Alegio Chocolates & Claudio Corallo

Stop in for a chocolate tasting at Alegio Chocolates in Berkeley's Gourmet Ghetto. Learn the story of Claudio Corallo and his journey to become a master chocolate maker.  I recommend the Chocolate with raisins and cocoa pulp in bitter liquor.  Pure heaven.

Like Water for Chocolate

Like I love chocolate, so does my cat Tiger Lily love water.  It is a dichotomy I have yet to understand.  She winces when the spray bottle is aimed at her but paws at the bathtub water tap.  I believe she is a descendant of the Main Coon breed, which have a fascination with water.  The breed is also known as the Gentle Giant, which is also true of Tiger Lily who enjoys snuggling on my lap as I try out my latest chocolate discovery.

Sinful Joy

Dark delight

Delectable swirl

Luscious twirl

Brownie, bar, brittle

Raspberry, caramel, hazelnut.

Sugary Seductress

Scrumptious heat

Heavenly treat

Chip, cookie, cocoa

Amaretto, marzipan, espresso.

Calorie craving

Diet disaster

Supreme master

Mahogany, milk, creamy alabaster

Enslaved to the chocolate delight.

Divine Chocolate - Fair Trade

In the mist of the chocolate haze from the 2011 SF Chocolate Salon, the most notable and admirable trend is the emergence of chocolate companies dealing with the dark side of chocolate. Fair Trade Certified chocolate companies are giving back to countries and people that produce the cocoa bean. Fair Trade is a partnership between producers and consumers that insures a fair price to producers and healthy and safe working conditions.

One of the first chocolate companies to do something about the problems facing the cocoa industry was Divine Chocolate, the creator of the first mass market Fair Trade chocolate bar. Fair Trade certification insures fair pricing and also has standards addressing child labor plaguing the countries of Ghana and Ivory Coast. Divine attended the San Francisco Chocolate Salon with taste samples of their new Dark Chocolate Ginger and Orange bar and told their story. Divine Chocolate was launched in the UK in 1998 and in the US in 2007. It is the product of Kuapa Kokoo, a co-operative of Ghana cocoa farms. Kuapa Kokoo was established in 1993 and two years later it received its first Fair Trade Certification. Kuapa Kokoo’s mission "seeks to develop itself into a formidable farmer-based organization capable of mobilizing quality cocoa products, improving the livelihood of members and satisfying customers". Kuapa Kokoo is owned by its farmers and the farmers in turn own a 45% share of Divine Chocolates.

“It gives farmers empowerment, ownership and dignity.” said Mark Magers CEO of Divine US.

Divine Chocolates is sold nationally in the US in Cost Plus and Whole Foods. It is also sold at many smaller locations focused on Fair Trade.

I recommend my favorite, the Dark Chocolate Raspberry bar. I buy it at Global Exchange on College Ave. in Berkeley. It is a San Francisco based company committed to promoting Fair Trade merchandise. Enjoy the chocolate and help promote Fair Trade!

Chocolate Passion at Farmer's Market

The Saturday Oakland Grand Lake Farmer's Market contains the typical rows of stalls with seasonal plump tomatoes, ripe avocados, delicious apples, succulent grapes and sweet honey. The lone oasis chocolate stand belongs to Barlovento Chocolates. The chocolate is made from the finest Venezuelan cocao. The luscious passion fruit chocolate blend was my guilty pleasure for the day. A sweet blend of passion. My favorite is still the chocolate caramel with salted top. Try the spicy Venezuelan Hot Chocolate for some extra heat. They also frequent the Marin Civic Center and Palo Alto California Ave Farmer's Markets.

Poetic Hot Chocolate

While strolling in North Beach, I stopped at my favorite North Beach hot chocolate spot - Caffe Roma. A beautiful coffee grinder adorns the front window, I have been told this is the sign of a good coffee shop. They are know for their coffee, but I only know about the hot chocolate. I sipped my favorite North Beach hot chocolate from the tall glass mug and felt inspired to write the great Italian novel. Buttercup played on the sound system. The atmosphere is relaxed, with free wi-fi. The perfect place to hang-out and dream. For all you budding poets, Friday night is now open mic night.

Truffle Love

North Beach is known for the delectable Italian restaurants and bakeries. In true San Francisco fashion, tucked in the heart of Italian North Beach is a chocolate shop with a French attitude. XOX Truffles was voted one of the Top 10 Artisan Chocolatiers in the country. The tiny shop is located at the south end of Columbus Ave, just past Washington Square. The bite size truffles are made on site. I had a truffle of my favorite chocolate/caramel combination. It was creamy and light, incredible combination. I also tried the hazelnut and strawberry - yummy. XOX Truffles is a must stop when in North Beach.