Lima was a most pleasant surprise
After leaving Tarapoto, we headed back to Lima, the Peruvian capital, for several days of intense tasting. Our base was the Casa Andina Select Miraflores, a new property of the Casa Andina brand most conveniently located in the trendy Miraflores district of Lima.
the friendly and helpful staff at the Casa Andina Select Miraflores made our stay fantastic
I’d highly recommend this boutique hotel as it’s relatively small, has an abundantly helpful and cheery staff, a good breakfast buffet and is walking distance or a short cab ride from just about anything that might interest you.
We were fortunate to be under the wing of chocolatier and former pastry chef, Giovanna Maggiolo, a native Peruvian with amazing connections in the food industry. (We’ll talk more about Giovanna’s talent in the world of chocolate in a future post.)
Giovanna Maggiolo is a culinary expert in Lima and owner of Xocolatl chocolate shop
Giovanna made sure we tasted every possible kind of Peruvian culinary delight, and even took us to a market where we could see all the produce and ingredients fresh from the farms and source.
Fresh markets are often a highlight of my visit to any city, and the Surquillo market of Miraflores was no disappointment. I saw the largest pecans I’ve never seen in my life – at a full two inches long – and all kinds of local produce to get out taste buds pumping.
the fresh produce and seafood at Surquillo market in Lima is amazing
Another highlight of exploring Lima was our walk through El Parque del Amor (Love Park,) a seaside sculpture garden offering amazing views of the ocean, colourful mosaics and erotic art to tantalize your senses. As someone who lives on the Canadian prairies, being near the ocean always gets my heart pumping, and the cliffside views of the Pacific Ocean from Lover’s Park are forever engrained in my memory.
El Parque del Amor (aka Lover's Park or Love Park) in Lima is breathtaking
I’ve set the stage in this post for our culinary journey, which we’ll explore in detail in the next post. Please share your thoughts on Lima if you’ve visited this sensual city, and if you haven’t yet been … I hope I’ve enticed you to include it in your future plans.
Join me back here the weekend of June 1st, and let the tasting begin! Be sure to subscribe so you don’t miss a bite …
Orquidea Chocolate: a taste & setting as beautiful as its namesake
During the past 2.5 years of my research for Chocolatour, I’ve had the opportunity to visit many chocolate factories. Huge, high tech ones in Switzerland. Tiny, hands-on ones in Peru. And everything in between.
But I must say the one that has had a true impact on me in every aspect of chocolate research is the Orquidea Chocolate factory in Tarapoto, Peru. (You’ll find more about the small city of Tarapoto in the previous post on this blog.)
Believe it or not, this is the view from the back door of the Orquidea Chocolate factory on the banks of the Cumbava River. The chocolate is made just miles (not a world away!) from the sites where the cacao is grown.
The word, “orquidea” translates to orchid in English, providing a most appropriate name for a chocolate that offers a beautiful floral bouquet when inhaled. The Peruvians pride themselves in producing cocoa that is highly aromatic and flavourful in its natural state, and I concur! I do believe that Peruvian chocolate just may be the best I have ever eaten.
It is pure, fresh, intense (yet low in acidity), satisfying and unique to itself. It is like no other.
Although I certainly enjoyed the Ecuadorian chocolate we had on the second week of our South American tasting adventure (much more on that in future posts), in my opinion, it is not of the same intensity as the Peruvian.
I want to devote this post to Orquidea, as it provided us with such a unique experience. Orquidea buys its cocoa from four different growers’ associations within the region, including the Santa Rosa cooperative I highlighted in the previous post. I again want to thank Cristina Satillana, International Sales Manager at Orquidea, for arranging that unforgettable journey for us.
Orquidea has a strong social conscience and helps train cacao growers in crop management and fermentation procedures to help produce a better and more consistent product. Operations Manager, Candy Morales Sanchez has a food science degree and is a fermentation specialist. She explained how proper fermentation will lower the acidity found in the cocoa beans, while preserving the good oleic acid contained in cocoa that gives us the natural antioxidants to help strengthen our immune systems. You know that pure cocoa is a super food, don’t you?
