ChiamMaya Chocolate is Chocolate in the centuries-old Mexican tradition. Fresh, organic cacao is stone-ground and blended with pure cane sugar, almonds and cinnamon to create an authentic, ageless chocolate whose recipe still survives today in the Mexican tradition.
We create three different blends - Mayan, a sweet recipe in the Mexican tradition; Aztec, a bittersweet concoction for real chocolate lovers and American, slightly less sweet Chocolate for the US palette.
At ChiamMaya.com, you'll find insightful commentary on the world of Mexican-style Chocolate, Chocolate recipes, news about chocolate, and of course, you can buy ChiamMaya Chocolate right here online.
We invite discussion and comment on all of our Chocolate. Feel free to leave your thoughts by signing in and becoming an active member of the Chiammaya Custom Crafted Chocolate community.
We'll also be posting our travel schedule here to fairs and food expos around the US. Come see us make custom chocolate at an event near you.
For the past several years I have been trying to balance my "day job" with the growth of Chiammaya Custom Crafted Chocolate and serving my loyal customers as best I can. It has been a difficult thing to achieve a balance and at times, I have failed!
I just retired from my day job and will be devoting 100% of my time to chocolate chocolate and more chocolate.
The plan is to catch up on production while still devoting care to producing the finest custom crafted Mexican style chocolate and expanding the line of products I offer.
It is too late this year, but for next year but I have access to a chocolate boot camp that will be on the schedule. This will expand my skills in chocolate confections and allow me to offer more products based on my fine Mexican style chocolate.
Stay tuned for many exciting developments soon to come to Chiammaya.
Artisanal everything! That's what we've known since the beginning. Chiammaya makes small batch, hand crafted chocolate with simple ingredients, minimal processing and Love. Try some todau.
After holding prices since 2006, circumstances demand a dreaded price increase. The good news is that until January 1, 2012 our prices will remain the same as always so stock up NOW!
Callebaut is predicting cacao prices to go up as supply has stayed constant and demand has grown! I hate to hear that because Chiammaya has held prices constant since 2006!
We've know it all along! Not only is Chiammaya delicious, it is OH so good for you and THAT is what America wants. Who knew it was as close as our southern neighbors and NOW available in the U.S.A.? Well Chiammaya has been stone grinding standard AND custom blends and shipping them around the globe since 2006! Place your order today and have the BEST hot chocolate with your thanksgiving dinner!
Cacao seeds, which are used to produce chocolate, are among the healthiest foods in the world, according to Kilham.
I just love it that these things keep comeing out day after day! We've always known that Chiammaya Custom Crafted Chocolate was good for you, not to mention DELICIOUS.
Healthy chocolate? You bet and ALL dark chocolate isn't created equal. Chiammaya Custom Crafted Chocolate makes sweet, semi sweet and bitter sweet chocolate that is ALL dark chocolate. Get some and try it TODAY!
M.D. Creekmore over at the The Survivalist Blog - a survival
blog dedicated to helping others prepare for and survive disaster -
with articles on bug out bag contents, survival knife choices and a wealth of other survival information is giving away a Go Berkey Water Filter System (a $139.00 value)! To
enter, you just have to post about it on your blog. This is my entry.
Visit The
Survivalist Blog for the details.
Knowing that Valentines day was nearly upon us, we had worked hard to build up stock in order to have enough stock for the season. Little did we know that the article combined with Valentines Day would explode in unexpected volume!
The story ran on Sunday and by lunch on Monday, our local distributor, Old Village Roaster, was calling asking for another delivery of chocolate. An hour and a half later they had chocolate. Two hours after that delivery they asked for more chocolate and again within an hour and a half, they had chocolate.
By the end of business Tuesday they were calling again! Wednesday the same thing. Their delivery volume was doubled and they were STILL running out and so was Chiammaya.
We fired up the molinos to grind more chocolate and quickly ran out of raw ingredients. Quickly we call out supplier who told us that beside being snowed in, the beans needed to roast for our order was still on the boat and would not arrive for another week!
I suppose selling so much that you run out is a good thing, but not knowing how many sales you've lost by not having enough inventory is really upsetting.
The story has generated more interest than any other article up to this point. A couple of potentially interesting project may be coming from this.
So go ahead and order more chocolate, just realize that the next available orders won't be shipping before March 15, 2010
WOW what an exciting day it was today. I've been e-mailing back and forth with a person from Norway who had visited Oaxaca and, like me, couldn't shake the call of the chocolate. Finding Chiammaya on the web, they wrote asking about shipping to Norway. I had looked into it once before and found shipping was going to be nearly $50 to Australia!! I dug a little deeper and found that I could ship two pounds of chocolate to most anywhere in the world for $15.00!!! Even better was that it would deliver in 6-10 days!
After exchanging emails over the course of a few days I ended up shipping TWO packages containing four pounds of delicious Chiammaya Custom Crafted Chocolate to Norway. I dropped it off this afternoon and in less than two weeks I am sure we will have some adicted customers in Norway.
After the Smoke on the Water fund raiser, I felt it was time to speak again to Vickie at Old Village roaster --http://maps.google.com/maps/place?oe=utf-8&rlz=1R1GGGL_en___US345&client=firefox-a&um=1&ie=UTF-8&q=old+village+roaster&fb=1&gl=us&hq=old+village+roaster&hnear=Chesapeake,+OH&cid=4683147543477795291 -- About becoming a retail outlet for Chiammaya.
I stopped by and we came to terms and yesterday I dropped off the first delivery of Freshly made Chiammaya chocolate.
Stop by and check them out and pick up a bar or two of Chiammaya Custom Crafted Chcoolate.
About 6 weeks ago I got tow exciting phone calls. The first was from the Central City Market -- the tailgate market here in Huntington WV -- and the other from Angie Jones from the Marshall Artist Series.
The Tailgate market was having a harvest festival and invited me to sell Chiammaya Custom Crafted Chocolate. This was exciting for two reasons. The first was an opportunity to do some direct retail sales and the second was because up to now, the Central City Market was restricted to farm raised products only.
A couple days later, Angie called asking if I'd be interested in providing something for a fund raiser for the Marshall Artist Series.
I knew it was going to be a long day but these were two opportunities I couldn't pass up.
I was up at 5:30 and out the door by 6:45. I took the time to load the truck Friday night so getting the last minute things ready was not a big deal.
