Making the Most Out of the LA Chocolate Salon

September 24, 2008 at 4:57 am (Shows and Samplings, Uncategorized)
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Jade Chocolates and about 2 dozen other chocolate companies will be at the Los Angeles Luxury Chocolate Salon on October 5th at the Pasadena Convention Center.     These salons are not just a place for you to buy artisan chocolates and chocolate related products.  It’s also a place of learning.  Get the most of these events by actively learning about the producers and manufacturers of the foods that you eat. 

Here are my top ten tips on how to make the most out of a Chocolate Salon. 

1.  Wear comfortable shoes and bring a large bag to carry your products and literature home.

2.  Bring water and unsalted crackers to cleanse your palate between tastings.  It would also be best if you came before eating a big meal–at least 2 hours is preferable.  This will ensure that your taste buds will be at their best for chocolate tastings.

3.  Arrive early and expect crowds.

4.  Make your rounds, then go back and buy your chocolate.

5.  Talk to the chocolate makers and chocolatiers.  Ask questions about our chocolates, company, etc.  Everyone company should have a story. 

6.  Take your time.  Don’t ingest your chocolate samples.  Though the atmosphere may be hectic, there’ll be a lot of elbowing up to tables, and so forth.  If you have to take your chocolate sample, and step away from the table to give others a chance, then do so.   Also, the idea is not to eat as many samples as you can but to see what’s new, to compare your old favorites, and to expose you to new chocolate companies.  

7.  Try getting out of the habit of bagging your chocolate samples.  I’ve seen this happen a lot and it amuses me.  How are you ever going to know which chocolates you like and where they came from? 

8.  Take literature or a business card and write down notes on the back about the chocolates you like best from that particular chocolate company

9.    If it’s hot, bring a small cooler  with ice packs to store your chocolates for a safe ride home.

10.  If you’ve read this far and come to the LA chocolate salon, come

 to our table and say the secret phrase, ‘I love your blog!’, we’ll give you 15% off your chocolate purchases!

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Eating Chocolate Like Taking the Slow Road

September 16, 2008 at 7:33 pm (Jade Chocolates Retailers, Product Information)
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I embarked on yet another road trip down to Southern California, this time, to acquire retail partners for Jade Chocolates.  Instead of taking the straight and narrow of highway 5, I decided to take the slower, longer road on 101.  It’s a scenic drive.  I was awestruck with the beauty of the California landscape. I’m actually warming up to road trips, even with my recent car failures. 

Driving up 101 from Southern California is a humbling experience.  The vast ocean of the deep blue waters and the quintessential rolling hills carpeted with blond grass and landscaped with the out reaching arms of mighty oak trees are scenes in my head that I will never forget.  At last, I’ve learned to appreciate a long drive.

It’s a learning experience, just like eating chocolate.  For years, I took for granted what chocolate had to offer until finally, I just got it.  Jade Chocolate’s Dragon’s Breath bar is chocolate that people who like taking the slow road will love.  If you eat it too fast or without care, you’ve just eaten a piece of chocolate.  But you took time to listen, feel and taste, then you’ll discover all the nuances in Dragon’s Breath.  In your initial bite, you taste chocolate mixed with the crunch of roasted sesame seeds invading your palate, but quickly turns into smokey, almost bacony taste.  Then when there is no more chocolate to chew, you begin to feel a slight and gentle heat on the back and sides of your throat followed again by the smokiness of the lapsang souchang tea.   All this with just a single piece of chocolate. 

Back to my road trip….From Southern California, I hit cities such as Orange, Los Angeles, Venice, Studio City, Manhattan Beach, Pacific Palisades, Santa Barbara, Santa Ynez, Paso Robles, and Templeton. We immediately acquired accounts with a few retail stores, so the trip was well worth it.  Here are some of our new retail partners:

Chocolate Maya in Santa Barbara.  This is a quaint chocolate shop run by a woman aptly named Maya.  She also conducts chocolate travels to cacao plantations.  Her first trip was to Chuao, Venezuela earlier this year in February. Here are photos of her shop.  This was my first time in Santa Barbara. The people in the town were warm and kind-hearted.  I’ll have to make another trip here soon.

                

Chefmakers Cooking Academy in Pacific Palisades. This is a great shop for hard to find kitchen gadgets, books, cutlery, and gourmet foods.  It also provides cooking classes for adults and children. 

 Big Sugar Bakeshop in Studio City.  If you happen to be walking down the street and peer into this bakeshop, there is no way that the irresistible interiors won’t draw you in.  It was hard for me to walk out empty handed, but I had to hit the road for more accounts. Next time, I’m getting their homemade ice cream cookie. *our chocolates won’t be available until early October 2008.

 

 EOS Estate Winery in Paso Robles.  You’ll be blown away with the 5,000 square foot marketplace.  They also have self guided estate tours for you to enjoy at a leisurely pace. Wine and Jade Chocolates pair extremely well, more on a later post!

