CHOCOLATE from bean to bar…
Across the border, in Vancouver, B.C., Xoxolat (pronounced sho-sho-la) is the food-obsessed city’s only shop specializing in bean-to-bar chocolate. Read more…
“I think that half of the population isn’t interested in anything beyond a drugstore candy bar—and that’s fine,” concedes Xoxolat’s owner, Hodie Rondeau. “On the other end of the spectrum, there are 3% who are already chocolate experts. And in the middle, there’s the other 47% who are interested in chocolate and want to learn more, …”

17. Zotter Chocolate bars at Xoxolat, 2391 Burrard St., 604-733-2462. Flavours to thrill, like cherry brandy with marzipan; celery, truffle and port; scotch; almonds with grappa raisins.

Read more…

There is nothing like the cliché of roses and a box of chocolates to let that special someone know you care — at the last minute. Think quality over quantity, and always keep in mind the preferences of the object of your gift and affections.

…This lovely little shop is all about the organic and fair-trade beans, with a dose of single origin to spice things up. Choose from truffles like caramel fleur de sel, chipotle cinnamon, Kashmir cardamom and lemon ginger, and then wrap up the lot in of their beautiful bamboo gift boxes.

Read More…

Tips for sweet holiday treats

…sets out to explore both the fun and the serious aspects of gourmet chocolates. In the store, you can always expect the most unexpected and refreshing combinations of chocolates and just about anything that’s edible — from the Pop rocks candy to bacon/espresso to freshly shaved Italian black truffles. Everything made in the store is without artificial flavoring and with no emulsifiers! Their own 71% dark chocolate offers a unique flavor profile, an interesting departure from the more widely used Callebaut and Valrhona. My favorite is their sour cherry and chili bar. They also make special occasions extra special by making truffles with ingredients that you bring to the store….

Read More

Chocolate needn’t be daunting to home cooks. “The wonderful thing about chocolate is that even when it’s bad, it’s good,” says Hodie Rondeau, owner of Xoxolat (pronounced “sho-sho-la”). Located at 2391 Burrard Street, the store boasts an impressive array of chocolate treats from all over the world, as well as some unique concoctions made on-site. The Canadian Breakfast Bar (which features maple-smoked bacon) may be an acquired taste, but the Salt & Pepper and Chai flavours have wide appeal.

Rondeau notes that if chocolate is at the heart of a recipe, it should be of the best quality.

Read more

Chocolate 101 at Xoxolat – Vancouver
I recently had the pleasure of attending a Chocolate, Cheese and Whisky pairing event as part of the Annual Hopscotch Whisky Festival at the International Culinary School in Vancouver. Not only was it super fabulous, but it was my first introduction to the amazing chocolate you can purchase at Xoxolat (pronounced sho-sho-la), a local Vancouver store.  So of course, as soon as I got home I checked out the Xoxolat website and much to my delight, Xoxolat hosts Chocolate 101 Workshops on a monthly basis.

These  introductions to the world of chocolate promise to include:

• Tasting the difference between chocolate from different plantations.
• Characteristics of chocolate? Taste by numbers.
• Terms of endearment: tempering, tabling, seeding, cooling.

And of course, you’ll have to try samples of a broad range of chocolate so you’ll have a firsthand knowledge of this “food of the gods.”

Read More

… Listen to what Xoxolat’s Hodie Rondeau will pair with the [Marcus Von Albrecht’s Islay Scotches] Laphroaig 10-year-old:

“Cluizel 99%. Created from the highly respected Criollo cocoa from Madagascar. Pralus have produced a flamboyant character dark chocolate with many fruit and acidulous top notes from raspberry to red wine, continuing through the more caramelized richer flavours to a treacle-like finish. A very fine chocolate as one should expect from such a high grade of cocoa used and its reputable origin.”

You don’t want to miss that…

<a href=”http://www.vancouversun.com/life/Rejoice+festival+devoted+chocolate/2103542/story.html”>Read More </a>

I was enticed into writing this article after a passionate twitter discussion about pairing wine and chocolate. In my experiences I have found chocolate and wine pairing to be an extremely tricky affair and I tend not to agree with a lot of the ‘classic’ pairings, such as port and chocolate (in which I find the chocolate overwhelms the port). My discussions led me to a visit with Pamela Clarke of Vancouver’s Xoxolat where, in anticipation of an event Xoxolat is planning, she graciously donated a few chocolates to the cause of finding a good wine and chocolate pairing. The samples included some chocolates topped with dried fruit and nuts, a rock salt and peppercorn chocolate bar, a cherry and chili chocolate bar and a wildcard lavender chocolate bar, all of which Xoxolat makes in house…

Read more

“… some of the biggest buzz was around the swirling fountain at Xoxolat (2391 Burrard, Vancouver, at Eighth Avenue, 604-733-2462). Owner and “chief chocolate officer” Heather Rondeau was plying the unsuspecting with peppery fountain “hot shots” and new addictions, such as chili-spiced Aztec dark and West Coast “breakfast” squares of folded bacon and espresso–both serious hits.

Rondeau, whose background is in natural health, swears that pure chocolate is the best way to take your supplements. Somehow, the Hired Belly always knew that…

Read More