Within minutes of getting set up I had a sale of five bars. A GREAT way to start the day. People were generally receptive to the chocolate and by 11:30 I had sold nearly 30 bars!
At 11:30 I packed up and headed past the other end of town to the Grover Farm for the fundraiser called Smoke on the water. The Grover's were amazing people with one spectacular farm. In spite of the weather there was a good turnout, fantastic food and a LOT of interest in Chiammaya. I even had the opportunity to speak with a regional manager of a grocery store chain about getting into their store! Chiammaya May be available soon in a Market near you!!
For the last week I have been visiting the annual national convention of the
Retail Confectioners International (RCI). While I am new to the group I have
several long time friends who are well respected in the group and felt quite at
home. I spent my days in seminars and my nights learning even more from
seasoned veterans of the candy world. Imagine my surprise when I was asked to
try this piece of candy; hmmm good! peanut butter, some sort of crunch and
chocolate. Imagine my surprise when I learned that the crunch was potato chips
crushed into the peanut butter!! Weird yes, but delicious too. The people of RCI
are candy pioneers and they will try most anything to see if they can make
something new.
Thursday and Friday, along with seminars on
customer service and a mini candy boot camp I had the opportunity to visit the
expo center and talk with many of the nations finest candy industry suppliers.
I also purchased some exciting new things to expand the ChiamMaya line, keep
watching because the holiday season will have several surprises coming!
Last week, WSAZ, a local TV station ran a great story in Chiammaya that can be
found here:
It has gotten some interest and a few orders and that is always good!
Two
interesting things came from this story so far. The first was an invitation some
time in the future to J.B. Millers show in Magic 97.9 radio show. It is looking
like I may get to spend some time in the hot seat with J.B., take a few phone
calls and maybe give away some chocolate.
The other interesting one came
from an order that was the result of the TV spot. This order was for two sampler
packs and the intent was to give one to a friend and keep the other for personal
use. Upon opening the package the person who ordered the two packages
wrote:
"after sampling your sampler I am thinking I don't really wish to
allow my friend to suffer through the experience as I have. I think this stuff
is terrible. Of course that is just my opinion. I expected something better than
Hershey's. I was surprised to find you need a hammer and chisel to get a piece
broken off to put in your mouth, then felt like I had a mouth full of sand,
which did eventually melt, with rock hard pieces scattered through the sand
which would not melt. I finally took it from my mouth."
The writer went
on to predict the doom of Chiammaya.
I replied that I thought I had made
it clear on the TV spot, and I am SURE it is all over the web site that this is
not primarily intended as a candy bar. The "go to" use is hot chocolate, baking
or cooking. I have offered a full refund with the return of the unused portion
but have not gotten it back yet.
I have to admit, the texture is NOT what
you're expecting if you go into a bite thinking " Hershey bar". I do eat it
often just as it is, but I know this is a rustic product. It does take the edge
off hunger for me, gives me a burst of energy and the health benefits of the
MUFA's ( Mono Unsaturated Fatty Acids -- are coming out every day.
I hope
you enjoy the news piece and hope to be finding retail outlets all over
soon.
Now that the production facility is 99% ready I've tried using it to temper chocolate for bar production. As you know we only have 4 ingredients and we don't use any kind of filler or emolient so we have a pretty dry chocolate when we produce Sweet Chocolate Dreams.
Wouldn't you know it, but the thing we are running low on right now is Sweet Chocolate Dreams. This is our sweetest chocolate with only 32% cacao so it has a lot of sugar which tends to dry things out. It doesn't look like the depositor is going to work at least for Sweet Chocolate Dreams but we're working on it!
Can't decide which blend to get? Want to try them ALL? We now have the answer, our NEW SAMPLER pack! A 4 ounce bar of each blend: Sweet Chocolate Dreams, Chocolate Lovers Blend and Total chocolate indulgence all for the low price of only $12.00. This is THE perfect gift for that hard to shop for friend or relative. Order NOW!
Please note, all of our chocolate blends contain almonds and should be avioded by people with allergies to tree nuts. You may, of course request a custom blend without almonds, but be aware it will be produced on shared equipment with nuts in a facility that also processes nuts.
Last Saturday, Octover 25th, Chiammaya was the guest "chef" at the Marshall Culinary Institute. We had it planned so that The class cound observer or even create their own blend of chocolate and then we would go inside and discuss the history of chocolate and share some secrets of the best hot chocolate and how to make world class fudge.
I dropped into the institue earlier that week to drop off ingredients and see how things were shaping up. I was dissapointed to learn that there were only three participants signed up.
I had to move the truck down very early Saturday morning so I could get parking close enough to the storefront. I fired up the kerosine heater Friday night and ran it all night in order to keep the stones warm enough to produce chcolate.
Shawn, the owner of Le Cooks Store, nextdoor, was a bit concerned that I was parked right in front of his store on what looked to turn out to be a busy saturday but it all worked out in the end and I was able to move more in front of the institute.
Class time cam and saddly only one participant showed up. I think she really enjoyed the class and the chocolate, she bought two pound of chocolate and that was on top of the sampler pack that came with the clas.
After the class I walked next door to Le Cooks Store and spoke with Shawn about featuring Chiammaya chocolate in his store. He recieved my inquiry with enthusiasm and mentioned that they loved local products and thought that Chiammaya Chocolate would be great in their gift baskets this holiday season.
So, in spite of a low class turnout, it looks like product placement is on its way!
Well, a lot has happened since I last wrote. It took a while for the chocolate machine to arrive. First I had to wait a week for my payment to clear PayPal. Things were going slow and I hadn't heard a word so I asked e-bay for the sellers information. Now the auction stated the equipment was in Lorado Texas, so imagine my surprise when I reached a woman in SEATTLE!!! Well I explained who I was and explained that I was getting concerned as I'd never sent SIX GRAND to a total stranger before... She hemmed and Hawed a bit and said, "well you probably should talk with Michael, he's the one with the equipment." I explained that SHE was the one that had recieved the money so I'd just as soon talk with her.
Irony is a strange beast. You see, it turns out the equipment was not in Lorado Texas at all, but it was about 10 hours from Lorado in MEXICO! Imagine getting U.S. equipment for making Mexican style chocolate from a factory in MEXICO.
I DID speak with Michael and we exchanged several e-mail. He told me of his negative experiences with trying to do business in Mexico and I told him a bit about my dealings. He assured me that my equipment was in good hands and that it would arrive in good shape.
