Eleven years ago, I attended a well-known Chocolate Fest in Burlington, WI, over the Memorial Day weekend. I was hooked on high quality, unique chocolate, and began offering gourmet chocolate to my clients via tasting events.
I learned the basics of bean-to-bar manufacturing under the tutelage of Ed Seguine, with Seguine Cacao Cocoa & Chocolate Advisors. My husband & I have traveled to the following cacao-producing areas: Dominican Republic, Jamaica, Hawaii, Oahu, Maui and Kauai. We are privileged to know some of the premier bean-to-bar manufacturers in the USA. I am a member of the Fine Chocolate Industry Association (FCIA) and have been a vendor at the Dallas Chocolate Fest since 2018.
Throughout the years, I have honed my skills as a chocolatier. As a graduate of Ecole Chocolat certified in Chocolate Technique, I have also taken classes at Ethel M's in Henderson, NV; Johnson & Wales in Denver, CO; The Institute of Culinary Education (ICE) in NYC; Fischer & Weiser in Fredericksburg, TX; New Orleans School of Cooking; and Wiseman House Chocolates in Hico, TX.
In 2014, we made the move back to Lantana, TX, after spending 15 years in Minnesota. In 2015, I launched my Cottage Food business. I mainly conduct truffle-making workshops in my home, my clients' homes, or on our "Chocolate Adventure" motorhome. I also offer a variety of other workshops all centered around chocolate: wine/beer/spirits & chocolate pairings, chocolate tastings, mixology classes, meal prep, salad-in-a-jar, and more.
I focus on creating specialty flavors for my handcrafted chocolate truffles and utilize only the best Belgian and French chocolates. I utilize unique chocolates such as Ruby (the 4th chocolate) and Valrhona Inspirations (cocoa butter and real fruit/nuts) flavors - strawberry, raspberry, yuzu, almond. We also offer chocolate-dipped Oreos and other confections as well.
last year, I attended the Fancy Food Show in San Francisco in January. Whilethere, I picked up a few other food product lines to represent: MiMol(authentic mole), Cup of Coa (hot chocolate mix), and SoChatti (liquid chocolate that is gluten free, dairy free, soy free, and kosher). I am proud to bring those items to your market as well.