the chocolate you can eat. They are a fair trade, organic company. I think they company is locally owned, but I'm not sure.
http://www.theochocolate.com/

Fran's Chocolates was started by Seattle entrepreneur Fran Bigelow in 1982. http://www.franschocolates.com/ Perhaps we could have an event that included Fran herself, sharing her indie success and her chocolates! I am crazy about her Dark Chocolate Caramels with Smoked Gray Sea Salts, which I affectionately refer to as "Crack Caramels". Good Lord, there should be a 12-Step Program for those things! ;)

Ok, I have to know...what does a grilled chocolate sandwich entail?

Down here in OK, we have fried Coke, fried Snickers, fried Twinkies...but no grilled chocolate sandwiches!!

Mmmmm, chocolate. Theo is indeed locally-owned, founded by a friend of mine.

Check out these interesting articles about the amazing apparent effects of eating lots of cacao:

http://www.diabetescure101.com/chocolate.htm http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/36439.php http://psychologytoday.com/articles/pto-20030218-000007.html

Gee, I wonder if anyone would come to a chocolate tasting night... Ya' Think?

And where are all the other guys on this thread, anyway?!? (what's up with that? Sheesh. )

Brian, the SMART men show up where the chocolate is...knowing there will be women there.... ;)

Wow, two Bizniks that have friends who own chocolate companies...nice! Those are the kinds of friends I want. :)

Recently, the Fancy Food Show in Manhattan awarded THREE Seattle chocolatiers with awards - this story was in the Puget Sound Biz Journal and I just found it in their St. Louis sister paper: (http://stlouis.bizjournals.com/stlouis/othercities/seattle/stories/2007/07/16/story2.html?b=1184558400%5E1490453)

Also, I was in Vancouver, BC last week and walked past a new Chocolate Cafe' called Mink (http://www.minkchocolates.com/flash.php) - after the event I spoke at, I stopped by Mink Cafe' for the most awesome mocha I think I've ever had.

Vancouver also has it's "Death by Chocolate" cafes. Count me in on the chocolate tour/class/day!

That's so cool, Hannah - chocolate for healing... because you take good care of yourself... because you deserve it... Maybe everybody will start being able to see the other dimensions in your paintings! They Are Awesome! (Say, will you also maybe put some whipped body-cream in there? Or is that only healthy for a rare few people?)

I've been to the Theo chocolate factory and can definitely recommend the place, as they have a great tour, enthusiastic personnel able to encourage you to keep tasting chocolate, and a nice space to hang in afterward! It's inspiring, fun, interesting, and perfectly Divine (of course!) -- Theo is short for 'Theobroma Cacao', the botanical name for the cacao tree, from which all chocolate springs. Theobroma means “food of the gods” in Greek: Theo = god, broma = food.

Beware: since that tasty tour I cannot enjoy any chocolate that is not very high quality without my body asking me: "What's all this sugar doing in it?" and "Is this fair trade? I don't want tons of bodies suffering for this!" So I do the classy thing: my consumption has gone down, and my enjoyment WAY up!

Brian... I hate to tell you, but the flipside of being that smart man who knows where that where the chocolate goes, the women flow: the men who put that into actual practice do not spend their time writing posts aBout chocolate on Biznik - they are off feeding it to a woman. Of course, I've heard that you're an amazing multi-tasker...

I'm excited for this event! Let's get high on life! Chocolate is a natural part of life! I'd enjoy it if the event had the same health-spin that seems to be on it right now (chocolate body, chocolate mind). It could be an way of introducing healthy chocolate habits to our indie lives in a way that doesn't overtax the environment. Organic is great, getting close to zero-waste at all ends of the spectrum is another thing ...Sorry I'm not detailing this point with a gorgeous link -- it's early and I'd need a hot cocoa before I succeeded at proving my point with research -- just muse with me here:
When I consumed cheap chocolate, I consumed a lot, and I found out later that plantations (cacao and other) are a source of acid waste in the country where they're produced, and, of course, all the extra stuff in 'lower-end' chocolate products are transported, packaged, and eventually bought by me in more copious amounts than really necessary for my fix, which taxes the environment more than I'd like while getting chip-choc-chirpy.