Orquidea's Operations Manager, Candy Morales, is a fermentation specialist
Orquidea completes the fermentation process of the beans it purchases on-site at its Tarapoto location under the heat of the Peruvian sun. Fermenting the beans is quite a science. The goal is to end up with beans that have an even, dark brown centre. A purple tint means that a proper fermentation process has not been completed and the beans are under-fermented. Too dark of a brown, and it means they’ve been fermented too much and the resulting chocolate will taste burnt.
fermenting cocoa beans is an exact science
We sampled a few bars in Orquidea’s tiny tasting room and I’m in love – with the 60% organic dark Peruvian Amazon chocolate with cocoa nibs. I’m not sure if I’ve ever had a better chocolate bar, for its intensity and freshness of flavour combined with the overwhelmingly beautiful floral scent that is naturally emitted from the chocolate. (Can you tell I’m in love?)
The interesting thing is that the 60% cocoa in this bar produced a deep, rich chocolate, whereas I’ve had 60% chocolate from other producers and the chocolate wasn’t dark and rich enough for my liking. So it is indeed, all in the quality of the beans, the fermentation process and the staff and equipment used to produce the final result.
As independent cocoa expert, Brian Horsley, told me at our chance meeting at the Orquidea plant: “Orquidea does the best work with the least amount of equipment, resulting in a superb quality to their product.”
You can order Orquidea bars in the US via this website: http://www.orquidea-usa.com/. There is also this site which I believe will get Orquidea chocolate to you worldwide via a Google store.
I’ve rambled on long enough for this go round, but please join us back here the week of May 21st for our next Peruvian post.
And please share your thoughts on this post. I hope I’ve enticed and educated you just a little. And I’m very curious to hear from anyone who has tasted any Peruvian chocolate, or any other chocolate whose natural (unflavoured) aromatic scent was just as enticing as its flavour.
the growing of cacao in Peru
There is so much I’d like to share with you from our trip to Peru I honestly wasn’t sure where to start. So I’ll continue on in chronological order.
We left Lima Airport for Tarapoto, our launch point into the Amazon jungle and the cocoa growers of San Martin Province in the San Martin Region of Peru. I didn’t know what to expect, but knew we’d be in good hands under the care of Cristina Santillana, International Sales Manager for La Orquidea Chocolate, a division of Industrias Mayo in Tarapoto — just over an hour northeast by air, but truly a world away from the cosmopolitan sophistication of Lima.
Though Tarapoto is a relatively small city of 63,500, the traffic is crazy! But not with automobiles. The motorcycle is king, and from it has spawned the Motokar, a motorcycle cab that can seat up to three (cramped) people. We had loads of fun being jetted around town in the motokars.
Motokars are king in Tarapoto
From Tarapoto, we took a two-hour cab ride to Juanjui, the port on the Huayabamba River that would get us by a small motorized boat via a four-hour journey over numerous rapids to the Santa Rosa Asociacion de Productores Agropecuarios, the cacao growers who had agreed to host us and take us on a cocoa harvest.
riding up the Huayabamba River to the Santa Rosa Cocoa Growers Cooperative
The Huayabamba is a tributary of the Amazon that would take us a world away from modern civilization to a world of simple farming where everything is done by hand and electricity is limited to brief spurts of power from a small generator. But they did have a shower and a flush toilet we were very pleased to see.
harvesting the cocoa pods is a family affair
What an experience we were fortunate to have! We learned how the farmers’ families hand pick the ripened cocoa pods, open them in the fields and remove the cocoa beans from the placenta (the white goop I referred to in this post.) The beans are then fermented, dried and eventually roasted, peeled and crushed before beginning the process that leads them to becoming chocolate. This was the whole purpose of my trip to South America as research for Chocolatour — to see how cocoa is grown and appreciate the labour intensive process of creating the luscious elixir that we have all come to know and love.
We saw great pride among the farmers and their families. We saw tremendous cooperation among them and we saw a vision for the future in which they will welcome visitors to come and stay in their soon-to-be-built lodge in the botanical garden that they have been planting and nurturing over the past year. I look forward to visiting again in a few years, and seeing their dreams become reality.
