Friday, February 12, 2010

A moment, on a day, in a year... I'll never forget.

Valentine's Day has a special place in my heart. Not just because it is about hearts and flowers and of course chocolate but because it was the day I fell in love with the art of chocolate making. Don't get me wrong, I've been a chocoholic since the day I was born but until Valentine's Day in the year 2000 I had never thought much about how chocolate is grown, produced or crafted into the delightful sweets that I enjoyed.

It begin in Guelph, Ontario. I had moved to the charming city for a job as a copywriter. It was a nice job and I really enjoyed the people I worked with. I had no thoughts of leaving or changing careers...I was happy (although my apartment was less than desirable). I was dating a man from Toronto (this is the part of the story my husband prefers to skip over) and on Valentine's Day he brought me a small box of chocolates. Growing up in a small town in rural Ontario, the chocolates I had bought or been given in the past were your typical wax-like drugstore variety. Never had I tried a truffle made with real cream and butter or top-quality couverture for that matter. So, on that Valentine's Day when I opened that small box of Teuscher Chocolates I was surprised. My first curiosity was a little card inside the box that described how the chocolates were flown in fresh weekly from Switzerland and had to be consumed within 14 days. My interests piqued, I tried one...a champagne gem in chocolate. It was incredibly delicious...it was divine! That was it, that was the moment. The next day, I started looking online and in the local bookstore for anything on chocolate or chocolate-making. To this very day, I remember the exact moment when my path changed course. Ever since that day, my life has been consumed by the craft and traditions of chocolate-making. My greatest satisfaction is when customers tell me "I never knew chocolate could be this good!"...trust me, I know exactly what you mean.

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