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slochocolateI'm finding lots of interesting twitter to follow, but what's the trick to getting followers?

This press release took me all day to write, but in the late afternoon it went out to over 60 local media outlets. I got two responses right off: an automated response from a reporter who's in Morocco for a month (sounds nice!) and a call from another who wondered if we might hire her nephew. I think we'll get some buzz out of it though.Press release:

June 16, 2009FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASEContacts: Tom Neuhaus tom@sweetearthchocolates.comJoanne Currie joanne@sweetearthchocolates.comEve Neuhaus eveneuhaus@gmail.com Sweet Earth Chocolate Shop Grand Opening July 11 Sweet Earth Organic Chocolates announces the Grand Opening of its first retail shop on July 11, 2009, 11 AM, at 1445 Monterey Street, San Luis Obispo, four doors down from its present home above Splash Caf-Artisan Bakery . The shop will carry an expanded assortment of their award-winning organic, fair trade chocolates as well as chocolate memorabilia, art, and cocoa-butter-based body-care products.Chocophiles of every taste will find something to love in Sweet Earths broad range of delicacies from the deepest of rich, aromatic dark chocolates paired with complex and exotic flavors (try the cinnamon ancho Aztec Truffle or the pineapple coconut Pia Colada), to the playful array of chocolates on sticks. New items also include creamy chocolate and peanut butter fudge, classic cherry cordials, and a line of vegan truffles.Visitors enter the shop through a magical glass door created by San Luis Obispo artist Frank Zika set into a fanciful jungle of painted cacao vines. Inside, beautifully displayed chocolate is offset by bright hand-painted furniture and an eclectic assortment of books, china, tins and tools, all related to chocolate, from a 1943 ad (U.S. Troops Fight on Chocolate Diet) to a two-faced Peruvian drinking vessel. On the walls, continent-shaped collages display photos of chocolate production around the world.As always, profits from sales directly benefit cacao farmers in Ghana and Cote DIvoire through Project Hope and Fairness ; and, as always, Sweet Earth Chocolates are made from carefully selected beans grown in Fair Trade certified co-ops in Peru and Dominican Republic and are certified organic by CCOF. Sweet Earth is a local, artisan business and its chocolates will continue to be produced by hand on the second floor of Splash Caf. Tours are available.Tom Neuhaus, chocolatier and founder, learned his craft in Switzerland and from Jacques Torres at Cornells Hotel School. A professor in the Food Science and Nutrition Department at Cal Poly, Neuhaus also runs the student enterprise project, Cal Poly Chocolates . He travels to Africa regularly to work directly with the people of the cacoa-growing villages Project Hope and Fairness sponsors.Contact numbers: Sweet Earth Chocolates (805) 782-9868Joanne Currie (805) 544-7759Tom Neuhaus (805) 441-6727Eve Neuhaus (805) 441- 6739

Rambling through the cheese section of the new Whole Foods market in Pasadena is an excerise in delerium. Should I get the sharp farmhouse cheddar I know? Should I try the oozy sheeps milk raw Ive never heard of? Blue with veins or white with orange rind??? Then, the little cheese that was meant for me appeared. Cardona with a cocoa powder rind. What a miracle of subtely - no sharpness to the flavor of the cheese, no bitterness from the wrapping of the cocoa. Richness all around. How did they do that?? Thank you, my new friends at Carr Valley. For great scoop on cheese, visit Culture Magazine at www.culturecheesemag.com

Lately I've been spending a good portion of my time accumulating an eclectic assortment of chocolate things for the shop. Most of the stock is here now, and I've stopped looking for more for the time being.

Yesterday I ordered some postcards of old chocolate ads, framed three gorgeous chocolate trading cards

and an ad from a 1943 Life Magazine ("U.S. Troops Fight on Chocolate Diet"), and I cleaned the Godiva truffle trays that go in our big case. We call that case the Cadillac because that's what it is, an old one but a Cadillac nonetheless: sleek, curved glass and mirrors, gold trim. It's from St. Augustine, Florida. The other case is the Chrysler. In its previous incarnation it was a bakery case in a diner in North Hollywood. It has fins.The new floors in the shop look great and the carpenter is working on the cabinets.We're planning to open July 6!

We Indian Cacoa growers scoop the Cacoa seeds from the pod manually. Is there any simple machine or trick to do the job? Please share the knowledge, if any.Rajarajeshwari.

All I can say is...WOW! Last night I was lucky enough to attend a party at ICE--the Institute of Culinary Education in Manhattan, honoring the 10 best pastry chefs in America. It was an amazing experience for a chocolatier and dessert freak like me. We were first allowed to roam through the building where these talented and amazing chefs were setting up and would answer our questions and just basically allow us to gawk at their creations. Then there was the ceremony where each of the 10 were introduced and we got to hear a bit of their back stories which I always find fascinating. My favorite story was that of Alex Stupak from wd-50 in Manhattan who at 12 fibbed about his age just to get a job in a kitchen and learn. My mother did the same thing about 73 years ago in Chappaqua so she could get a job in a tea house and learn to bake from a Southern woman named Carrie who was famous in the area.Each chef then put out a spread with their signature dessert and i ate every single one of them! The most unusual was probably the bluberry push-pop shooters from Richard Capizzi of Per Se and the Bouchon Bakery....amazing!Thanks to my friends at Dessert Professional Mag for inviting me...I had a blast!

Here is the menu for our new Artisan du chocolat chocolateria at 81 Westbourne Grove in London, Notting Hill. We were lucky that one of our long term customer, Nick Strangeway, is also one of the best cocktail makers in the world and he really helped us to make some fresh cocktails that are fabulous and have one compoment of chocolate (pulp or infusion or creamy cold drink) The ice cream is made with our Costa Rica conched cocoa mass. The salted caramel tart is simple but very very good. So far response of customers has been fantastic and already several proposal to franchise to which we kindly said no... cause we prefer to grow ourselves slowly and steadily and be proud of what we do. WestbourneMenuNew_300dpi.pdf

We managed a successful press opening and everyone love the shop, the products and the new chocolate cocktails. Summer coctails are cocoa pulp Bellini, Cupuacu Margarita, chocolate martini and the fab white chocolate and matcha New Orleans gin Fizz. It took us a year to get the design and the chocolateria menu right but it was well worth it. On the first day the shop was already full. Very pleased but very very tired.Come and say hello at 81 Westbourne Grove London W2

Frank brought the new door over today so we could see it in place and choose between several inserts. He does amazing work!

We chose this pattern but in a light azure blue. This is California, after all.

While he packed up, I took a picture of the interior paint. One wall is a rich (what else?) chocolate brown.

The shop is moving along quickly now. The interior paint is done and the floor will be laid over the next couple days.These are the sketches the sign painter is working from.

We're expecting the painter to start on the front any day, too, but the most exciting thing is that a local glass artist, Frank Zika , has offered to lend us one of his doors!Frank makes a duplicate for every commission, so he has a stock of extra doors he likes to install in public places. Tomorrow he'll bring us the wooden frame that the contractors will need to finish, and some samples of glass inserts for us to choose.I can't wait to see possibilities for the door!