Another week went by and it arrived. Sadly, it arrives a couple hours after I had left town for a trip, so I had to wait to see what arrived until the weekend was over.
My conversations with Michael indicated that I would be getting two pallets of equipment. I allerted the warehouse people that I was expecting two pallets and then I thought I should confirm this so I wrote another e-mail. No, it wasn't two pallets it was one crate. Back to tell the warehouse!
I got to the warehouse Monday morning looking for my one crate only to find a single pallet. I was worried a bit but after inspecting everything it all seemed there though in several pieces but it seemed well labeled.
There are no manuals or instructions. I wrote Savage Brothers asking for their assistance. They have been somewhat slow but I THINK they aresending the manunals.
I've got the equipment off the truck and in my garage. I had to play LET'S MAKE A DEAL with my daughter. She can still have her Halloween party but after it is over, my daughter and her boy friend are going to help me re-model to make a chocolate factory.
The equipment needs a water line into it, a drain line out of it and an air compressor to operate the depositor. It is more than I expected but I'm in up to my hips so there's no turning back.
Wow! Things change quickly. When I last wrote I was trying to find the RIGHT place to set up a production facility. Now the search intensified.
You see, I keep an eye on various places for used but in good shape equipment. I try to keep in touch with industry folks and make sure I only buy quality commercial equipment. Well I was looking on e-bay the other day and came across a Savage tempering machine WITH a depositor and shaker. The starting bid was $5000. I called Savage and started asking prices and at first they were a bit evasive. I asked them the price of an off the shelf 50 pound tempering machine and they said $4000. Well this machine is a 200 pound machine WITH the depositor and shaker and I had to set up a bid.
Well last friday I was sitting on the edge of my seat waiting for the auction to end. 5-4-3-2-1 I WON!!! I got this NEW -- well use at least once -- it has an hour meter o nit so I'll know for sure in a couple weeks -- 200 pound tempering/depositing/shaking machine for just under $6K after freight and insurance!!!
The great thing about the depositor is that I can measure the weight of a bar EXACTLY. Up to now I've been using a disher -- ice scream scoop -- and have been zeroing in on the right weight. Even though I TRY my best to be consistent I vary between 3 3/4 oz to 4 1/4 oz. Now giving my customers more than they are paying for is ok every now and then but if I overweigh by a quarter ounce every time it soon eats into the cash flow that keeps the business going. Also, I'd NEVER want to underweigh for my customers, you guys are AWSOME!!
Now the pressure is on for WHERE!!. I've toaked to the mountain bounty executives and the word NOW is January or February. I REALLY don't want to wait that long so I'm back to considering my basement -- Sorry to my daughter!!
So what does this behemouth look like? Well Here are a few pics from the folks I bought it from.
Now the down side is that this equipment runs with a water bath so it
need plumbed in. I'm a creative guy o I know I can get this done.
When I got back from the strawberry festival, I returned with a great deal of information. I learned how to improve my fudge recipe, I learned what kind of festivals would work for Chiammaya, and I learned that though watching and receiving your chocolate fresh and hot from the mill is a cool thing, MANY customers want it in a familiar form, a bar.
So I came home and began working on bars. I've come up with a 4 ounce bar, perfect for the fudge recipe, 2-3 cups of hot chocolate or easily broken to measure for your favorite recipe.
The original intent was to package 4 bars in our standard box to make one pound, after all, a pound of freshly ground chocolate fits in the box. Well I was surprised to learn that once molded, only three bars will fit in a box. EURIKA!!! an idea was born.
We're not quite ready to sell the bar form of Chiammaya Custom crafted chocolate, but when our production facilities are complete, we'll be able to offer a sampler package of three bars -- one of each of our standard blends of chocolate -- for one price.
Thank you all for giving giving me honest feedback, support and encouragement.
EVERYONE always knew chocolate was great to eat and now and then we hear it is good for us too! Here is a very interesting article showing it can be brain food too!
About
three weeks ago I got a call from WOWK TV about an interview for their business
section. We scheduled a meeting and I made sure the truck was completely cleaned
and I had a batch of fudge for samples of what you could do with Chiammaya
Chocolate.
I was all ready and I got a call from the reporter that she
was covering a murder trial and could we re-schedule. Sure that would be fine (
I'd just eat all that fudge myself!)
We re-scheduled and the day we were
to meet again, she called and said she'd never had to reschedule before but the
trial was going to jury and she had to stay there.
Yesterday we FINALLY
made it, but what a day!
I walked out to my car first thing in the
morning, opened the door and saw the glove box opened and all the papers
scattered. I'D BEEN ROBBED!!!
The police were called but they didn't know
when they could come to take a report so I went on to work. I pulled up in front
of my office and my cell phone rang. The police were at my front door, where was
I?
So I turned around and went back home and gave a report. Since I had
serial numbers they gave me a 5% chance of recovery. Just about what I had
expected. So now back to work.
It was about 10 after 9 when I got a
call to confirm that we were on for the WOWK interview at 9:30. NINE THIRTY I
exclaimed! I thought we were scheduled for 1:00. I checked my cal lender and
sure enough it was scheduled for 9:30.
I hustled BACK home and got ready
with time to spare. The interview went well and I asked when it would air. She
suggested 6, or 7 and then again at 11.
WOW that's fast. She called about
1:30 and said for sure at 7 and 11 so I set the DVR.
I checked my web
tracking site about 3:30. The story hadn't aired yet and I already had nearly 50
hits, ALL from the WOWK web site! NEVER underestimate the power of the
press.
Today, after the WOWK piece ran twice I got a call form the
Charleston Daily Mail, we have an interview set for Monday. MAN, THIS IS
GREAT!
Well I got my name in the local paper -- http://www.herald-dispatch.com/business/x2102944713/Shop-creates-custom-chocolate-for-clients -- and things got CRAZY!!! The web site had a 4000% increase, and the phone began ringing off the hook.
I called the department in West Virginia to ask about label specifications and began getting calls for the county health department, the agriculture department and everyone in between. Though our facilities are REGULARLY inspected by the health department and no points yet, It simply was a reminder that my tax dollars ARE being well managed!
It seems that in order to produce the bars of chocolate that YOU, my customers have asked for I will have to make so investments in equipment and expand facilities, but that's what growing a business is all about.