I welcome your comments, and ask that you return the week of May 7th when we’ll taste some amazing Peruvian chocolate.
enjoying the advantages of hotel airports
Having just returned from a fascinating, but hectic trip to Peru and Ecuador, I have travel logistics on my mind.
Sometimes, we have to do layovers at airport locations in order to catch an early morning flight somewhere else. Make the most of these opportunities. They may give you the opportunity to quickly explore a city you may not otherwise have had time for, they may save you the agony of having to drive to an airport at an ungodly hour, or they may just provide you with an opportunity to savour some local culinary favourites or an exotic spa treatment you may not otherwise have taken the time to try.
As I live an hour from the Winnipeg airport, I’ve had to stay overnight at proximity to the airport on several occasions. There is no place more convenient than the Four Points by Sheraton Hotel. Unfortunately, with the construction of the new terminal building they lost the privilege and convenience of being a simple walk across the street from the check-in counters. Now, one must take a shuttle to the new terminal building from the hotel. But it is still your quickest option for overnight stays if catching an early morning flight in Winnipeg.
The Starwood chain that owns the global network of Sheraton properties also has a lovely hotel at Terminal 3 of Pearson International Airport in Toronto. (I’ve yet to go wrong with any Starwood property.)
I’ve had the pleasure of staying at the Sheraton Gateway on several occasions and indeed, it was the gateway for my trip to South America last month. It is SO convenient to get off a plane, wheel your luggage to the hotel and relax, refresh or step out a bit.
The Sheraton Gateway has many services including the Vaccaro Spa — which I’ve yet to try. And yes, they have a chocolate wrap, so I think a future visit will have to occur.
On arrival in Peru, we had the pleasure of staying at the Ramada Costa Del Sol Airport Hotel in Lima. Again, this reservation was made to facilitate ease of travel, as we had a morning flight to Tarapoto and our entry into the Amazon jungle from there. But we were thrilled with our stay at the Costa Del Sol. In fact … after a week of trying various meals and beverages throughout Lima, I can say with all honesty that the airport hotel had the best Pisco Sours anywhere! And some lovely Peruvian cuisine as well. So we were very pleased to have had the convenience and authenticity of location all packaged into our entry into the country.
the Pisco Sour is Peru's most popular drink
Virginia checking into the Costa Del Sol at Lima Airport
When in Rome in 2010, we took the advantage of staying at the Airport Hilton. Having the convenient location enabled us to catch an early morning flight the next day, and quickly enjoy the sights of Rome before settling in for the night.
How about you? Have you had some positive experiences staying at an airport hotel? Has the convenience opened up an opportunity that may otherwise have passed you by?
I look forward to this discussion. (Thanks to everyone who shared thoughts on travel vaccines in response to the last post.) And please join us back here the week of April 23rd when we’ll talk about our visit to the Amazon jungle of Peru.
be prepared for international travel
Hi everyone and thanks to those who participated in our discussion about public transportation. This post is a wee bit late as I’ve just returned from South America. We certainly rode a variety of public transport there!
I may include reflections on that in future updates, but as a transitionary post, I’d like to talk about vaccines you should get (or consider getting) when you are travelling outside of North America or into under-developed nations where there may be a higher risk of picking up an ailment or travel bug.
Both my travelling companion and I visited “Travel Health Clinics” in our respective cities. I suspect you will find one in every major city. These are staffed by knowledgeable medical professionals who have the latest info and advice with respect to your chosen destination. Or check with your doctor.
It’s important to plan ahead, as some shots like the Twinrix (used in prevent Hepatitis A & B) and the Yellow Fever shot must be given several days before you will be arriving in the region and you may need to wait a couple of weeks to get in and actually get your shots at the travel health clinic. You also need to plan for the additional cost, as these travel shots are not cheap and may cost you several hundred dollars. But the risk to your health far outweighs the additional cost to your trip.
As we were visiting jungle regions in both Ecuador and Peru, we were advised to get the Yellow Fever vaccination. Yellow fever is transmitted by a day-time biting mosquito. It is serious and can be fatal. You may be denied entry into Ecuador if you do not have the yellow-coloured “International Certificate of Vaccination of Prophylaxis” proving that we had received the shot.
