Fresh-Picked Seattle

Intro

Image by Flickr user AntoanetaWith a number of chocolate shops and chocolatiers, and the only organic, Fair Trade bean-to-bar factory in the US (Theo Chocolate), Seattle is a great place to live if you are a chocolate lover.

Simply buying and eating it is probably enough for most people, but if you want to know more about this magical substance, here are some of the chocolate resources, classes and events we have here in town.

Chocolate Shops & Chocolatiers

Not a complete list, but a starting point for some of the popular ones:

• Claudio Corallo
• Seattle Chocolates
• Dilettante
• Dr. Dave's Mega-O
• Chocolopolis
• Oh! Chocolate
• Intrigue Chocolate
• Sweet Decadence (in Newcastle, was voted best of Western WA for 2009)
• Fran's (famous sea salt caramels Obama likes)
• Theo Chocolate (per the above, the only organic and Fair Trade certified bean-to-bar manufacturer in the US, see the tour slideshow)

Chocolate Tours

• Chocolate Box offers 3-hour tours on Saturdays and Sunday from 8:30am to 11:30am. 
• Savor Seattle Walking Tours offers a 2-hour "Chocolate Indulgence" tour for $49. Tours run Thu-Mon at 11am and 11:30am. 
• Boehms Candies in Issaquah offers self-guided window tours and $3 guided tours of their factory during summer months. 
• Theo offers tours of their factories for $6. See my slideshow below and click through for captions/descriptions.

Miscellaneous Chocolate Resources

• Here's a post I did on the Experimental College class Exploring Chocolate with the "Chocolate Man" Bill Fredericks. He teaches many of the chocolate classes offered at Sweet Decadence (see above) and Seattle-area community colleges as well as the Experimental College and I can't recommend him highly enough.
• PFI is a great resource for well-priced bulk Guittard and Callebaut chocolates, which were a couple of winners in the tasting at that Exploring Chocolate.
• We recently had a Chocolate Salon here in Seattle, and their list of 2009 winners is up.
• Smart Raw Food has offered raw chocolate classes in the past. I've asked in the past and they might schedule them for private classes if you have enough folks.
• Here's a Seattle Times article with some great background info on the various places you can do classes and tours in the city.
• While the author of the ChocolateSpeak blog is now covering the chocolate beat in Berlin, her Seattle Chocolate Guide still gives you a good sense of the producers and shops in the area.
• Pastry Craft (pastry chef Laurie Pfalzer) teaches a variety of intimate, hands-on baking, pastry and confectionery classes in your home by reservation or in kitchens around Seattle and on the Eastside.

Theo Chocolate Factory Tour

Seattle Chocolate & Confectionary Classes & Events

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Still Hungry?

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Contact

Contact me if you have a Puget Sound-area event to submit to this calendar or Puget Sound-based blog/site to add to the resources. This page also has limited advertising opportunities for local businesses, contact for rates and details.

 

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