I also was supposed to be interviewed by the local TV channel but the reporter got sick so we've re-scheduled for Thursday.
I have equipment being delivered regularly for expansion and have called about getting the custom molds so the bars will look right.
Growing a business is really fun and I owe it all to my customers, THANKS
Don't let anyone tell you making fudge is easy and for sure
don't let them tell you making GOOD fudge is easy either. Yes, there are a
million fudge recipes out there, but getting everything correct takes some
patience.
The first time I made Chiammaya Total Chocolate indulgence fudge -- actually I
used Chocolate Lovers Blend -- it TASTED delicious, but was as grainy as a
spoon of table sugar. One guy even said it was the best fudge he'd ever had,
but he was probably drunk -- thanks anyway Blake! :-)
Last month at the Strawberry Festival I met a professional fudge maker --
Bob Brown from Oh Fudge! -- Who was as nice a guy as you would ever meet. Bob
used some of my chocolate to make a small batch of fudge and it for sure was
better than the grainy mess I had concocted. He reminded me of something I'd
heard from Alton Brown on Food Network; adding a small amount of corn syrup prevented crystallization.
I came home and revised my recipe and it sure was less grainy, but still had a
grit that just wasn't right. Bob had given me a proportion and I recalculated
and re-worked my recipe. I can't say it's perfected yet but MAN it's getting
close.
Thanks for the help Bob and I hope someday I can re-pay the favor. Try the
recipe, I think you'll like it.
Grease
an 8 by 8-inch pan with the butter wrapper. In a heavy-bottomed saucepan, put 1 1/2 tablespoons of the butter, half-and-half, and corn
syrup
the sugar, brown sugar and chocolate, . Stir over medium heat with a wooden spoon until the sugar is dissolved
and chocolate is melted. Turn up the heat and bring to a boil. Now lower the
heat to medium-low and cover for 3 minutes. Remove the lid and insert a candy
thermometer into the mix. NOW you just get to watch and do nothing. Don't stir, just let it boil until the thermometer reads 234 degrees F. Now
remove the pan from the heat and add the remaining butter. Do not stir. Let the
mixture cool for about 10 minutes or until it drops to 130 degrees. Add vanilla,
and the nuts if you like them, and mix until well-blended and the shiny texture
becomes dull. Pour into the buttered pan. This takes a while and your arm WILL bet tired! Let sit in cool dry area until firm.
Cut into 1-inch pieces and store in an airtight container for up to a
week.
The Strawberry Festival went well. The weather was fantastic except for a couple of brief showers. The crowds were great and for the most part. I did have an incident where a woman asked for a sample of Total Chocolate Indulgence and told me it was totally disgusting. I think she was expecting some thing sweet even though it was clear that it was 71% cacao.
With each show I do, I learn something new.
To me to cool thing about Chiammaya is that we make the chocolate on the spot and you know how fresh it is. But what I think is cool doesn't matter and doesn't pay the bills.
I have realized that a packaged bar is what I need so I'm looking into custom molds and packaging.
The plan is to make quarter pound bars that fit into our current packaging so four bars make a pound.
1 cup sugar
3 cups cream
1/4 cup light corn syrup
4 ounces CHIAMMAYA Total Chocolate Indulgence
1/4 cup butter
OPTIONAL:a pinch of chianne pepper
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
Put it all (except the vanilla) in a pot and bring it to a boil. Cook it until it looks like it's separating. Take it off the heat and add in the vanilla. Pour it all in a blender, cover and blend for 10 seconds to smooth it out. Chill until you are ready to serve. Heat it up in the microwave for 30 seconds or more until it is warm and pour over scoops of ice
cream. YUM!
Chiammaya Total Chocolate Indulgence Chocolate Fudge
2 3/4 cups sugar
4 ounces CHIAMMAYA Total Chocolate Indulgence
3 tablespoons butter ( I
use the butter wrapper to grease the pan)
1 cup half-and-half 5 tablespoon corn syrup 1 tablespoon vanilla extract 1 cup chopped,
roasted walnuts optional
Grease an 8 by 8-inch pan with the butter wrapper. In a heavy-bottomed saucepan, pour the sugar, chocolate, 1 1/2 tablespoons of the butter, half-and-half, and corn
syrup. Stir over medium heat with a wooden spoon until the sugar is dissolved
and chocolate is melted. Turn up the heat and bring to a boil. Now lower the
heat to medium-low and cover for 3 minutes. Remove the lid and insert a candy thermometer into the mix. Cook until the thermometer reads 234 degrees F. Now
remove the pan from the heat and add the remaining butter. Do not stir. Let the
mixture cool for about 10 minutes or until it drops to 130 degrees. Add vanilla,
and the nuts if you like them, and mix until well-blended and the shiny texture
becomes dull. Pour into the buttered pan. Let sit in cool dry area until firm.
Cut into 1-inch pieces and store in an airtight container for up to a
week.
After the Long Grove Chocolate Festival I realized that the names for the
different blends along with the look of the menu board was confusing people. I
can't tell you how often I overheard people walking by saying, " Oh, that's just
coffee." Now don't get me wrong, I LOVE coffee. I've even been called a
certified coffee snob, but what I'm creating is custom blended chocolate.
Research was done and with budget in mind we've come up with new names
and a new menu board to more accurately depict what we at Chiammaya are all
about.
If you've enjoyed the Mayan blend in the bast you can now enjoy it
as Sweet Chocolate Dreams. American blend is now Chocolate Lovers
Blend, and Aztec blend is now Total Chocolate Indulgence. NOW I hope
there is no confusion. Everything even SAYS chocolate in the name and the menu
board shows a river of chocolate flowing toward the customer.
Please,
never fear, the chocolate you know and love is the same, the names have changed
to avoid confusion.
Since I returned from Tabasco and the exploration of the cacao plantations I have stayed very busy making chocolate and getting ready for the Strawberry Festival in Long Grove IL. In order to keep things fresh I always try to keep my eye out for new and exciting products for you to try. Since the Aztecs, Mayans and Olmec gave chocolate to the world I thought it might be nice to honor them with a small chocolate piece in the shape of one of the stone carvings I saw in Mexico. I am currently exploring mold making to see how to get a mold of this guy: Imagine a cute little bite sized piece of chocolate looking like this. You tell me, is this something you'd like to eat a box of?
