We have tried a lot of chocolate over the last 25 years or so. Are we jaded by this? Perhaps a little, but we still get excited to taste something new.

All chocolate is good, especially when you don’t have any. I remember when I was in the hotel bar in Addis in the '80s, and some guy had his stash of Snickers and Hershey's stored at the bar (and I had none). I realized right then and there I would never travel again without chocolate.

Arcelia has made a chocolate bar worth dreaming about.

This is what Arcelia shared when we asked her to tell us about the chocolate.

Hacienda Cacao Valent is on the west coast of Puerto Rico, cacao trees were planted in 2014 and soon after, Hurricane Maria destroyed 40% of the trees. The producer, David Valentín Bayón, a multi-generational farmer, has spent most of his time planting and making sure his trees grow and survive to become strong mature trees. 

On his farm he has a blend of mostly trinitário and forastero trees, with a few criollo. In 2017 and 2019 his cacao received a Cocoa of Excellence Award. 

This is the third harvest that I have received from him, the first two harvests I received, I made into chocolate and both times awarded. So this makes his cacao and my chocolate the most awarded in Puerto Rico. 

It is important to support Puerto Rican cacao because most of it goes to bulk processing and made into Dominican chocolate. Creating a demand for single origin Puerto Rican chocolate incentivizes farmers to sell their cacao to small chocolate makers instead of the large industry buyers.  

I will be visiting David in September. 

Tasting notes:

To the nose, there is no hint at the wonderful flavors to come.

At first bite it is a soft chocolate, that melts nicely in the mouth releasing wonderful flavors. It is a gentle mix of cocoa. It is enticing, with a wonderful finish and an ever-so-slight dryness to the edges of the tongue. You will find yourself sucking in on your tongue and cheeks to eek out the most flavor possible.

You will want to eat this bar slowly, savoring each piece you have broken off. You could easily consume the entire bar in one sitting over an hour or two.

It would pair well with a wine like Cabernet Sauvignon. This chocolate is so special you want to tell everyone about it, without sharing any.

There is an extremely limited supply of this bar and we are limiting purchases. We want as many people as possible to try it so next time Arcelia has the opportunity to make more chocolate from David’s cocoa, we can convince her to make a lot more!

Please note: Do to the extremely limited supply of this bar only one per order.

Shop Now for Limited Edition Puerto Rico Chocolate Bar!

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One year in Aspen, Charlotte and the other two of the triplets, created this mind-blowing dish. They created it on the spot, using the ChefShop ingredients the chefs had requested we bring to the stage, and the protein left over from the demos.

The recipe calls for chicken and fish, and any firm, light-colored fish will work.

There are lots of adjustments you can make to the recipe to fit the day and your preferences, and you can always make it spicier!

See the Chicken and Hamachi Curry Recipe here!

Coconut milk and coconut water have been touted as exceptionally, unbelievably good for you. We don't know about that, but we do know that our coconut milk is fabulous! It consists of just two ingredients: coconut kernel extract and water. That's it.

Filled with lots of B vitamins and other good stuff, coconut milk is a versatile and surprisingly useful ingredient to have in your essential pantry.

Coconut milk is essential for desserts such as coconut cream pie, coconut cupcakes, coconut hot white chocolate, and of course, coconut ice cream.

It is a wonderful ingredient in savory dishes as well. Think of Thai Curry for your shrimp, coconut rice (if you use coconut milk to cook the rice) or a wonderful curry garlic pepper milk sauce for your fresh fish!

We have tried a boat load of coconut milk and this is the best we have tasted!

Really love this product!
"I'm a big fan. Tasting this against the more widely available -- i.e., mass-market -- brands of coconut milk is a real revelation. Ayam is much thicker and has MUCH more flavor. I recently used it as part of a marinade and sauce for some grilled swordfish (modified from a recipe on Food52), and the final dish was jaw-droppingly good. Additionally, I like the fact that it has nothing in it other than coconut and water."
-- maggie

Shop now for Ayam Coconut Milk!

This Balsamela oozes the same precision of flavor that Andrea puts into his Gold Seal Balsamic vinegar.

This Apple Balsamic is made from fresh apples and treated in the same way as his traditional Balsamics, then reduced and allowed to acidify.

To the nose, there is a sweetness and for sure, a pure apple scent. The nice sweetness has a finish of a vinegar bite, mostly in the back of the throat. You can sip, dip (with your tongue), or drizzle.

Add to cold water and have a wonderful, easy-sipping and refreshing thirst quencher.

Besides dipping your tongue in a spoon filled with Balsamela, pour a little out and dip your veggies in.

