Small Things Really Do Add UP!

Our Kiva donation total is now at $300.00 in loans! Wow...thanks to all our customers!

Well now, look at that!

Newlyweds Audrey and Jordon's wedding was featured on the blog Wedding Obsession. Our delightul truffle boxes were photographed at the place setting for their guests to enjoy! There wedding looks absolutely beautiful...check it out for inspiration

Wedding Obsession

Buy One, Get One FREE!!!! NOW 'TIL DECEMBER 3RD

Our New Website is Live!!!

Looking for some sweet holiday gifts and stocking stuffers? Check out our new website...

www.evechocolatier.com

NEW! Caramel Stuffed Fig Acorns

The autumn leaves are just starting to change in Ontario and the Canadian Thanksgiving weekend is fast approaching. Our new Caramel Stuffed Fig Acorns are available in our chocolate boutiques. Our new website will be launching any day now and will also be available online at www.evechocolatier.com

Treat Her to Truffles!

My New Spring Window

I love lemons! For all their tartness they sure are cheery and put a smile on my face.

The Year's First Harvest

When you draw from your mind a symbol of Canada that is endemic across the globe, the first image that comes to mind is that of the maple leaf. In the cool month of March, that honoured leaf has long since shivered to the ground and yet it is the bare maples that mark the year’s first harvest. For local farmer, Don Giffin, a family tradition is rehearsed every March as the sap starts to run from the silver maple trees of Sinclair Woods.

Don welcomed me to his farm and generously described to me the process that his maple operation begins every year and conducts for about the five weeks or so that the maple harvest runs. For twenty-five years, Don has been creating award-winning maple syrup from our regions maple trees. He began humbly tapping roadside maples. As his interest grew he began to tap more and more trees and eventually was rewarded the sole rights to tapping within Sinclair Woods.

But the history of maple syrup in our region is as old as the trees that produce the sweet nectar. Native Americans were the first to discover “sinzibukwud”, Algonquin for maple syrup, which literally means “drawn from wood”. Recognized for its energy and nutrition, Native Americans would use their tomahawks to chop an angled incision into the trees. Then they would insert reeds or concave pieces of bark to run the sap into birch buckets. As a form of reverse osmosis and to reduce boil time, the natives would simply leave the sap in the buckets overnight and freeze the water content, collecting the rich sugary substance from beneath.

With the arrival of the first European settlers and fur traders came the introduction of iron and copper kettles. The Native Americans taught French colonists the practice of tapping and collecting the maple sap and during the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries, syrup was a major source of pure sugar.

Along the picturesque trails within Sinclair Woods, the past greets the present as Don inserts plastic “health” taps into the trees. Called health taps because they allow the tree to heal in three months as opposed to two years, these taps are used only once and then discarded to prevent a bitter tasting sap known as “buddy syrup”.

With the early-spring’s endeavors underway, Don’s crew are busy collecting and producing this year’s crop at a hurried pace. The modern evaporator has replaced the iron cauldrons and plastic pails have taken the place of classic tin. But, what still remains is a farmer that simply values a small patch of ground.

Visit Griffin Maple Syrup Products at 18862 Communication Rd. S., Blenheim. Don and Jean run a working farm so contacting them beforehand is advised. Don and Jean have released a cookbook in conjunction with the Ontario Maple Syrup Producers Association. Contact 519-676-3448 for more information.

The Wind of Change is Blowing

I am so excited! In conjunction with The Chatham Daily Post, as their new food columnist, I will be adding new content to the Treats In Type blog. Treats In Type will take you on a food journey through the many regions of Ontario, including Chatham-Kent. The blog will be full of recipes from Ontario chefs, wonderful photos, information regarding local markets, profiles on artisan producers and gastronomic adventures through charming villages and farms were our province's culinary traditions have grown. I hope you will continue to read the exciting new blog, and better yet, share it with your friends and family.

Cheers!

Pauline

Brrr...it's cold out there!

Save $1 on Chocolate Tea

(In-Store Only!)

Arts and Culture in Chatham-Kent

Thanks to Jen Merritt for the feature on Arts & Culture Chatham Kent! Check it out...

http://artsandculture.ckdp.ca/the-art-of-chocolate/

A Place for Everything and Everything in its Place

Enjoy a break after a weekend of spring cleaning. Indulge in a box of truffles and sit back and enjoy all your efforts. My one and only tip for organizing...touch once! If it doesn't have place, either make one or get rid of it. Simplicity in life is true abundance!

Links:

Martha Stewart

Pottery Barn

DIY Guides

Chirp! Chirp!

Host a chick themed party! Either for a birthday, Easter or shower our hand-decorated chocolate chicks are a cute parting gift or sweet table treat.

Links:

Martha Stewart

Better Homes and Garden

Country Living

A Rockin' Baby Shower

Host a lovely rockin' good time at a Baby Shower Brunch!

Cool greens and rich browns are a nice perk in the dull days of February. Caramelized Onion Tart, Carrot Coconut Cake and Apple Martinis are a nice transitional menu for the upcoming spring season. Our charming Rocking Horse Crisps are the perfect parting gift.

Links:

Martha Stewart

Country Living

Paper Culture

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.

...and the Oscar goes to!

Producers of the movie Precious have been awarded congratulatory chocolate oscars in recognition of their Oscar nomination. We were delighted to produce these little chocolate jewels for two gems of the film industry. In order to create these oscar-like chocolates we had to create our own mold out of food-grade silicon putty and then set a cast in white chocolate and hand gild the statues with edible gold glitter. It was a fun day in the kitchen creating something in celebration of the silver screen!

True Love Blooms in Chocolate!

Historic Downtown Chatham Open House!

Come join in the holiday festivities on Saturday, November 28th for Historic Downtown Chatham's Holiday Open House. Watch our chocolatiers create a Grand Gingerbread House and sample many chocolatey delights! In-store discounts and a special "secret santa" gift with $40 purchase.

Eve Chocolatier

14 King Street West

Downtown Chatham (below the Retro Suites)

519-351-0555

CK Etsy Team Holiday Trunk Sale!

CK Etsy Team Holiday Trunk Sale hosted by Eve Chocolatier! Come browse and shop handmade gifts by talented local artisans on November 26th from 7-10pm.

Holiday Stocking Stuffers!