I hope to see everyone in Long Grove though I know many of my friends will be at the RCI convention and you will be missed. I'll see you at the reunion though.
Not THAT Tabasco, the state in Mexico. You see, Tabasco is about the closest
cacao growing region to us here in the USA.
I spent the better part of
Last week with Elaine Gonzales -- the QUEEN of chocolate -- on her farewell tour
for Marilyn Tausend and Culinary Adventures and their Discover Mexico's
Chocolate Legacy with Elaine Gonzales tour. ( That was a mouth full)
I
had planned on going on this tour with Elaine last year but the day I was to fly
out I got hit with a kidney stone and had to leave Mexico in extreme pain. It
was worth the return trip.
I arrived in Villahermosa Mexico in the state
of Tabasco LATE Saturday night, May 10th. The tour didn't OFFICIALLY start until
Dinner Sunday night and since several of us were getting early, they offered us
a side excursion to Pelinque, an Olmec -- BEFORE the Maya -- archeological site.
We were to leave at 7:00 am and though it was a LONG day Saturday, I went for it
and was not disappointed. It was a fascinating day of exploration and we had an
amazing guide -- Alberto Cabrales. We spent the HOT -- average 100- 105 f -- day
hiking around the site learning this amazing civilizations history.
About 3:00 it was time to head back to Villahermosa and we were all glad
to get into the air conditioned van. Glad until Alberto began to slow down and
pull over and mumbled something about seeing what this fellow wants. It seems
the Federales were behind us with lights flashing. After a bit Alberto came back
and told us the van didn't have the proper license plate for transporting
passengers. We had a letter of intent but not the right plates.
We first
were told to go to this truck stop. We waited and waited and then were told we
had to go to the police station. Though not really scary it was kind of weird
getting pulled over and detained by federal police in a foreign country. After
about an hour they told us to go so we headed back to the hotel JUST in time to
grab a quick shower and head to dinner.
Villahermosa is an extremely
modern city. They told us that in the 70's the population was about 90,000.
Today it is 750.000. The discovery of oil was the driving force for that rapid
growth and explains why a lot of Villahermosa is new, modern and
shiny.
New, modern and shiny describes Sundays dinner choice. We ate at a
place called LO. They explained that street slang for boy was lo and that is
where their name came from. The specialized in what I would have to describe
as Mexican fusion cuisine. We had a FIVE course dinner with everything being top
notch!
Monday morning started bright and early and we headed to
Comalcalco to Cacep Chocolate and the cacao plantations.
Vicente
Guiterrez was the owner and an amazing host. Vicente is determined to bring back
Criollo, the original Mexican cacao, the one that started ALL chocolate. He
showed us the plantation, the pods growing right off the trunk of the tree, the
harvest procedure and all the steps it takes to get the cacao ready to make
chocolate. HOW a primitive civilization figured it all out is beyond me, but I
sure am glad they did.
I have pictures of the entire trip -- including a
few short movies of some of the processing processes -- at
http://www.flickr.com/photos/chiammaya.
Though this was Elaine's final
voyage for Marilyn, I am sure it will not be the final cacao trip .
I was
surrounded by chocolate professionals and was humbled by their knowledge and
their willingness to share with this novice.
1/2 Cup Heavy Cream 1 Pound Chiammaya American or Aztec Blend
Chocolate coarsely chopped 1.5 Sticks of butter but into small pieces 1
Cup quality coco powder
Place all ingredients into a heatproof container
-- I use a large measuring cup -- and place in the microwave. Set the microwave
to 1 minute and 50% power and start the microwave. Stir the mixture and check
for lumps or chunks. If things are still pretty solid, Go for 30 seconds at 50%
power and stir again. Keep going at 30 second bursts until there are only a few
small chunks left, stirring between micro waving. When you get to this point,
stir thoroughly until all the chunks are melted.
Now for the hard part.
Set the container on the counter and walk away. That's right, walk away. Let it
cool to room temperature. You can speed this cooling up by pouring the mixture
into a shallow dish line a 9X13 pan, but this just dirties another pan. Let cool
at least 2 hours.
Now using a melon baller or small disher -- that's a
tiny ice cream scoop -- scoop out the truffles and place on waxed paper or
parchment paper. You can roll them into nicer balls at this point but
again you'll get messy.
Place the tray of truffles into the refrigerator
to get hard. Once they are hard, roll them in coco powder and enjoy.
Though there was very little traffic on Saturday at the Long Grove Chocolate Festival, there was enough to let me see that I had made a HUGE mistake.
As you know everything about getting ready for this festival was rushed. Getting the trailer, supplies, sign shop and all and when you rush , details sometimes get forgotten.
I got set up and was ready for a booming weekend and then I saw the typo on the menu board. No worries, we'll fix that when we get home, but then I heard the comment; "nevermind, that's just coffee." Coffee? Just coffee? How can you miss CUSTOM CRAFTED CHOCOLATE? Well the prominant words on the menu board are Mayan Blend, American Blend and Aztec Blend. Sounds like coffeee to me. I'm putting the collective thinking caps on to come up with other names befoer the Strawberry festival at the end of June but your thoughts would be appreciated.
It was the best of times, it was the worst of times. It IS over. I am tired,
sore and have a lot of equipment to clean up but It seemed to be a success.
As I mentioned before, I arrived Thursday afternoon, checked into the
hotel and the headed over to set up. I was placed behind a fence that enclosed a
dumpster! NOT good.
Friday it rained. Cold, gray rain that sucks the
life out of most everyone. It WAS a normal work day for most people so I really
didn't expect much. The high point was when the Daily Herald came by and took my
picture and ran it in the Saturday paper. No article, but a side shot of me and
they did mention me and Chiammaya by name.
http://dailyherald.mycapture.com/mycapture/enlarge.asp?image=18719599&event=509360&CategoryID=0&picnum=2&move=B#Image
Saturday
was a monsoon. Cold, driving rain and it was a ghost town. I managed to sell a
few hot chocolates but for the most part it was a bust.
Sunday was
cloudless. Beautiful and 38 degrees when I got there in the morning. As the sun
came up, the temperature rose and the people came out. There was a GREAT crowd.
The temperature really threw a monkey wrench into making chocolate, binding the
grinding stones together and making things difficult. We probably gave out 2000
samples but still only managed to sell 50 or so hot chocolates and a few pounds
of chocolate.
