Learn more about the heart of the Creo Chocolate company in my Zoom interview with Creo co-founder Janet Straub. Visit Creo Chocolate: https://creochocolate.com/ #CraftChocolate #Chocolatebar #BeantoBar #Creo #JanetStraub #Chocolate #CreoChocolate

My husband and I have dear friends from Guatemala who travel back there at least three times a year. Whenever they return they have the most incredible stories to tell, which include tales of their food adventures. Although I’ve had chocolate from many different countries, for some reason a chocolate bar made with beans from Guatemala hasn’t come across my path – until now. Enter, Fresco Polochic Valley 100% Chocolate. In 2018 this bar won a series of awards: the Silver Inter

To get a pulse on the emerging chocolate scene in Hawaii, I recently connected with Tamara Butterbaugh from Mānoa Chocolate via Zoom. Tune in to our interview! Visit Manoa Chocolate: https://manoachocolate.com/ #TamaraButterbaugh #Hawaii #CraftChocolate #Chocolatebar #BeantoBar #Kailua #Chocolate #InPursuitofPurity #ManoaChocolate

If you haven’t guessed it by my first name, I am originally from Hawaii. I haven’t been back to Hawaii in years, but when I heard there was a local company that was making their own chocolate from locally grown cacao and from beans from around the world, I couldn’t help but be curious to find out more about them. The company is called Mānoa Chocolate located in my old stomping grounds of Kailua, on the island of Oahu. I was fortunate to have the opportunity to taste their cho

When I began exploring the world of chocolate I was given some raw cacao beans to try and I really enjoyed them. Unfortunately, my focus at that time was on chocolate bars more than the cacao beans they came from. I wish I paid better attention to where the beans were from, as they had a distinct nutty flavor with a hint of banana. They were really delicious and would have likely made a good bar of chocolate. Fast forward to today … While I am still a novice when it comes to

A friend recently mentioned that she placed an order for CrioBru and asked if I had tried it. While I have not tried that brand, I have had 100% pure ground roasted cacao beans brewed in a French press just like coffee in the distant past. I thought I would give it a try since I haven’t had it in years. Then again, I find great joy in experimenting with cacao beans and chocolate. Rather than buy ground cacao beans for brewing, I thought I would make my own. I had a third of a

I came across this gem of a chocolate company, Seed Chocolate, in my quest to learn more about the Gran Nativo Blanco cacao bean from Peru. I read about it in a cacao publication and was really curious what made this bean so special. I searched high and low for a chocolate bar made with these beans. Perhaps I wasn’t looking in the right place, but I couldn’t seem to find any bars within the USA. So I contacted James Walter, the master chocolatier and driving force behind Staf

Creo virtual tasting package This month I participated in my first virtual chocolate tasting hosted by food writer and chocolate expert, Megan Giller, highlighting the creations of Portland, Oregon based company Creo Chocolate. Janet and Kevin Straub of Creo were present and provided background on their company and fun facts and stories about their products. It gave me an opportunity to learn more about what makes Creo’s products so unique. Here are a few fascinating tidbits:

If you are a chocolate fanatic and haven’t read Cacao Magazine, I highly recommend you check it out. It covers all facets of this heavenly food item and the chocolate industry itself. I find myself learning something new and intriguing with every post. In a recent post they discussed the increase in “baking fever” as the world is looking for activities to do from home. They also shared some great looking recipes. While they all sounded fantastic, there was one that caught my

Some dear friends went on a road trip around the nation and returned with a bevy of chocolate from their travels. They blessed us with a nice size jar of cacao nibs from a chocolatier in Tennessee called Olive & Sinclair. These are not your average cocoa nibs as Olive & Sinclair has put their unique spin by aging them in bourbon barrels. You may be wondering what are cacao nibs. They are small pieces of crushed cacao bean that may or may not be roasted. Here’s a link to one o

I am not into the commercial nature of many created holidays. However, I have to say that I was blessed beyond belief when I received a photo scrapbook filled with beautiful pictures of my little girl and chocolate from La Maison Due Chocolat for Mother’s Day! Totally unexpected! I had the good fortune of trying their chocolate the last time we were in Paris. In fact, I talked about my La Maison Du Chocolat experience in my book “In Pursuit of Purity, The Paris Chocolate File

I have always been a supporter of small businesses. I really appreciate and value when someone uses their gifts and talents to carry out a vision to create something unique. We are all so fortunate that there is so much diversity in the culinary industry. There are food items for every palate these days, no matter how esoteric. Thank goodness for the individuals who have taken the big leap and financial risk to contribute their distinctive spin on something as popular as choc

It took a lifetime (my lifetime, that is) before I made it to Paris, France. It was everything that this gal who was raised on a rock in the middle of the Pacific Ocean dreamed it would be and more! The city was vibrant and full of life. The architecture was stunning. And, I could not believe that everywhere I went I was surrounded by many amazing shops – from cafes, boulangeries, pâtisseries, and of course chocolate shops. I had never seen so many chocolate shops in my life

As you’ve already read, I have had a love affair with chocolate before I was able to walk. However, there was once a time when my love for chocolate was not returned by this delightful substance. Rather, I experienced a host of symptoms that led me to get checked by my dermatologist. On that day I found out I was “allergic” to this indulgence. I don’t know about you, but being an avid chocolate fan, such news was absolutely crushing! I never would have thought that abstaining