Van Leer has been out of business for many years. B-C bought the moribund assets of the company - basically the name. Whatever B-C does, I don't think it will be to reproduce the couverture formulations of old.BTW, Tad's new company is J Emmanuel chocolatier, focusing on wine-infused ganaches.


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@DiscoverChoc

I don't know how they decide who gets credentialled and who doesn't. I have never had a problem. You need an official business card with a writer/journalist/reporter title (not editor, publisher), plus either an assignment letter from the editor/publisher and/or a copy of a bylined article published within the last two years. I would pre-register but there is no link I can find on the site. SO -Register as a member of the press in the NASFT press room . Contact them directly and say you want to register as a member of the press but don't see how to do it on the web site.:: Clay


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@DiscoverChoc

Argh! I'm only going on Sunday! :/

Susie:Actually, Scharffen Berger does not make their own milk chocolate as the factory in Berkeley is certified Kosher pareve. Scharffen Berger ships the liquor to Blommer who makes the finished chocolate for them. At least that was the case before Hershey bought them.As an aside, eat the SB milk next to Guittard's 38%. You'll instantly notice a distinct sourness in the SB milk chocolate. Now taste some Hershey milk with the SB milk and you might notice that they are very similar.In a conversation I had with John Scharffenberger about the production capacity of the Berkeley plant (and it is from John that I learned about Blommer making their milk chocolate), he said that they looked "long and hard" to find the milk powder they ended up using. So, the flavor of the SB milk is not a mistake.IMO, they deliberately made the chocolate taste like a grown-up version of a Hershey bar. VERY SMART and maybe one more thing that made them attractive to Hershey.


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@DiscoverChoc

I'll be there. this will be my third visit to the Fancy Food Show in NY and the collection of chocolate companies is pretty good. I just got back from Scharffen Berger in San Francisco. They are making a very fine milk chocolate, don't you think?

alexander is coming to NYC? that sly sly dog.... I will be there as well, downstairs in some booth number whose digits I cant remember right now...butIf you have not met mr. morozoff yet you are in for a treat.he will be attending two tastings next week in phoenix arizona that I am doing with fritz Knipshildt and Chatham kitz of chathams fine chocolates. we are pairing our chocolates and some fine wines at 2 Morton's restaraunts in scottsdale and phoenix. It will be the 3 amigos gone wild before mother's day ends.

we will be there! thank you for the heads up!

Hopefully, I can meet you there. I just bought a ticket and hope I can attend the session on chocolate as well.

Here is the complete listing from the Fancy Food Shows website:The Fine Chocolate Industry Association Presents: A World of Milk Chocolate Flavor - A Guided TastingMonday June 30, 2008; 8:30 am - 10 amPre-Show Member Price: $50 / Pre- Show Non-Member Price: $75Onsite Member Price: $60 / Onsite Non-Member Price: $85Milk chocolate has been overlooked in our rush to get on the dark chocolate on the shelves and can be a very profitable addition to your inventory as it is still the number one chocolate flavor preference with the majority of US consumers. Sourcing Milk Chocolate Bars from across the globe, we will compare manufacturing styles, ingredient differences and flavor profiles so you will be much more knowledgeable about milk chocolate. We will also discuss the merchandising of a "wall of chocolate" for impact during peak sales periods.Speakers: Alexander Morozoff, Publisher Cocoa Aroma Magazine; Tad Van Leer, J. Emanuel Chocolatier; Pam Williams, Fine Chocolate Industry Association.In order to attend you must either be a member of the press, a member of the NASFT (National Association of Specialty Food Trades), or work for a company in the food business (or find someone that will vouch for you and get you credentialed).I am planning to be at the show and will most likely attend this session, in part to meet Mr Morozoff for the first time. Tad is the scion of a quite famous US chocolate maker (Van Leer) now owned by Barry-Callebaut. The brand has been defunct for quite a while but B-C is resurrecting it. Pam Williams is the head of the Fine Chocolate Industry Association but is probably better known as the force behind Ecole Chocolat.


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@DiscoverChoc

At this year's Fancy Food Show at the Javits Center in NYC, there is an educational session of "A World of Milk Chocolate Flavor - A Guided Tasting."This is the first time that I have seen a seminar on chocolate and I am sure there will be many attendees.How many members have gone to the show and tasted new and different chocolates? I think it is such a treat.
updated by @seby-singh: 12/13/24 12:16:07