Gourmet Business Fine Foods Quarterly April 2014

Have you seen those question-and- answer interviews with celebrities or well-known chefs that ask what is the one food you can’t live without, or what is the food that will always be found in your refrigerator or cabinet?

Well, if someone posed that type of question to me, the answer would be chocolate. I’ve given up a lot of different foods for various reasons in my lifetime – mostly because of some diet I’ve been on – but the one that is the most chal- lenging to eliminate from my diet is chocolate.

I did give it up for Lent a couple of years ago, and I thought that having done so, I had broken my addiction. But as soon as I tasted chocolate again, I was hooked. Some people can limit themselves to one square a day or stick to a regimen of only dark chocolate, but I’m happy with just about any kind. Dark, milk, with nuts or without, even a handful of chocolate chips; I’m a lover of chocolate.

That’s why putting together this issue of Gourmet Business Fine Foods Quarterly was especially satisfying for me. During the Winter Fancy Food Show, I made it a point to check out the booths of as many chocolate companies as I could, gathering information for the product gallery and, of course, checking out some samples along the way. It’s amazing what is going on with chocolate in terms of origin of beans, percentage of cocoa and the combinations of flavors.

Then I also took some time after the show to chat with the head chocolatier
at Kohler, which is relatively new to the confections business, about her approach to chocolate-making, and the owner of Chocolate Covered, a chocolate shop in San Francisco, about some of the broader trends. Unfortunately, I didn’t come across the information about the shop until after the Fancy Food Show in San Francisco, but rest assured, I plan to make a pilgrimage there next January.

There is so much happening in the world of chocolate these days that it’s a topic that bears repeated visits. Even though we’ve given you a good look at some of the newest chocolate products available, I can guarantee there will be more choco- late-related information in future editions.

So chocolate lovers, as well as specialty food aficionados, please enjoy this issue of Fine Foods Quarterly.

Joanne Friedrick
Managing Editor,
Gourmet Business Fine Foods Quarterly

 jfriedrick@gourmetbusiness.com