I learned a lot. I have to re-work my sign board because
people thought I was selling coffee and warmer temps really would help, but I am
glad I went.
Next time I go it will be for Strawberry Festival -- June 20
-22 I think -- and we'll try it again.
I left yesterday in order to make the trip easier. As before, I got the trailewr, at 9:30 Monday night, got home at 12:30, got the trailer to the sign shop on Tuesday at 7:30, picked it up at 5:30, started loading at 6:30 and finished at 10:30. Worked until noon on Wednesday and hit the road.
It has been a CRAZY experience and the theme is carrying through. So I left at noon and got about 2 hours from home and realized I forgot to fill the propane tanks. Ok, I'll fill them there or on the way. Then the truck started overheating. I put 3 gallons of antifreeze in it and finally found the leak. It was a loose hose clamp. Then I went to pay for the propane and my Chiammaya credit card was maxed out! Sure am gland I have a personal card.
Oh yes, Did I forget to say I lost my Chiammaya cell phone!!! I had that number forwarded to another phone for the time being but I'll have to take care of that too.
So I get to long grove and find out where I am supposed to be. They don't have water for my trailer and they can't accomidate the 50 amp RV plug on the trailer. Sure am glad I brought my generator!!!
It WILL work and I WILL have fun. So, what does this truck and trailer look like?
There were no bands, no screaming adoring fans, no fan fair at all. Mostly it
was because it didn't arrive home until after midnight last night. You see the
contract called for the trailer to be completed by Saturday April 26th. I called
the 25 and they said it wasn't likely. It wasn't ready the 26th or the 27th
either. They said it probably could be complete Monday the 28th at the end of
the day. As I mentioned in the past post, they gave me a plan B but it just
didn't work for me.
So I left work early Monday to make the two and a
half hour drive to get the trailer. I arrived about 5:00 and was told it's
almost done. Great I thought until I looked at it. You see it was supposed to be
made of brown aluminum. you know, brown, like chocolate. Well it was white. Ok,
don't panic, you're putting graphics on three sides. Two sides are covered
completely so no worries there. The side with the window isn't a BIG deal, the
menu board covers some and I can just have the sign company cover the rest in
brown vinyl.
Hmm, the drawings showed the propane tanks on the FRONT of
the trailer, not the back where that GREAT graphic was to go. Oh well, what's
done is done.
Then we looked at the wiring. The trailer wiring was for a
7 pin connection. The had my truck there for two weeks, surely they noticed that
it had a four pin connection on it!!!! GRRRR don't worry, Walt, It will be OK.
Then there are the missing shelves inside. Or are they there. I forget!
The bottom line is, I have a working trailer that looks pretty darned good, is
solidly built and is going to work out just fine. Tonight, when I get it from
the sign shop I load things up. I have to go get sugar and money for an opening
bank and then I hit the road tomorrow.
All you folks in Chicago, don't
worry that it's supposed to rain, I have the best hot chocolate to warm you up.
So come on out to the Long Grove Chocolate Festival and see chocolate made like
it has been made for centuries, like it was enjoyed my the Mayans. Come see the
trailer and shake my hand, I always like meeting new friends.
Today has been a blessing and a curse. I went home for lunch and when I got there, I found 350# of freshly roasted organic cacao! I AM in business, Life is good!
Then I call the All A Cart to make sure we were still on track for Saturday Pickup of my hot off the presses concession trailer. Well, they said they were really jammed up and though they would TRY to get it finished, they maybe had a plan "B" in mind!!!
PLAN "B"?!?! I don't want a plan "B", I want MY trailer! See, the plan was to puck up the trailer Saturday, Spend Sunday outfitting and packing the truck and trailer, then send the trailer to the sign shop to get the graphics done, giving me Tuesday and Wednesday to be the cushion for last minute things.
So what IS plan "B"? Well they MIGHT have a trailer out back that COULD be out fitted the way I need it.
The Long Grove Chocolate Festival is a real Class Act, it is Chiammaya's premier event and we are a featured vendor. Showing up with a make-do trailer just isn't what I want.
So I've written the owner and pleaded my case and now I guess it is time to turn it over to God and have faith that what is meant to be will happen.
Wish me luck, and if you have any pull with All A Cart, give them a call and plead for me too.
Though I haven't gotten through my first chocolate festival I am looking for more. As I have to drive, distance is an issue but I am finding festivals that range from 500 people to 50,000 people.
Just as I had trouble explaining what I was doing -- NOT making bon bons or other candy but CHOCOLATE -- I am having trouble explaining to festival coordinators what exactly I am doing and how my presence can benefit their event.
Case in Point, I wrote for some information on a chocolate festival in a major east coast city. I got a polite reply telling me the dates of the events and that it seemed the person receiving my inquiry was enthused, the person in charge wasn't enthused and didn't feel I was a good fit for their event.
Their feelings were:
"The reason being the folks coming to our festival is looking for chocolate that has already been prepared. Thursday and Friday are visitors from surrounding offices and they like taking the staff some tasty treats back to work and also a treat for the family. Saturday is shopping for families and there may be a little interest for your chocolate but again these are folks that work all week then do there shopping on Saturday and take home one of our tasty chocolate cakes, cookies, candy, and chocolate covered fruits."
They went on to say they had, " background in Chain Food Markets and knows that most folks don't use cocoa as they did years ago, if baking they use choc chips, for drinking they buy prepared hot chocolates."
It never seems worth the effort to try and convince someone of something they have already made up their mind on. Since the "boss" knows people don't buy chocolate like they used to, I suppose it is the better choice to say thank you and look elsewhere, but knowing that Chiammaya is a unique product that is rarely, if ever, seen in the U.S.A. it would be a benefit to have at ANY festival.
I even sent them to the site and sent the video so they could WATCH what is going on, after all, a picture is worth a thousand words.
The opportunity for press releases for something "educational" and news stories of more than your run of the mill festival opportunity abound. This would be a win/win situation for both of us, but I've not inspired the vision.
If any of my readers have any thought to help me inspire the vision I'd love to hear your ideas.
So I'm getting ready for the Long Grove Chocolate Festival and was wondering if I should take credit cards or not. I realized that right now I use credit cards almost exclusively, and thought that I couldn't be alone. Debt? Credit? It seems to be a way of life.
So I checked with the Festival organizers and asked them. They said cash only!
