A few weeks of work

I have been hard at chocolate work lately! Some days have been rougher than others, let me tell you.
One afternoon was spent at Let's Talk Wine (www.letstalkwine.net) with Linda trying to pair dessert wines with chocolate, I know, I picked an awful job didn't I? I spent more than a few afternoons trying to figure out how to do an excel spreadsheet. I read the book, tried the templates, everything to no avail. Luckily I have some great friends. For the small price of a homecooked dinner, dessert and a glass of wine, my friend Sam came over and had it all done in less than 5 minutes. No exaggeration there at all.
There have been many, many hours online trying to figure out packaging, and let me just say, when you start talking ribbon and tissue paper and candy cups, especially when there isn't just one place to order these things, it is frustrating (time to go back and try to pair wine and chocolate!) to say the least.
Then comes the cool chef jacket, Crooked Brook (www.crookedbrook.com) has beautiful jackets. Unfortunately, I am not a person who can envision the finished project before it has been started. So, I need as few choices as possible, too many options makes me very nervous. I am sure it will be gorgeous when finished, then I won't want to wear it and get it all messy. I was thinking though and had it made in chocolate brown.
It is generally known amongst my friends and family that I tend to make things far more complicated then they need to be. Naming the chocolates is a perfect example. I wanted everything with the chocolates to relate to the name, Cocoa Nouveau, so I thought it would be pretty easy to name everything for the cities or artists that were important to the Art Nouveau movement. Finding the information wasn't difficult, but making logical connections as to why the flavors connect to the cities is another thing entirely, then add that I am starting with a fall line with fall flavours. I can't make a connection to any Art Nouveau person or place and pumpkins! Does the connection really need to be logical? As I am finding out, logical is relative, every person I have asked (thank you Sharon, Mollie, Lisa and Marilu) has a different perspective on each person or place. I am getting very close to drawing names out of a hat.
It is finally getting cool enough here to consider playing with some chocolate. I probably shouldn't have said that out loud, or typed it even. Watch it be 95 degrees again with 90% humidity tomorrow!
I am so thankful for all the women that are helping me out with this endeavor in so many ways, so thank you again and again to Brenda, Joanne, Mollie, Lisa, Linda, Sue and Samantha!

Back to work

Today was the first day of school, so back to work for me. I am pleased with the feedback I have gotten on the website. I am getting inquiries already, just from the photos, which is encouraging. It is hard for me to say that I am not really up and running yet, as I have been at this since the spring. It will all come together when it is time.

So, what's new with Cocoa Nouveau? At this moment, nothing at all. I am getting some box samples (hopefully this week), and naming my chocolate; which I must say is far more difficult than I had anticipated. Most places that I have been to just have flavors as the names, but a colleague of mine, Daniel of Chocolat by Daniel at www.chocolatbydaniel.com, has these really wonderful names and descriptions. So, I borrowed his idea. I think he has a second career as a romance writer.

I have been busy making birthday cakes, and as proof that you can paint with chocolate, you know who you are: (These were not all made recently!)