Valentine’s Day tortoises from Ashby Confections
Come to the Santa Cruz Chocolate Festival on Sunday, January 19 (1-4pm, Cocoanut Grove) and taste samples from more than 25 vendors.
The UCSC Women’s Club sponsors this tasty benefit for re-entry student scholarships. Missed the last couple days of my column? Here are links to two Chocolate Festival articles:
• 2014 Chocolate Festival overview
• Specific treat information for selected vendors including Lifestyle Culinary Arts, Original Sin, Snake & Butterfly Chocolate
Mission Hill Creamery is participating in the festival for its third consecutive year. The Santa Cruz company creates small batch ice cream from scratch, including organic ingredients from the Downtown Farmer’s Market. In exchange for your tasting ticket, you can try MHC’s:
• Original Vanilla Bean ice cream in a hand-dipped Dark Chocolate Mini Cone
Ashby Confections has been a long-time festival presence. Jennifer Ashby, a UCSC and Culinary Institute of America graduate, just opened her own store in Scotts Valley after years of being at Heather’s Patisserie in Aptos. Her handmade confections are made with single origin Swiss Grand Cru chocolate, real butter, fresh cream, and many locally sourced organic fruits and herbs. Festival samples will include:
• marshmallow treats
• truffles
• tortoises
Theo Chocolate, a Seattle company, prides itself on being the only true “bean to bar maker” of organic, Fair Trade Certified chocolate in the US and an independently owned, socially and environmentally responsible chocolate maker. The company controls and executes the entire manufacturing process, from bean sourcing through to the final molding process. At the festival, Theo will be sampling and selling 6 different bars:
• NEW! 70% Dark Chocolate Raspberry – Classic Bar
• NEW! 70% Dark Chocolate Ginger – Classic Bar
• 65% Dark Vanilla Nib – Eastern Congo Initiative Partner bar
• 70% Dark Sea Salt – World Bicycle Relief Partner bar
• 70% Dark Fig Fennel & Almond – Fantasy Bar
• 45% Milk Chai Tea – Fantasy Bar
Saratoga Chocolates benefits from chocolatier Mary Loomas, who has been trained internationally including Valrohna’s Ecole Grand Chocolat in France. At the festival, Saratoga will be sampling and selling the following truffles and bonbons:
• Midnight Dark Chocolate Truffle
• Valencia Orange Truffle
• Caramelized Coconut Truffle (Vegan)
• Milk Chocolate Truffle
• Mocha Truffle
• Hazelnut Praline Truffle
• Salted Vanilla Caramel
• Dark Chocolate Caramel
• Vanilla Caramel
• Ginger Cognac Truffle
Silver Mountain Vineyards, who also participated last year, will pour:
• 2012 Rosé of Pinot Noir
• 2006 Alloy, Bordeaux blend
• 2009 Spencer’s Choice Pinot Noir
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