Then I called my bank and asked them what it took to take debt/credit cards. WOW it's amazing! Did you know that every time you use a card it costs the vendor money?!?! And then there's the cost of that little pin pad you use! Those suckers are $1000!!!
I think that paypal online works well for me but with this being my first event I'll go cash only and see how it goes. If I loose a ton of sales because I don't take plastic then I'll re-think it.
When I first built the truck, it was a representation of a kiosk intended to be located in a high end retail store. I invited people into the truck as I would into a shop in a store and it was for demonstration only.
Now that I'm actually going to do production in the truck and sell from the concession trailer, I wanted people to be able to watch their chocolate being made without interfearing with the traffic flow between the truck and trailer.
All A Cart said they could do what I wanted and after two short weeks they did an amazing job!
Now people can stand in the shade of the awning and press their faces up to the plexiglas and watch me making their chocolate!
This turned out far and away better than I had ever dreamed! Thanks All A Cart. If the trailer is as good as this window I will be very pleased indeed.
I was asked this question the other day and realized that it comes up so often that I should blog about it.
As I mentioned in past posts, my original intent was to have a strategic alliance with the largest chocolate concern in Oaxaca Mexico. I was going to use their name with USA tacked on the end. After months of negotiations and requests for contracts I found myself facing what turned out to be an easy choice; accept a contract that gave all the advantages to the Mexican concern or change the name and go it alone.
Every time I introduced my concept to new people I was told I was onto something so the choice seemed clear, change the name and keep going.
I began doing research in Spanish phrases that seemed romantic and cultural, then looked at Mayan and Aztec deities and words and was asking friends, family and strangers on the street for their suggestions.
I have a friend who has a mining business in South/Central America called chAImmaya. In the Quicki dialect chaim means gold; so we get roughly Mayan gold. The Mayans used cacao beans as currency and it was a way of life so that fit.
The Hebrew word for life is ChIAm. So Making it Chiammaya came out to be Mayan life. In Hebrew the "ch" has a guttural "H" sound. Americanizing that I decided that Mayan life and Mayan gold was what we were making here so Chiammaya was where I landed.
I soften the ch a bit and pronounce it Hi -ya - my - ya.
I'm still going nuts getting ready for the Long Grove
Chocolate festival. I've been ordering supplies and equipment and pacing the
floor like an expectant father, waiting on news about the concession trailer.
It dawned on me that the way things are -- grinding equipment in the truck,
sales "floor" in the new trailer, that once I got to the Long Grove
Chocolate Festival, I was stuck. My Hotel is 3 miles away and that's a mighty
long walk after a full day of making chocolate.
I decided a scooter was the way to go!
I just got a little 49cc scooter. In West Virginia, no license, no insurance,
no helmet is even required -- though I think I would be stupid NOT to wear one.
It will get me back and forth to the hotel and allow me to run errands like
getting more gasoline for the generator, more kerosene for the heater and cups
should I run out!
I feel stupid riding it -- it isn't really masculine after all -- but it solves
the problem and it gets 100 miles to the gallon too!
The Long Grove Chocolate Festival ( May 2,3 and 4 ), In Long
Grove, IL is fast approaching. In order to fully serve our new customers we have
contracted with All A Cart in Columbus Ohio ( www.allacart.com) to construct a custom concession trailer for the festival.
Our new trailer will be 8 feet by 8 feet and will contain serving window, a 4 bowl sink for cleanup, a refrigerator to help speed the cooling of the chocolate when we make single serving packages for sale and a tankless hot water heater so we can make Mexican Hot chocolate FAST!
This is an exciting step in the progress of Chiammaya and we
are very excited to have this new piece of equipment.
In addition to the new trailer, All A Cart is opening the
side of our mobile - a shop where chocolate is ground - so that our customers can get a better look at their chocolate being made on the spot. Look for us in Long Grove; you really will appreciate chocolate like it is your first taste!
Well I've been completely taken by surpirse and years of work have come together with a bang!
Last Thursday I was sitting at my desk thinking about my visits to Oaxaca and my work with Mayordomo when the phone rang. It was the owner of Long Grove Confectonary calling to tell me that Long Grove IL was having a chocolate festival, May 2,3 and 4, and he thought I should come. It hit me by surprise, totally out of the blue, and I told him I would have to think about it, see what equipment I'd need to get together etc and I'd call Monday. My head began to spin and I began sharing the news with my mentors and asking them if they thought I should do it, after all it was an eight hour drive!
Without hesitation or exception everyone I asked said, " DO IT! DO IT! DO IT!". I guess the decision was made.
Having done fairs and festivals in a previous life -- I sold fresh squeezed lemonade -- I knew many of the requirements that would be necessary to pull this off. My first thought was my mobile molino -- my truck with a shop in the back -- and a pop up tent with some tables would do, then I realized that the health department would want me to be clean and sanitary -- they are funny about that -- so perhaps a concession trailer would be best. I'm going to place an order Saturday!
Supplies, employees, timing, it all has to come together QUICK! Thinking it all through is really making my mind swim, but it is exciting and the beginning of a dream come true.
If you're in the greater Chicago area, make plans to come up to the Long Grove Chocolate festival. There you can SEE your chocolate being made and sample it straight from the mill. The freshest chocolate you've ever had, made just the way YOU like it.
For the true chocoholic, our rich robust 71% cacao blend. We blend freshly roasted organic cacao, a small amount of sugar, a few freshly roasted almonds and a hint of cinnamon. Rich, powerful and delicious.
Please note, all of our chocolate blends contain almonds and should be avioded by people with allergies to tree nuts. You may, of course request a custom blend without almonds, but be aware it will be produced on shared equipment with nuts in a facility that also processes nuts.
Much like our Mayan blend but not quite as sweet, we mix it so you get 41% cacao. Combining freshly roasted, organic cacao, sugar, freshly roasted almonds and cinnamon brings American sophistication and a powerful chocolate flavor to the table. GREAT as hot chocolate or in your favorite recipe. ( I even eat it right out of the package! )
Please note, all of our chocolate blends contain almonds and should be avioded by people with allergies to tree nuts. You may, of course request a custom blend without almonds, but be aware it will be produced on shared equipment with nuts in a facility that also processes nuts.
Made in the Mexican tradition and enjoyed for thousands of years, our Mayan blend is custom crafted to achieve 32% cacao. Using freshly roasted organic cacao, sugar, freshly roasted almonds and cinnamon, this blend is sweet delicious and has chocolate flavor that lingers.
