Forum Activity for @Matt Caputo

Does anyone know of a bulk choc. as good as Valrhona in the same general $ range?

Posted in: Opinion

Thanks Sarah. What have you used it for? Are you in the industry?

Does anyone know of a bulk choc. as good as Valrhona in the same general $ range?

Posted in: Opinion

We are banging on all cylinders here. I will find the time after the New Year. Happy fourth quarter!

Does anyone know of a bulk choc. as good as Valrhona in the same general $ range?

Posted in: Opinion

Steve,Trying to sell these pastry chefs on raw product would be like trying to push move a mountain with my bare hands. So much of how they and their customers perceive the flavors of cacao has to do with the heavy roast. This is not a challenge I am up for right now.However, I checked out your website and was intrigued by many of your products, are you looking for retailers? We are more gourmet than natural, but I am always looking for new ways for my customers to experience the flavors of cacao.Thanks again,Matt

Does anyone know of a bulk choc. as good as Valrhona in the same general $ range?

Posted in: Opinion

Clay,Too kind of you. Please do put me in touch with Mr. Bauman. I would love to try his products and we are already a sub-distributor for Atalanta. We ship their stuff out of New Jersey so hopefully they can combine our orders. Please let me know how I can get in touch with him, the Intermountain West is DYING for decent product at a reasonable price. Because of the way Valrhona is distributed here even large users of Valrhona such as Jean Georges restaurant are paying over $11/lb. They are aware of the much lower prices in other markets and are all telling me how fed up they are and willing to try something else.While Valrhona lets us distribute its retail product, they will not allow us to do so with food service. I am friends with their retail National Sales Manager, Heidi Tancredi and I have told her how much business they are losing, that I would love to solve that problem for them, etc., etc. However, they are worried about upsetting European Imports and/or Paris Gourmet, even though they can't get product here for less than $11/lb.Anyway, any help would be greatly appreciated.Best,Matt

Does anyone know of a bulk choc. as good as Valrhona in the same general $ range?

Posted in: Opinion

Clay,Thanks for the response. I will definitely try Felchlin again. It has been years and my taste for chocolate has definitely matured. Do you happen to know who the importer is or who I could contact to find out if they would like a new importer in the Intermountain West? I believe it may be Swiss Chalet who I think got bought up by Atalanta.Best,Matt

Does anyone know of a bulk choc. as good as Valrhona in the same general $ range?

Posted in: Opinion

No. I am going to be wholesaling to chefs who need a finished product. Thanks for the suggestion though.

Does anyone know of a bulk choc. as good as Valrhona in the same general $ range?

Posted in: Opinion

Hey Robert, Thanks for you response. I have tried Amedei, Pralus, Domori, Amano and they are all excellent but considerably more expensive. Beyond things in that price range I cannot seem to find anything with decent cacao flavor. I find Callebaut flavorless other than vanilla, Guittard seems a little too flat. Anything you really like not over $10/lb wholesale?

Does anyone know of a bulk choc. as good as Valrhona in the same general $ range?

Posted in: Opinion

I am trying to find a brand to use in bulk in the same general price range as Valrhona, but of the same quality. Everything I have tried so far is either WAY worse or WAY more expensive. Any help would be great.
updated by @Matt Caputo: 04/11/15 04:19:40AM

Quotable Quotes

Posted in: Opinion

This quote is not about chocolate, but I think it applies:"No one ever went broke underestimating the taste of the American public."H.L Menken

Top 10 Questions You Want To Ask Michael Antonorsi of Chuao Chocolatier

Posted in: Opinion

I know the deadline is WAY over, but I would like to know why they chose the name Chuao when making no attempt to use any Chuao? Also, do they think this is the sort of thing that might cause confusion in an industry desperate for educated customers?

What are your favorite adult beverages to pair with chocolates?

Posted in: Tasting Notes

Chocovore,I'm with you on this one. I have tried relentlessly to pair chocolate with wine. I make a fair bit of money on our chocolate courses and also on wine and cheese courses. It would be to my advantage to make this work. One of my best friends is a master sommelier and we have spent hundreds of hours pairing these two terrior driven (at least somewhat) things together with little to no success.We found uniformly that the tannic structure in many red and white wines boost the flavinols in the chocolate, ruining any subtleties the wine or the chocolate had to offer. Even when the wines are lacking in grape or wood tannins they tend to do very little for the chocolate, especially at cellar temperature, which cools the mouth and disrupts the texture of the chocolate on the palate.Some useful rules of thumb we came up with are:1. With dark chocolate, the wine should be sweeter than the chocolate.2. With dark chocolate, avoid dry and astringent libations as their moisture sapping effects seem to be increased exponentially.3. With milk or white chocolate more acidity and tannins can be in the wine as the chocolate has a richer mouth feel and more fat to be cut through.It boggles my mind that people are pairing dark chocolate and cabernet. The combined effect of the tannins and the flavinol create a chemical reaction on the palate that to my chocolate circle and wine circle is like giving yourself a shot of novicaine in the tounge. Instant palate shock. I think it is hilarious when people convince themselves that this deadening sensation is actually tertiary flavors. I literally fell out of my chair laughing at a wine tasting seminar at Merryvale in Napa when they paired a $160 bottle of Cabernet with Dove chocolate.Anyway, just my opinion, but backed up by dozens of others with better taste buds than me.
updated by @Matt Caputo: 06/16/15 09:20:37PM