An event featuring how high-quality chocolate-eating is a healthy, sustainable practice for both our individual bodies and for Gaia's body could be so so so wonderful!

Yes Hannah, let's do an event for that! Alice and Bree, thanks for the encouragement. Let's figure out logistical details on a back channel. I'm thinking a combination of:

1) Gourmet Chocolate tasting with someone to lead it who really knows what they're talking about...

2) ...at a facility where we can go on a tour (Theo!), and discussion of the business model and challenges with the owners. Jeff Fairhall is the person I know, but sadly he's no longer part of that project.

3) Wrap up with a discussion of what aspects of the biz are not so sustainable, which are sustainable, and the global impact. For example, the situation regarding slave labor in Côte d'Ivoire. Whats the Biznik solution? I'd love to facilitate such a discussion amongst chocolate-industry business owners, for that matter.

Onward...to Xocolatl!

For sure, I'd be into a chocolate event, esp. focused on fair trade efforts and earth-responsible growing, harvesting and processing.

On a related note, while I was living in Chicago, I met a crew that does yoga/chocolate events, focusing on sensory awareness. Not the same aim that we're talking about here, but definitely quirky, imaginitive, tasty. If anyone's interested: http://www.vosgeschocolate.com/yoga_and_chocolate

Julia

Briana,

There are men somewhere feeding chocolate to women?? Where...where are these men armed with chocolate???? Pls send detailed directions...hee hee! ;)

I am in Belgium until April (when I go back to the DC area) and I will say, the belgians know how to make chocolate....and beer...mmmmmmm

I can't believe I didn't see this conversation going on. Wow! I would like to add that the Germans make fabulous chocolate as well. Their assortment of chocolate ice cream is to DIE for!

Whaddya think of this?

"Gourmet handcrafted chocolates and confections including truffles, chocolate dipped items, custom chocolates, logo chocolates, gift baskets, client appreciation gifts, caramels, old-fashioned popcorn balls, fresh fudge, nut logs, turtles, and much more. I enjoy making custom items to fit clients' needs." That's from Sarina Elliot, a Biznik: http://biznik.com/members/sarina-elliott who, by the way, just had a baby...

I work for Fran's Chocolates and would love to be part of this group/event/feeding frenzy. I can get chocolate at a VERY good price as I work right in the factory! Yes, I am surrounded by chocolate and caramels all day every day!

I am very new to Biznik, but let me know how I can help.

Homemade hot chocolate: it's the ONLY thing I can cook!

You know that Tiberio is going to want in on this in some form ... teaching ways to make things with chocolate, and then teaching everyone how to feed it to each other with a sensuality equal to chocolate itself. :-)

How did I miss this post? Hello, Chocolate! Yes, yes and yes! I agree with Leili that Tiberio makes the most heavenly chocolate. I like Brian's idea of getting a tour of a chocolate facility and having a Biznik event there. Keep me posted!

Puzzle this one...

I don't care for chocolate at all usually but find myself seriously craving the following form of chocolate:

http://www.udoerasmus.com/products/bijabars_en.htm

Perhaps it's the quality of Omega 3/6/9 based fats that makes all the difference!

Udo Erasmus has really made such amazing contribution to the maze of modern day nutritional info!

-Cere

Does EVERYONE have chocolate on their minds? I didn't even see this post until a few minutes ago, but man, would somebody please hold another event at a chocolate shop?

I've just posted an event to take place at Chocolati in Wallingford...and here I was worried that folks would want to avoid sugar and fat.

I too, would like to know about grilled chocolate sammies. And, would like to have more chocolate themed gatherings. Yummy.

Your wish is our command. Hannah and I are planning an event for September: Factory Tour, Multiple manufacturer tasting with Red Wine and Discussion about what's great and what could be improved in the chocolate industry.

Stay tuned, it'll get posted in 3-4 weeks.