The Essence of Chocolate

by John Scharffenberger and Robert Steinberg

This isn’t just a cook book. It is also about how they built the company, and what goes into starting this bean-to-bar company. In America there were only nine companies that make chocolate – like Hershey’s and Nestlé, which are big business. Then these guys came along and said, “We are going to buy beans and make and blend chocolate like people make wine.”

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“I was good friends with both of the authors when they started their now famous chocolate company. I tasted the first chocolate they made, and I remember thinking that it was a bad idea. Then it went on to be very successful, and everyone in America was eating their chocolate…..the book isn’t just a cook book. It is also about how they built the company, and what goes into starting this bean-to-bar company. In America there were only nine companies that make chocolate – like Hershey’s and Nestlé, which are big business. Then these guys came along and said, “We are going to buy beans and make and blend chocolate like people make wine.” John had started a successful sparkling wine company and Robert was a doctor. Together they had this idea, and their chocolate became very popular in America. The book is great because it has recipes, but it also talks about what chocolate is and how various cultures use it. People think about chocolate in terms of a bar of chocolate when actually it is this very complex thing. The book makes it all very easy to understand and is completely approachable, which is why I like it so much.” Read more...

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David Lebovitz, Cooks & Food Writer