Dengue Fever is another serious ailment transmitted by daytime biting mosquitoes, but there is no drug or immunization to prevent it, only drugs to treat the symptoms (which may include high and sudden fever, joint pains, nausea and a rash that shows itself several days after symptoms have surfaced.)
We used “Deep Woods Off” to prevent against bites, and I don’t think I got any mosquito bites, but I did get a multitude of bites from the tiny “no-seeum” sandflies that got me on a farm in Peru. The bites weren’t painful or itchy, but there certainly were a lot of them, making it impossible for me to wear cooler clothing once we got back to the comforts and “city life” of Lima. And there had only been a couple of hours when we wore shorts after showering from our jungle trek, but I obviously had not applied enough of the repellent and the sandflies are quick and plentiful, so while I was dining … so were they!
I was lunch for bunch of quick-biting sandlflies while on a jungle cacao farm in Peru
We were later told that baby oil is a good (and far less toxic) repellent that protects one from sandflies. Have you had any experience with that? Does it work?
Malaria is another life-threatening condition that you can receive from mosquitoes, but the malaria carrying mosquitoes are a particular species that can generally only be encountered during dusk, dark and dawn. We chose to forego the malaria tablets because of the quantity one must take, the possible side effects, the fact that were only going to be in the “malaria zone” for a short period of time and the excessive cost of the tablets.
Symptoms of malaria include high and sudden fever, severe joint and muscle pains, nausea and chills. These symptoms may show themselves quickly, but can actually take up to a year following infection to show themselves, so if you’ve been to a malaria zone and develop a fever within a year of your travels, you are advised to quickly head to a hospital where you can be tested.
We also received the typhoid (good for 3 years) and tetanus/diphtheria (good for 10 years) shots to round out our preventative travel health repertoire. The Twinrix shot protects you for life once your body has built up an immunity to Hepatitis A&B, so it’s good to have your blood tested prior to departure if you’ve  already had the Twinrix to verify that you are protected.
We were surprised to encounter other travellers who had chosen to forego protecting their bodies with the recommended vaccines. It is indeed a personal choice. But as is the case with Ecuador, they have the right to refuse you entry into their country without the Yellow Fever vaccine, so be sure to check the requirements and recommendations to the destinations you are visiting before you leave home.
If you’ve had any health issues arise because you hadn’t taken the recommended precautions, let us know. Please share your thoughts on the subject of travel vaccinations, and remember to visit us the week of April 9th when we’ll begin our exploration of Ecuador and Peru.
public transportation: friend or foe?
Having lived outside of a city for 30 years, I have not had access or need to public transportation. If I want to go somewhere, I have to either walk or get in my car.
So it’s no wonder that I’m not overly comfortable with public transportation. I have not grown up with trains, metros, subways, rapid transit or even buses. Growing up, we lived on the south end of Winnipeg where public transportation was not a part of daily life, and it was only once I was older and attending university that I took the bus with any regularity. And that was only for a relatively short period of time.
Even though I’ve travelled a good part of the world and have now taken pretty much every mode of transportation imaginable, I admit to being not overly comfortable or pleased with the challenges and inconveniences public transport presents the traveller.
This became evident last month while in Toronto, when other members of my team happily agreed to take the “Red Rocket,” a $3 form of transportation from Pearson International Airport to my downtown hotel. We had been encouraged to take the economical form of transportation by our treasurer, whose focus on the bottom line has us all looking at ways to save the organization money. $3 versus $66 for a cab is a pretty tough argument to fight.
Unhappily, I had to stand a good portion of the way into the city. And my sweet new suitcase called a “Spinner” had a mind and life of its own with its four wheels giving it the gumption to get up and go whenever I wasn’t holding it down. I could call IT the Red Rocket!
my Swiss Army "Spinner" has a mind of its own
But I did it, and saved the organization $120 on a round trip. That paid for a night’s hotel and then some, so I can certainly see the logic to being practical versus being comfortable.
As I prepare to leave for a journey that will take me to South America later this week, I can’t help but smile when I think back to the fall of 2010, when my travelling companion, Virginia (a rather small-framed woman with amazingly strong arms!) was able to run up and down the steep subway stairs touting my too-large suitcase throughout Italy as we crossed the country in search of chocolate.