And lastly, Coco Noche in Manhattan Beach.  They’re only open at night, keeping in tune with it’s name and serves up a full menu of Asian fare for dinner.  This innovative wine bar, also has a wine pairing menu which matches ice creams/gelatos and chocolates.  Three of our tasting tiles are paired with Natalie’s pick of three wines.  It’s a great concept, I really wonder why this isn’t being done is more places.

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Excuse me, but my name isn’t Jade!

September 14, 2008 at 7:42 am (About Me, Product Information)
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When I initially meet people, every so often, they end the conversation with, ‘It’s nice meeting you Jade”.  If I’m doing a demo and it’s just too busy, they often slip away without me getting a chance to correct their err.  Ah, better they remember ‘Jade’ than not, I suppose.  If one were to type in ‘Mindy Chocolate’s’ in a google search, all is lost. 

So why the name Jade Chocolates?  There’s a few reasons. One, it sounds pretty cool.  Two, it doesn’t sound trendy or new age like ‘Zen Chocolates’ or ‘Good Karma Confections’.  There is an elegance to the name.  Third, a jade necklace or bracelet is just about the first piece of jewerly given to a chinese baby girl.  I remember my first piece of jewelry, given to me by my grandmother.  It was a heart shaped green jade stone on a gold chain.  I still have it, two identical ones as a matter of fact.

Here’s a photo of me in my Sunday best, proudly wearing my jade necklace.  I’m probably about a year old in this ancient photo.

Jade has a very long tradition in the Chinese culture and is prized higher than gold or silver.  It’s not just for ornamental purposes, it’s worn for good luck and is believed to have healing properties.  In the Han Dynasty, emperors were buried in jade gowns.  So pretty much jade is auspicious.  Something everyone needs every now and then.

I thinks it’s fitting for my company to be named Jade, a reflection of my culture, with a little bit of good luck.

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Chocolate Seizure 2008

September 13, 2008 at 4:55 am (Product Information, Shows and Samplings)
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On Thursday, September 11th 2008, the very first collaboration of TasteTV, Crushpad, chocolate makers, chocolatiers, and wine lovers got together to create a wine to be specifically paired with chocolate.  Everyone who came, was handed a clipboard and a paper sectioned in nine squares to organize all the chocolates by company.  Three wines were poured that night, all were barrel samples, freshly made, not yet aged. 

This gathering was a fun and informal way for wine and chocolate lovers to gather and compare truffles and bars with the wine.  From the narrowing down of wines done previously, I’ve come to find out that some wines pair better with the buttery and creamy truffles, others with solid bars, and yet other wines had more versatility and paired best with both types of chocolates. 

The first wine sampled was my favorite, a merlot by Alder Springs. Next was a Zinfandel (which I felt should not have been in the running).  The initial smell of this wine was not appeasing.  And lastly, the Cabernet from Vineyard X, whom I suspected would be the crowd pleaser, was chosen as Chocolate Seizure’s 2008 wine.   The Cab was the most versatile of the three and paired best with truffles and chocolate bars.   

A bottle of Cabernet will be given to everyone in attendance, as soon as it’s finished aging.  It’s expected release is March or April 2009.  

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Firstround Tastetesters for Jade Chocolates

September 6, 2008 at 6:17 am (Chocolate Friends)
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Today’s post is dedicated to the hard workers who brave the many flavors that is created in the Jade Chocolate’s kitchen.  They are the first to taste the flavor combinations and give the initial ‘yay’ or ‘ney’.  Since we work out of a kitchen in a multi-use building, we’ve got plenty of taste testers on hand.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Shown above are two of our favorite testers, Ryan and Dave.  Great pose, guys.

This week our crew has been finalizing our latest creation which should be out fairly soon.  Here’s a photo of a cross section of the new bar.  I wanted to analyze a cut test to make sure that there’s enough inclusions in the chocolate.

This post wouldn’t be complete without showing off a few more of our testers.  Here’s Ivy, Alan, and Matt taking time out to pose with a great looking 2 oz. bar of bittersweetness. 

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Edible Treasures at Kabuki Springs and Spa

September 4, 2008 at 5:10 am (Jade Chocolates Retailers, Product Information)
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Imagine a place of solitude tucked away in the heart of a bustling city.  A little gem that once upon entering it’s doors, you are transformed into a world of harmony, relaxation, and serenity.  Your surroundings are modern with strong touches of Japanese antiquities.  You’ve entered Kabuki Springs.  You’ve come to bathe in the communal baths or perhaps for an abhyanga massage.  Your body is regenerated and just when you’re ready to step out back into the fast paced street, you are handed a tiny foiled wrapped gift. As you unwrap it, you smile.  It’s chocolate.    

Jade Chocolates is proud to be a part of San Francisco’s Kabuki Springs and Spa. 

Kabuki is the first retailer to have our mini version of our line of chocolate bars, our tasting tiles.  Unlike most other spas, Kabuki Springs is a modern day Japanese communal spa.  Some days are strictly for women, others for men and clothing optional!  There is one day a week, where a bathing suit is required, when both men and women share the communal bath.  I haven’t had the pleasure of a massage just yet, or of using the communal bath, but I sure am intrigued!

     

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