Please note, all of our chocolate blends contain almonds and should be avioded by people with allergies to tree nuts. You may, of course request a custom blend without almonds, but be aware it will be produced on shared equipment with nuts in a facility that also processes nuts.
Have ChiamMaya Chocolate blended to your specifications. Do you like your chocolate sweeter? No Problem. No Almonds? No Problem. We can custom craft a recipe just for you.
Just give us a call at
304-690-0160 and we'll create a one-of-a-kind batch and have it on your doorstep in no time.
Custom orders have a 3 pound minimum.
Please note, all of our chocolate blends contain almonds and should be avioded by people with allergies to tree nuts. You may, of course request a custom blend without almonds, but be aware it will be produced on shared equipment with nuts in a facility that also processes nuts.
• 0.75 cup butter • 4 oz CHIAMMAYA custom crafted chocolate, American Blend • 4 eggs • 1.5 cups flour • 0.5 teaspoon salt • 1.5 teaspoon vanilla extract (use good vanilla, not artificial vanilla) • 1.75 cups coarsely chopped walnuts Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Grease 9"x9"x2" pan. Melt butter,and CHIAMMAYA chocolate in a 3 quart, heavy saucepan over low heat. Be Careful not to scorch the chocolate Remove pan from heat and mix in the Flour, salt, vanilla and nuts, beating well. Pour batter into greased pan. Bake 35-40 minutes, until brownies just begin pulling away from the sides of the pan. Do not overcook! They always say let cool completely before cutting, but I never can wait!!
• 1 large can carnation evaporated milk • 2 sticks butter • 4 cups of sugar • 1 teaspoon vanilla • 13 oz. jar marshmallow cream • 1 lb Chiammaya American blend chocolate • 2-3 cup walnuts • In a deep pan, combine cream sugar and chocolate on medium heat, stirring constantly. When combined, add butter and stir until melted. Continue to cook, stirring occasionally until the mixture reaches 238 degrees on a candy thermometer. Add marshmallow cream and stir until well mixed, then add vanilla, stir again, and then add nuts, stirring until well distributed throughout mixture. Pour into a buttered pan (11" x 17"). Let sit for 24 hours, then cut into squares and enjoy!
This cake ALWAYS gets raves! Sinfully chocolaty and rich beyond belief
1 lb Chiammaya
custom crafted chocolate, Chocolate lovers blend blend, finely chopped
1 c minus 1 tablespoon heavy cream
2 T sugar
1/2 cespresso or strong coffee
6 eggs
1/2 c sugar
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Butter or spray a 9-inch round pan with vegetable spray. Line bottom with parchment
paper - this is important or the cake WILL stick. Have a larger pan ready to
serve as a water bath.
Melt the chocolate gently over hot water or in the microwave - 1 minute on
50% power, stir then 30 seconds at 50% stir again. There will be some chunks
near the end, keep stirring and the will melt. Resist the temptation to
microwave it too long or it will lock up on you and you'll have to start over!
Keep warm.
Whip the cream with 2 T of sugar until the mixture forms soft peaks. Set
aside.
Whip eggs on high speed in a stand mixer until double in volume. This will
take some time, the more you whip it, the better, your patience will be
rewarded. Gradually add the 1/2 cup sugar to the eggs, 1 T at a time. Continue
whipping until the eggs have tripled in volume. They should have some body.
Pour the coffee into the chocolate and stir until combined. Fold the eggs
into the chocolate in three additions. Fold in cream.
Pour the batter into the round pan. Place it in the larger pan. Fill the
outer pan with hot water so that it reaches halfway up the side of the cake
pan.
Bake for 40-50 minutes. The cake will still jiggle in the center when gently
shaken, but you don't want it runny. Cool COMPLETELY on a rack. To unmold,
slide small knife around the edges of the cake to loosen from pan. Cover the
top of the pan with a Cardboard circle. Invert pan and cardboard together.
Remove cake pan and parchment. Place the cake and cardboard circle in a wire
rack over a sheet pan and let cool completely.
Chocolate Glaze
8 oz Chiammaya Total Chocolate Indulgence
1/4 cheavy cream
3 Tbutter - I prefer salted ( chocolate and salt really do go
well together )
Heat the chocolate, cream, and butter in the top of a double boiler or in
the microwave using the technique above. Stir gently until the mixture is
completely melted and smooth. Let cool a bit. You want it still pourable, but
slightly thick so it will stay on the cake.
Pour over the cooled cake, making sure the top and sides are completely
covered.
There will be a lot of chocolate that will fall onto the sheet pan below,
that's the cooks treat!
This may be reheated to soften.
Sprinkle with cocoa nibs to add some visual interest and
another texture dimension.
This cake is sticky; I find that slicing it with a long
piece of waxed dental floss the best. Hold the floss tight and press down
through the cake. Then release one end of the floss and pull through the cake.
Repeat until the entire cake is sliced.
Makes 14-16 servings. I THINK this will last about 4 days unrefrigerated if
you can keep it around that long!
1lb Chiamaya Mexican blend Chocolate in medium-size chunks
Method 1. In a large 4-quart saucepan, bring half the water to a boil. Add all of the chocolate and cook, stirring continuously, until the chocolate melts and the liquid returns to the boil. Cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until the mixture thickens slightly, about 5 minutes. Add the rest of the water and bring to the boil again. Lower the heat and simmer gently 2 or 3 minutes, stirring frequently.
2. Pour the hot liquid into a traditional chocolate pot, a blender, or a tall, heat-proof pitcher. (You may have to divide the liquid.) If using a chocolate pot, position a wooden molinillo or wire whisk in the center of the pot. Rub the handle back and forth between your palms very vigorously for 2 or 3 minutes or until the surface is covered with foam. If using a blender, leave the lid loosely covered to prevent a pressure build-up and blend until foamy, 20 to 30 seconds. Alternately, use an immersion blender in a pitcher, blending until foamy.
3. Pour into cups and serve at once.
MEXICAN HOT CHOCOLATE MADE WITH MILK
CHOCOLATE DE LECHE
Method 1. Using the same proportions of liquid to chocolate as above ( adjust to your taste). Bring milk to the boil; remove from heat and add the chocolate, stirring until melted.
2. Pour the hot liquid into a chocolate pot, blender, or tall pitcher and beat, whisk, or blend until foamy. Serve at once.