To make things easier on both of us (she is accompanying me to South America) I bought the new smaller suitcase and hope that I can shlep it without sheepishly looking for help.
Below, you’ll see a picture of me in the Florence, Italy train station, where I was trying to smile after having to shlep (yes, Virginia did most of the shlepping) our luggage up and down a multitude of stairs. There was an elevator, but it was not working.
waiting for the train in Florence, Italy
Oh, sure. I have some neat public transport stories that I’ll never forget. Like the time Reg and I took a school bus in Barbados and rode with a bunch of small children who looked at Reg as though he was Santa Claus on vacation. And the time we rode on a bus in Mexico with a bunch of chickens. Somehow I don’t remember the details of that situation. I could go on, but time is tight and I’d rather hear from you.
Have you had some interesting times on public transport? Anything particularly good or bad you’d like to share? We’re all ears.
And join me back here the week of March 26th for the next post. I’ll try and be organized and put it in the queue before I leave, but in the event that does not happen, it may be toward the end of that week as we return from the Amazon on April 1st. And hopefully, there will be many delicious stories of South American chocolate to share with you.
enjoying a piece of The Rock
I’ve recently had the pleasure of receiving some amazing chocolate from Brent Smith, “Chief Chocolate Officer” at the Newfoundland Chocolate Company in St. John’s, Newfoundland. The chocolates were not only good and highly creative, they reminded me of the love I have for Canada’s most easterly province, Newfoundland & Labrador.
Bird Rock at Cape St. Mary's, Newfoundland
Canadians (or anyone) can’t really feel they’ve seen our great country until they’ve spent some time on The Rock. It’s different than any other part of Canada. In a really nice way. People speak with quite an accent, especially “the townies” from St. John’s. They almost have a different language!
In fact, when writing the first edition of the Frommer’s Guide to Newfoundland & Labrador in 2003, I often referred to my trusty massive 770-page Dictionary of Newfoundland English for insight and guidance. The Newfies (I’m told by a Newfoundland friend that it’s OK to call them that) have their own words, terms and phraseology for just about everything. But they speak the universal language of friendliness.
Coming from the province of Manitoba (whose nickname is “Friendly Manitoba”) I’m used to a friendly, smiling people and can honestly say I feel right at home when I’m among friends in Newfoundland. I think it was because our first-ever hosts in the province were Don & Yvonne Bradbury, a lovely couple who ran the Maunder Manor B&B until recently when they officially retired. They were the ultimate B&B hosts and became good friends of ours.
But back to the chocolate. The Newfoundland Chocolate Company is located in the heart of St. John’s and justifiably considered the best chocolatier in the province. What I really like about Brent’s chocolates is that they come with a map of Newfoundland! The “Lighthouse Series” is named after villages, sites and outposts where you’ll find the province’s iconic lighthouses.
Newfoundland Chocolate Company's great chocolates come with a map
Although the enrobing of the chocolate is a bit thick for my liking, it is delicious and the chocolates feature local berries such as bakeapples, partridgeberries, cranberries, blueberries, raspberries, and imported nuts blended with fine chocolate couverture. Is your mouth watering yet? If you can’t make it to The Rock this year, you can purchase Brent’s chocolates on the various maritime ferries throughout Atlantic Canada. Unfortunately, they’re not yet available via mail order/online orders. Just one more reason to head to The Rock!
My husband, Reg (pictured above at Bird Rock, one of our favourite places on the island) can’t keep his hand out of the box. These just may be his favourite chocolates yet, and believe me, he’s tried most of the ones I have had in the house.
Have you been to Newfoundland & Labrador? What has been your favourite taste of The Rock? Please help me reminisce about the only province with a time zone named after it, always one step ahead of the rest of us.
And join us back here the week of March 12th, when we’ll be talking about public transportation.
chocolate appreciation opens you to flavours of the world
I had the pleasure of spending several days over the past week in Toronto. A highlight of my recreational time (most of my time was tied up in meetings) took me to SOMA chocolatmaker’s new location at 443 King Street West.