And then there is the drizzle. Drizzle your plate in a wonderful pattern over your protein or your vegetables. Use it as you would a balsamic vinegar, with a twist of apples.

This is one of those amazing foods that when you first try it you can't believe how absolutely special it is!

Shop now for San Giacomo Balsamela - Apple Balsamic!

I have been craving a good, perfectly toasted, English muffin with little crusty peaks and bits, so I can spread it with butter, topped with this marmalade or a mixed cream cheese and orange marmalade spread.

Pop the top and you will see a flat sea of soft orange jelly. Beneath the gel you can see the chunks of orange swimming, just waiting to be scooped up with the first spoonful.

To the nose, it is subtle, sensitive, and has the smell of the peel of orange. Not exactly a Florida orange, more of a lemon grapefruit orange.

There will be a sparkle as you pull out the first bite.

And the first bite is a mix of solids and quickly disappearing sweet, just the right amount of sweet gel! And the bite of peel encased is delicious. From the thin strips to little chunks to the big ones, each spoonful is different and the same.

It is these big chunks that share the bitter bits of orange peel, all the while giving you the soft hits of flavor you expect from a marmalade.

As you progress with more spoonfuls you find the jelly has more than sweetness, it carries the Seville orange profile with it. It acts like a jelly wrap around the bits of orange.

On your next bite you might find yourself dissolving the jelly first and then chowing down on the peel. Or, you might not be able to wait and just chew away. Either way, it’s a good mouthful.

This is one of my all-time favorite marmalades! It is not too sweet and not too chunky. From toast to roast to cheese, it is perfect to tuck away in your essential pantry, ready to pull out when royalty visits...if you can wait that long.

Shop now Hawkshead Seville Orange Marmalade!

This sugar is at the top of my list to always have on hand. Use it once and you will see that this is how you want sugar to be. It has flavor, it has personality, it is alive!

Currently I have 8 different sugars on my counter (more liquid sweeteners stored in the essential pantry) to test and try in different applications. And dark muscovado is the standard by which I compare all others. Compare? Each sugar has a reason to exist, but can it reach the level of devotion we have and have seen for this Dark Muscovado? Remember, not all Dark Muscovado is the same.

Muscovado is a soft, moist, fine brown sugar. It's also known as Barbados sugar, where it was once made. But ours comes from the island of Mauritius off the African coast.

While most brown sugar these days is made by combining already-refined sugar with added molasses-like syrup, this is the real thing. This is a less refined product with rich, complex flavor.

This sugar adds a deeper dimension to cakes, fudge, pecan pie, and other desserts with its rich butterscotch flavors. Use it as you would brown sugar - take your morning oatmeal to new heights with a spoonful of Dark Muscovado on top!

Shop now for India Tree Dark Muscovado Sugar!

This classic vegetable stock has been reduced to a glace, making it a wonderful addition to soups and sauces, rices and grain dishes. A clear stock with no added starches or fat, Veggie-Stock Gold's blend of select fresh vegetables is a natural way to enhance the color and flavor of your current stocks or entrées.

Makes approximately 2 2/3 gallons of vegetable stock.

This product is gluten-free which means is that there are no fillers added to bulk it up or thicken it.

Shop now for Veggie-Stock Gold - Classic Vegetable Stock!

Nanami Togarashi - a blend of flavors that may have been created in the 17th century as a way to encourage healthy eating.

Also referred to as Seven Spice (the number of ingredients in this pepper mix), the number seven is considered to be lucky and refers to the Shichifukujin, the Lucky Seven Deities.

This mix adds a little heat when added to dry dishes, it really comes alive when added to liquid like soup or oil from fresh fish, and it is often added to Japanese noodle dishes such as Soba and Udon.

Unlike so many “spice rubs”, this one is not sweetened with sugar; instead it has a wonderful hint of citrus along with sesame seeds, ginger and seaweed which adds the umami that completes the seven flavors. With a little circular hole in the top of the jar, it shakes out perfectly to make your Udon Noodles sing.

A perfect complement to fish or fowl...imagine a painted line of ketjap manis, diced ginger and a gentle sprinkle of Nanami Togarashi down the center of a salmon fillet to kick up the flavor. And it is perfect for pasta!

This is a traditional Japanese Seven Spice blend – a mixture of red pepper, sansho pepper, roasted orange peel, black and white sesame seeds, seaweed and ginger. The seaweed brings out flavor, and the pepper adds a little kick to whatever you add it to.

Nanami Togarashi is easy to have on hand and there are just under a million ways to use it!

Shop now for Shichimi Togarashi Red Pepper Mix!