I Run for Chocolate

I am a runner. It’s a part of me that can’t be denied. I want to run. I need to run. There are many reasons that get me out the door. Exercise is a healthy and very necessary part of life. It helps regulate my stress and anger levels tremendously. It helps keep the weight off. It challenges me to push myself to the limit. But when it comes right down to it, the most basic reason I run is that I like the freedom to eat what I want. I don’t like dieting. I love to eat chocolate.

Once you get into running, it’s kind of impossible not to do a race. If you’re currently running, and have never done a race, I highly recommend it. Races give your training focus and motivation. And the excitement on race day is undeniable. Races are hard, but they’re fun. The hard is what makes them good. So, you might be able to imagine my excitement when I found out there was an event that married my two favourite things: running and chocolate.

Yes, chocolate.

The Chocolate Race is held in Port Dalhousie every year at the end of August. You can do a 5K, 10K or 16.1K (10miles) run. And the aid stations provide chocolate, of course! The 5K station has a Fruit & Marshmallow Dipping Station. The 10 mile station has soft-serve ice cream. The post-race station has chocolate milk*, butter croissants with chocolate chunks, truffles and salty chocolate caramels – because “bagels are for non-believers”.

On top of the (chocolate) prizes for the winners, they have prizes for the people who finish last too. All racers get swag – this year it’s armies with the “i run 4 chocolate” logo. I’ve never tried them personally, but I think they’d be great as an extra layer in the winter, and they have a small pocket for carrying media. Plus, they have draws at the end of the race! And man, the stuff is sweet: a chocolate and white diamond heart necklace, a stainless steel heart pendant, and a year’s membership in the chocolate-a-month club.

This is my kind of race.

The only drawback to this event, is that it conflicts with my yearly “girls’ weekend”. If it wasn’t for that, I’d be signing up for this race in a heartbeat. But nothing (NOTHING!) gets in the way of the awesomest weekend with the bestest gal pals a chocolate-lovin’ gal could ever wish for. I look forward to it all year. I wouldn’t miss it for anything.

So, if you’re planning on sitting on the couch this weekend eating bonbons (Um, isn’t that what everyone else does on the weekend? It’s just me?…uh..), why not get your butt to Port Dalhousie for The Chocolate Race? And while you’re at it, eat a chocolate for me, will ya? I’ll be sitting this one out. Because the only thing better than running and chocolate, are good friends.

*Pro Tip: Post race or run, forget the expensive protein drinks from the sports stores. Chocolate milk has a carb-to-protein ratio that makes it the ideal recovery drink to help rebuild and repair muscles.

~Alyssa

Chloe Chocolat – The Ultimate Chocolate Connoisseur

I love chocolate.  Alyssa loves chocolate. If you are a visitor of this blog, chances are you love chocolate too.

But I promise you that there is no one on the planet who loves chocolate more than Chloe of Chloe Chocolat in Paris. In fact, I guarantee it.  If chocolate were a city, she’d be the mayor.

My recent chocolate journey through France was extraordinary but there was one chocolate encounter that outshone all others.  It happened on our second last day in Paris when we, quite by accident, stumbled upon the this charming store front and met Chloe.

I thought this would be “just” another exquisite chocolate shoppe – I had no idea I was about to meet the most passionate, enthusiastic chocoholic of them all.  Chloe is not a chocolate maker. She is a chocolate ambassador, a chocolate champion, a chocolate connoisseur.

She very well may have the most coveted job in the world as she has gone from being a chocolate buyer for a prestigious department store in the UK to being one of the most sought-after chocolate experts who consults with chocolatiers on how to perfect their chocolate, speaks all over the world about her passion for chocolate and in her quaint shop in Paris she is a focused chocolate educator. Basically, all day every day she thinks about chocolate, talks about chocolate and tastes chocolate. I wish I’d discovered her earlier in our trip to participate in one of her chocolate classes and join her on a tour of Paris’ very best chocolate.

This is a woman who has a contagious excitement for chocolate that is unparalleled. And she’s generous, oh so generous, with her vast knowledge of her beloved subject.  We spent so much time with her where she coached us through a tasting of all of her favourites. Some might call Chloe a chocolate snob – but it would be accused with the greatest of affection.

One of the first things she said was “white chocolate is not real chocolate” and at that moment it was that all I could do to not to kiss her at the recognition of a kindred spirit.  She believes that real chocolate lovers enjoy chocolate in a pure bar form – not filled chocolates or truffles. Those are candy chocolate – often amazing candy but not for the purist.  She told us she tastes chocolate every morning at 6am while her palette is the cleanest.  And she talked at length about where in the world the very best beans worthy of the very best chocolate are found.  She shared the chocolate is best paired with tea and never with coffee (something I’ve always loved but thought I was alone on) because the coffee flavour overpowers the chocolate.

