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Latest episodes from Chocolate Fascination

Interview Episode 15 – Luisa Abram

Play Episode Listen Later Jan 13, 2020 56:33


At the 2019 Northwest Chocolate Festival, I caught up with Luisa Abram. We found a (mostly) quiet spot to discuss adventuring through the Amazon rainforest on boats and on foot, making new and high-quality milk powder, discovering new locales with great new cacao, making new […]

Inside the Chocolate Society – 2

Play Episode Listen Later Dec 31, 2019 57:24


Join in my conversation with Julia and Kelley – recent members of the Utah Chocolate Society – as we talk about finding fine chocolate, finding chocolate nerds, and experiencing our legendary tournament for their first time! Utah has had great chocolate and a fun scene […]

Interview Episode 14: John Nanci

Play Episode Listen Later Jun 23, 2019 60:15


Back in November, 2018, I was able to find John Nanci. Like a lion, I separated him from the masses, except then we sat and talked – for an hour! John started Chocolate Alchemy years and years ago to share what he found out about […]

Inside the Chocolate Society 1: The Tournament

Play Episode Listen Later Feb 5, 2019 57:37


The annual tournament may just be the highlight of all the Utah Chocolate Society does. Every year we start with 64 of the world’s best chocolate bars, and every year we subject ourselves to the toil of randomly pairing, tasting, and voting on them to […]

Interview Episode 13: Felipe of Diogo Vaz

Play Episode Listen Later Jan 10, 2019 28:53


I got to meet Felipe and William of Diogo Vaz at the Northwest Chocolate Festival in Seattle back in November. Felipe and I sat down to talk chocolate and his background. He changed career paths dramatically 5 years ago to leave the office, corporate world […]

Interview Episode 12: Lars Moller of Ingemann Fine Cocoa

Play Episode Listen Later Dec 7, 2018 33:52


Lars Moller of Ingemann Fine Cocoa occupies a niche in the cacao supply chain that is rather unlike the vast majority. Ingemann buys cacao from farmers in Nicaragua, and they work the fermentation and drying of the beans – with an unheard-of level of sophistication […]

Interview Episode 11 – Bryan Graham of Fruition Chocolate

Play Episode Listen Later Nov 29, 2018 37:20


Bryan Graham and his wife Dahlia started Fruition Chocolate amidst a fascination with the mystique and magnetism of chocolate making drawing them in. Over the years, they have sourced great cacao and experimented with new approaches to single origin chocolate, inclusions, and confections. In this […]

Interview Episode 10 – Harish Manoj Kumar of Regal Chocolates

Play Episode Listen Later Nov 21, 2018 36:20


Harish Manoj Kumar is the head farmer for Regal Chocolates where they grow cacao in southern India. In this interview, Harish tells us his story of beginning to grow cacao and learning how to greatly improve his family farm’s biological health and the quality of […]

Interview Episode 9 – Domantas Uzpalis of Chocolate Naive

Play Episode Listen Later Nov 14, 2018 34:53


Domantas Uzpalis, the man behind Chocolate Naive, is one of the most inspiring people I know in chocolate. His approach to chocolate-making is creative and thoughtful and fresh and new. But he is not merely jaded with the status quo. He wants to personally create […]

Interview Episode 8 – Matt Caputo

Play Episode Listen Later Oct 30, 2018 72:32


Matt Caputo is a longtime friend, and really a driving force behind my adventures in and passion for chocolate. The store started by his dad is where I have hosted the Chocolate Society from the beginning, and Matt personally introduced me to most of the […]

Interview Episode 7: Emily Koons of Cacao Review

Play Episode Listen Later Oct 13, 2018 43:54


Emily and Dayton Koons began Cacao Review as an Instagram chocolate review project. They take beautiful pictures and review wonderful bars, but last year they launched their first chocolate bar collaboration collection featuring bars from some of the world’s top chocolate makers. This year, they […]

Interview Episode 6: AJ Wentworth of Chocolate Conspiracy

Play Episode Listen Later Oct 7, 2018 73:51


Steve, Mike, Erika, and AJ of Chocolate Conspiracy AJ founded Chocolate Conspiracy 8 years ago, and we met shortly thereafter. He is a fun character, and we have talked a lot over the years about all things chocolate. Chocolate Conspiracy has a very unique approach […]

Interview Episode 5: Harper Macaw

Play Episode Listen Later Sep 21, 2018 19:16


I was able to sit down with Sarah Hartman of Harper Macaw last November at the Northwest Chocolate Festival in Seattle, Washington. Sarah and her husband, Colin, are using Brazilian cacao to craft chocolate that is bold and fruity, and they are striving to help […]

Interview Episode 4: Solstice Chocolate

Play Episode Listen Later Sep 16, 2018 68:02


DeAnn Wallin of Solstice Chocolate has a unique style that is quintessentially American and bold and fun. Solstice Chocolate typifies the sorts of qualities that makes American chocolate unique from European bars. Her chocolate is bold and bright and expressive, and she is a blast […]

Interview Episode 3.2 – Volker Lehmann Part 2

Play Episode Listen Later Sep 10, 2018 44:18


In Part 1, Volker tells the story of his discovery of cacao that had been lost to Westerners – but was still known by the people in the jungle of Bolivia. In Part 2, we talk about the struggle of convincing the chocolate industry to […]

Interview Episode 3.1 – Volker Lehmann Part 1

Play Episode Listen Later Sep 7, 2018 38:06


Volker is a brilliant and fascinating man who, after growing up in Germany, traveled the world in search of adventure and helping people. Join in our conversation as we discuss how he discovered and came to purchase the land whereon grows the most pure cacao […]

Interview Episode 2: Hazel Lee

Play Episode Listen Later Sep 1, 2018 30:51


Last November, I was able to sit down with Hazel in the midst of the hubbub of the Northwest Chocolate Festival in Seattle. Hazel is a HARD-core chocolate fan, and she is a member of the Academy of Chocolate, among other distinctions. Our focus is […]

Interview Episode 1: Ritual Chocolate

Play Episode Listen Later Aug 23, 2018 49:31


Listen in to my conversation with Anna and Robbie of Ritual chocolate, 2 incredible people who have a truly singular vision about their ideal of fine chocolate. They discuss their backstory in beginning their company with attendent trials and stresses, and their perserverance to make […]

How to Taste Chocolate

Play Episode Listen Later Aug 22, 2018 12:06


This second installment briefly discusses how to engage your senses to really experience chocolate. Did you know that you have WAY more than 5 senses? Or that tasting food engages more than just your tongue? So much of how we sense our food is beyond […]

Intro to Chocolate Fascination

Play Episode Listen Later Aug 22, 2018 26:56


Welcome to Chocolate Fascination! This podcast is all about fine chocolate. This introduction covers what is fine chocolate, how it is made, and how it differs from mass market chocolate – the likes of which most of us grew up with (even in Europe). Future […]

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