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If you don't already know, Andrew Shotts was named Top Chocolatier in America by the FoodNetwork and as chocolatelife members, we should all raise a glass to this talented man and endorse him in the Shinealight Program. All you need to do is follow the link, and click on the upper left hand corner where it says 'Support this story. Endorse now.' There's only a day and a half left to vote.Andrew Shott's story needs 50 endorsers to proceed to the next phase of the program. Please help out and copy and paste the link below.http://shinealight.ivillage.com/sbo-profile/?ProfileID=6681

Call my crazy but I just dont want the makers of Velveeta messing with my Cadbury bars. Kraft Foods bid (underbid?) $16.7 billion for Cadbury this week, declaring they were offering stock holders a 42% increase on Cadburys median share price. Cadbury pushed back, declaring the proposal undervalued their stock and they were confident in their "stand-alone strategy and growth prospects as a result of...strong brands, unique category and geographic scope. The New York Times reports a takeover of Cadbury would help Kraft, the biggest food conglomerate in North America, compete with its larger rival, Nestle, especially in Britain and India. Nestle makes dog food, dont forget. Krafts next move will likely be a run at a hostile takeover, just when you thought those corporate vampires were dead and buried back in the 1990s. When a giant food conglomerate best known for bologne, hyper-processed cheese-like substances and Kool-aid seeks to attain a company best known for chocolate, I worry about my chocolate.Cadbury was founded in 1824 by Quaker John Cadbury in Birmingham, England. It is a national treasure in England. Even to its biggest critics (possibly investigative journalist Carol Alt, author of BITTER CHOCOLATE decrying corporate chocolates role in the history of slavery), or those who prefer higher grade couvertures, Cadbury does more good in the chocolate world than bad. Weve just seen what happens when giant corporations consume smaller ones - Hershey devoured premium brand Scharffen Berger, only to close SBs picturesque California factory and merge operations. Will the flavor be the same? How could it be? Something, something essential, is lost when these things happen. Cadbury milk chocolate - maybe you like it, maybe you dont - but you sure dont want it run through whatever hydrolic machine turns milk and whey into Velveeta; you dont want its essence scrutinized by people who specialize in watering down the Kool-Aid for higher yield. I hope the chocolate warriors beat back the food conglomerage vampires, and Cadbury continues to stand alone as a chocolate company with character and tradition.

My wife Donna and I would like to get a little more creative with coloring our chocolate truffles, I have seen people using airbrushes, we would like some methods on how to use them, and where we could find a suitable airbrush (food safe), reasonably priced... Any recommendations on what coloring (brand) to use?Thanks in advance for any feedback...Jair

Just registered for the Callebaut Beyond the Basics class in Chicago in November. Never been to Chicago before, it has a lore. Any suggestions for things not to miss? Especially food and/or chocolate related...

One of the many things I learned in the the cookbook writing process was how to spell vinaigrette. Its one of those words that looks wrong even when it is right so thank you, eagle-eyed editors. Heres the recipe - it has garlicy, sweet and sour notes which you can adjust by using more or less dark chocolate.2 tablespoons balsamicvinegar2 tablespoons rice winevinegar (or white vinegar)1 ounce dark chocolate,melted2 tablespoons water1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil1 teaspoon minced garlic1 teaspoon kosher saltGround pepper to tastePut all the ingredients into a blender and blend on lowuntil mixed, less than a minute.

Now, I didn't read the whole blog to see if this was answered, but here is a link to the video. We were just talking about that commercial today at work, so I googled it and found someone else whom remembered this commercial. So here it is for your viewing enjoyment (although is is a really old and fuzzy videoReeses commercial Robby Benson Donny Most

Thats why I popped on here the other day and invited all of the chocolatiers I know to join. I miss focusing on chocolate, like I was in Jerusalem. Now Im working on getting my English Coaching and Translating business started, which pushed chocolate to the back burner.My big excitement is that I finally splurged and bought myself Valrhona cacao at KaDeWe (Kaufhof des Westens, the Harrods of Berlin) and it is so marvelous to be able to drink the dregs and not have that sandy stuff left at the bottom.

I am trying out lots of different recipies. Today I did one that has to set for 2 days, so we'll see how that cuts up on Th. I have found some caramel I really like the flavor of but want them to hold their shape better. I am experimenting with temperature but also need to find the right molds and wrapping materials. Saran wrap works but doesn't look very professional and is a pain to cut.

Does anyone know where I can purchase canoes, tools, or sacks used by ancient Aztecs to cultivate, harvest, transport or harvest cacao? I know it's a long shot, but hoping someone would know, thanks! This is a photo of a cacao canoe I took while at the Bruges Chocolate Museum.

Now Im in Berlin and writing about chocolate has taken on a slower pace, but Im still doing it. Now Im even posting on http://chocolatespeak.blogspot.com in German and English.