In addition to SOMA’s unique chocolate creations which I’ve previously written about here, what I really love about SOMA is the fact that they carry a small selection of premium chocolate bars from around the world.
As I’m heading on a chocolate expedition to South America next month, I was particularly looking for bars from Ecuador and Peru and I wasn’t disappointed. SOMA had bars from Kallari and Republica Del Cacao of Ecuador as well as bars and chocolate treats of their own made from exquisite Peruvian chocolate.
a selection of the chocolate treats I purchased at SOMA chocolatemaker in Toronto
I was ecstatic! All were delicious and unique in their own chocolate profiles. As I’ll be getting into the details of those South American chocolate flavours in future posts, I won’t get into them now. I will say that SOMA’s own Twilight Forest Bar made from Peruvian chocolate, Maldon salt, pumpkin seeds and local honey is worth a trip of any length. One of the best chocolate bars I’ve ever had, and it’s made in Toronto, Canada and available online for those of you who can’t get to Toronto via the online product list.
The purpose of this post is indeed to encourage you to look for new and different chocolate flavours wherever and whenever you travel. You’d be surprised where you might find them!
We had a lovely Italian dinner at a small bistro at 147 Spadina Avenue called Fusaro’s Kitchen Italian Eatery where I purchased a Perugina chocolate bar made in Perugia, Italy and imported by a company in New Jersey, USA … which somehow ended up in a small Italian eatery and grocery store in Toronto, Canada!
You’ll find new and exotic chocolate in all sorts of places if you keep your eyes open for it. And if you can’t travel, you can still make incredible finds online from chocolate aficionados like Sarah at ChocAdores in the UK who offers an absolutely amazing array of chocolate and coffee products. I haven’t found one on this side of the pond to be quite as extensive and enticing, but there are certainly many sites that do enable you to order and try a wide selection of chocolates from the comfort of your own home.
So let chocolate take you on a journey of exploration around the world, whether literally, by way of chocolate events, festivals and journeys near and afar, or via your imagination through tasting and enjoying the many flavours of fine artisanal chocolate.
Will you share or keep it all to yourself? Chocolate is meant to be savoured and enjoyed. Let’s share some memorable moments of chocolate discovery. Where have you been when you happened upon a chocolate creation you have not forgotten? Â Tell us, so that we might experience it for ourselves.
And please join us back here the week of February 27th for our next enticing post.
Gehry makes Toronto shine
I head back to Toronto next week for a series of meetings, so thought I’d write a post about my increasing appreciation for Canada’s largest city. (And no, it’s not just because Toronto is home to some amazing chocolate personalities!)
I’d read a terrific post last week on the architectural achievements of Canadian architect, Frank Gehry, who was born in Toronto and has contributed to the list of the some of the world’s most stunning modern architectural achievements. I’ve previously written about several of them, including the amazing Marques de Riscal in Elciego, Spain.
the Gehry-designed Marques de Riscal property in Elciego, Spain
But Gehry’s Canadian achievements are high on my mind these days, as not only did he design a space-age ice shack at The Forks in Winnipeg this year, he oversaw a major overall of the Art Gallery of Ontario several years ago.
Having visited some of the finest galleries of the world including the Guggenheim in Bilbao (also designed by Gehry), the Louvre in Paris, the Prado Museum of Fine Art in Madrid, the Metropolitan Museum of Modern Art in New York City, and Canada’s own National Gallery in Ottawa, I was amazed that it took Frank Gehry to finally get me through the doors of the Art Gallery of Ontario (AGO).
I’ve been coming to Toronto several times a year for meetings since 1999 and had visited many of the city’s fine cultural offerings. But for some reason, it had not occurred to me to venture forth and spend time at the AGO. That is, until legendary Canadian-born architect, Frank O. Gehry put his mark on the facility with a major $276 million expansion unveiled in 2008.
The Gehry-infused transformation of the AGO was six years in the making and multi-faceted in scope. In my opinion, it has been a successful effort to interconnect the worlds of art and architecture in a fashion that is respectful of the community it is serving.