Chloe Chocolate puts her name on only one milk and one dark chocolate (the smoothest dark chocolate you can imagine) and she sells them along side the perfect tea pairings.  It will ruin you for all other chocolate. I bought so much that we went over the weight limit on our suitcases at the airport.

But she does make one exception and carries a special line of dark chocolate from Bolivia which she helped them develop and perfect. She takes none of the profit from the bars and sends everything back to Bolivia.  My favourite was the Fine Dark which may be the most incredible chocolate I have ever put in my mouth.  She helped them with a really special coffee infused chocolate – to help those who insist on pairing coffee with this instead.

So it’s glaringly obvious I am smitten with Chloe’s chocolate-centric life and absolutely enjoyed meeting her.  It was one of the highlights of the trip for me.  I even bought her book. And while it’s not a literary masterpiece and reviews on it are on both ends of the spectrum, what I love about it is her unabashed charming approach that reads exactly like she speaks.  Take the very first page of the Acknowledgements for example …

“I want to thank my dear friend chocolate, who has been my best friend (sometimes a she, sometimes a he), my companion for more than 25 years and the source of much of my joy. As with people there are the good and the bad chocolates, the elegant and the vulgar, the honest and the cheats, and the jewels you keep as close to you as possible for the rest of your life. My best friend chocolate is always there for me, supporting me even when things go wrong.”

And there is no question that chocolate is Chloe’s best friend. And I was grateful that she introduced me to that friend and for the brief time I spent with her as she illuminated her vision of a world of artisanal fine chocolate.

If you are ever in Paris you must meet the larger-than-life Chloe Chocolat.

~ Sandra

 

J’aime le chocolat de la France

Although chocolate may have been conceived in Mexico, it was indisputably perfected in Europe.  The most euphoric chocolate experiences I’ve ever had were in France, Belgium or Switzerland.

Enroute to our favourite pâtisserie in Cannes for chocolate croissants.

Recently, I was lucky enough to enjoy two glorious weeks touring throughout France with my family.  We ate chocolate croissants for breakfast. Every. Single. Day.

And in each city and town we visited, I made it a priority to seek out a local chocolatier.

I savoured some wonderful chocolate, befriended interesting chocolate enthusiasts and enjoyed every delicious moment of the trip.

Eating chocolate in a park overlooking the French Riviera = bliss.

 We spent our first week in Cannes and discovered more than one special chocolate shoppe.  The very best, without hesitation, was Jean Luc Pele.  You are first drawn in by the colourful macaroons (my favs were flavoured with champagne – of course).  Once inside, you can’t help but stay for an array of mouth-watering milk and dark chocolate.  The staff were so lovely and when we returned a few days later, they remembered us and we were treated like family.

Their perfumed meringue candy was his favourite.

Also in Cannes was Shies.  They clearly cater to a more upscale clientele and were anything but hospitable.  The chocolate was extraordinarily expensive (a small box for more than 100 euros!) and the service was absent.  In fact, the staff were brisk, cold and noticeably irritated that I dare bring a child into their shop.  The dark chocolate wafers that we purchased (one of the few budget friendly chocolates) were, admittedly, delicious. But they were not nearly as good as any of the other chocolate I tasted throughout France.  Someone should write a memo to the jet-set crowd that this is one instance when you are most definitely not getting what you pay for.

Ahhh Monaco....

We also spent a spectacular day meandering through Monaco and Monte Carlo and were delighted to stumble upon the Chocolaterie de Monaco.  Since 1920 they’ve been dazzling locals and tourists with their phenomenal chocolate. The location is charming and the store’s aroma captivating. Although they did have some verrrry expensive selections, unlike Shies, the price was warranted and there were also a host of options for every budget.  We chose some amazing milk chocolate squares that had a hint of cayenne to tease the palette.  Perfection.

Paris = the city of love and chocolate.

In Paris there was no shortage of chocolatey options.  The first we visited was the famous La Maison du Chocolat. It was impossible to miss it with locations all over the city and I am glad we stopped by. We chose a gorgeous box of filled chocolates – each more awe-inspiring than the next.  These were the kind of chocolates you must devour in one sitting. A fabulous treat after a long day of walking the streets of one of the world’s most stunning cities.

All the chocolate we tasted was incredible and I positively enjoyed being a chocolate-tourist on a quest to discover the best chocolate each locale had to offer.  And I did, indeed, find the best.  In fact, I spent an hour in chocolate heaven at the fifth and final chocolate destination of our travels.  There, I met the quintessential chocolate connoisseur and had a chocolate tasting like no other.  It almost defied words.  This experience deserves a whole post in itself so I shall leave you waiting just a bit longer to hear all about it.

For now I bid you au revoir.  Stay tuned for the chocolate discovery that very well may have changed my life…

Vive la France!

~Sandra