Like most other worldclass facilities of this nature, The AGO is massive. The addition of 97,000 square feet of newly constructed exhibit space and 190,000 square feet of renovated space, enables visitors to view selections from more than 73,000 works of art housed in the gallery’s permanent collection.
At any given time, you can be inspired by more than 4,000 works on display in any of the 110 galleries within a gallery. The extent of the collection is in itself, reason enough to visit. But for me, it is the Gehry factor that has put the AGO over the top.
I am a huge fan of Gehry, most recently admiring his work on the famous boardwalk in Barcelona, Spain. His architectural designs are awe-inspiring and unquestionably unique. They have won the man and his Los Angeles-based company, Gehry International, Architects, Inc., more than 100 awards from the American Institute of Architects.
the Gehry-designed spiral staircase at the AGO
The spiral staircase that greets you upon entering the AGO is in itself, a work of art. Clad with blonde-coloured Douglas fir, the sculptured staircase boasts 138 meandering steps beginning in Walker Court on the second floor of the gallery and reaching to the thought-provoking galleries on the fifth floor.
Galleria Italia at the AGO
Strolling through the Galleria Italia, a magnificent 450-long space created from the marriage of glass and Douglas fir, you will have terrific views of old Dundas Street on one side and a fabulous collection of larger-than-life European sculptures on the other.
As well, if you are a connoisseur of great food, take time to drop in and visit Frank, the Gehry-designed casual yet chic restaurant adorned with comfortable, contemporary Danish furnishings. The Danish-designed cutlery and tableware in the restaurant are apropos to the chic ambience that Gehry’s design brings to the dining space that bears his name. Frank offers a good selection of breakfast, lunch and dinner entrees. But save room for dessert. The baked bittersweet chocolate pudding I had on my last visit is to die for!
I’m sure I’ll have more on some new chocolate findings I discover on my upcoming trip to Toronto. If I’m lucky, I’ll have time to discover SOMA‘s new location. They’re definitely one of my favourite things about Toronto. There are a multitude of others.
But what about you? Have you been to the AGO? Were you impressed with Gehry’s transformation of the gallery?
Join me back here the week of Feb 14th when we’ll share more Toronto love of the sweetest kind.
the launch of my chocolate journey of exploration
Hello chocolate lovers!
We’re in the midst of a cold snap here in sunny, Manitoba, so it is no surprise that my thoughts are turning to warmer climates and my next big chocolate research trip. In less than two months, I’ll be in South America, visiting cacao plantations and chocolate makers who are making chocolate right at the source where the cacao is grown.
But this post isn’t about that. It is about the trip that launched my interest and curiosity about where and how cocoa becomes chocolate.
My first education in this process occurred in January, 2009, when I had the good fortune to spend a week in the Dominican Republic on the fabulous beach at Punta Cana. Lord, I love the Caribbean for its beautiful beaches and luxurious resorts.
the beautiful beach at the Bahia Principe Resort
as much as it's tempting to just stay on the resort and veg out, make an effort to tour the island
During our stay, we enjoyed a fabulous full-day tour with the Bavaro Runners which took us to a sugar cane plantation where we drank the rum made from the sugar cane, a tobacco plantation where we puffed on cigars rolled right before our eyes, a coffee plantation where we drank the dark delicious elixir made from locally grown coffee beans, and a cacao plantation where we learned that our precious chocolate originates in odd looking melon-like pods filled with very large seeds encased in an icky white goop.
cacao pods growing in the Dominican Republic
inside a cacao pod, you will find some rather creepy looking seeds in a white goop
That is where it all began for me! I didn’t realize it at the time, but the seed for Chocolatour had been planted!
So just how does cacao grow? I will get into that in detail when I visit Ecuador and  Peru, and actually talk to the farmers who grow the cacao. But let it be known that I will be forever grateful to that glorious day in the Dominican Republic, when I realized that the origins of chocolate have a very fascinating story to tell.
To help keep my mind off the -25C temperatures that are outside my door at this very moment, let’s share some warm weather stories. Have you been to the Dominican Republic? What did you especially like about it? Did you take any life-changing excursions as I did?
Please share your thoughts with us here, and join us again the week of January 30th, when we’ll take our next journey along the Chocolatour.