Long time no see!!

Spring is a time of new beginnings, and things are no different at David Ramirez Chocolates.  We are no longer partnering with ABC Fine Wine & Spirits, but I’m so pleased to announce that we have formed a new retail partnership with the Le Macaron franchise!

One of my all time favorite treats is a well made French Macaron (one “o”).  I love the moment when that slight crispiness, on the outside, gives way to the pillowy interior.  Let’s face it, being David’s wife for 15 years, I have long had access to the best (Pistachio is my hands down favorite). Le Macaron puts the same level of care and craftsmanship into their Macarons as we do our Chocolates, so ours was a natural pairing.

You can now find David Ramirez Chocolates in the following Le Macaron locations:

The Flagship Store- Le Macaron St. Armands Circle- 382 St. Armands Circle, Sarasota, FL  34236

Le Macaron at International Plaza- 2223 N. WestShore Blvd, Suite 104, Tampa, FL  33607

Le Macaron Winter Park- 216 North Park Avenue, Suite I, Winter Park, FL  32789 (located next to Paris Bistro)

Le Macaron Delray Beach- 520 E Atlantic Avenue, Delray Beach, FL  33483

Le Macaron Miramar- 10801 Corkscrew Road, Suite 183, Estero, FL  33928

…and we are adding more all the time!!

Which store is closest to you???

In other very exciting news, “David Ramirez Chocolates” has been picked up by ABC Fine Wine & Spirits.  In the next couple of weeks, our products will be in 8 Orlando area stores.  If that goes well, there is the possibility of expanding into other markets… (hello, Tampa)

The name change does present a few marketing challenges.  Unfortunately, Facebook won’t let me rename our page, so I had to create a new one entirely.  I also changed our twitter handle.  The new one is @DR_Chocolates.  Our new website address is www.davidramirezchocolates.com.

I am going to sign off for now…from “David Ramirez Chocolates” we hope you have a blessed 2012!

For everyone that wasn’t there, these students were super special second graders (did you like my alliteration). We talked about how I use some of the same skills, in my daily routine, that they are learning right now. For instance, to write my blog, I need to use correct spelling, grammer and punctuation. I use math when I sell the chocolate. We determined how much one 6-piece box of chocolate costs, and how much a 12-piece box costs and then we made number sentences showing how much 2 boxes would cost. We tied into science, and the different states of matter a little when we discussed how molten chocolate changes into solid chocolate and we even did a little Social Studies when we looked at the map and found Florida then found Chile (where Chef David’s family is from).

As much fun as that was, I think that everyone’s favorite part was when we looked at the pictures from my website’s Centerpiece Gallery.  They especially liked the Yellow M&M, the Halloween Pumpkin and the Green Bay Packers Centerpiece.

Thank you very much for inviting me to your class, you made my morning very “Sweet”!!

Cocoa Latte is hosting our very first Open House on Wednesday, November 9, 2011.  If you are in the area, drop in anytime between 5-9PM.  Let us show you how we can help make your event spectacular!!

Hope to see you there.  Please RSVP to nicole@pastrychefconsultants.com.

This is a BIG deal!!  Up until now, all of our wholesale clients have been from the Metro Orlando area, and they tend to place smaller, more frequent orders.   However, several of David’s colleagues, from around the country are taking notice, and a couple of other big time food purveyors have expressed interest in carrying our product also:-D  FANTASTIC news for sure, but there were some logistical snafus to address.  Namely, how do you ship a product that is highly perishable and heat intolerant…during Summer??  We spent several months researching products, asking questions of fellow chocolatiers who have overcome the shipping obstacle and finally, we have come up with a solution…which are the large, insulated shipping boxes that line the walls around me.

These boxes are from R.N.C. Industries, based in Atlanta, GA and they come with 1 inch of insulation and a cool pack.  A couple of weeks ago, we sent a test box, full of DR Decor samples, to a well known food purveyor in South Florida and the chocolate made the trip beautifully.  That made us think…if we can successfully ship the DR Decor, which is very thin, and fragile, why couldn’t we get smaller R.N.C. boxes to ship out DR Chocolates? So we did!  Our first 2 boxes of DR Chocolates made it, safely, to David’s cousin in New Jersey (shout out to Leslie and Howie, we hope you enjoy them!!).

We are finishing up our online store, so, in the next week or two, DR Chocolates will be available for purchase through our website, and THAT, my friends is “Sweet News”.

Until next time…

This time, he is once again teaming up with his pastry brother from another mother, Jim Mullaney, for the first ever, National Showpiece Championship at the “Pastry Live” weekend in Atlanta, Ga, August 26-28, 2011.  David and Jim have a long history of competing, and medaling together which I talk more about in “David’s Story“.  They have been practicing for the last several weeks…I’d love to post pictures (because what I’ve seen, blew me away)…but it’s TOP SECRET, naturally.  You, dear reader, will just have to stay tuned to see what happens.  Or better yet, come join us at the event if you are in, or around the  metro Atlanta area that weekend.  Click the link to visit the Pastry Live official website for venue and event information.

In addition to The National Showpiece Championship, we, at Cocoa Latte, are submitting our chocolates in the Chocolatier of the Year competition at Pastry Live.  This is quite an undertaking for a shop that is still in it’s infancy, but we are well up for the challenge.  I have had the priviledge of tasting the finest chocolates from around the world and I am supremely confident that David’s line DR Chocolates can stand up to any of them!!

Finally, we are working hard to get our online store up and running.  Very soon, you can enjoy DR Chocolates from anywhere in the United States.  I promise to keep you posted.

Until next time…

Our truffle flavorings this week are: Cinnamon, White Chocolate Key Lime, Dark Chocolate Key Lime, Oreo, Coffee, Passion Fruit, PB & J, Salty Caramel (one of my faves), Pistachio Praline, Peanut Praline, Hazlenut, Strawberry Cheesecake, and Raspberry Cheesecake.

We also have Granola Bark, Florentines and especially for Easter, we have Peeps dipped in chocolate (this has been a favorite with the under 10 set)!

Our chocolates and candies pair perfectly with LaVazza coffee drinks. If you are not familiar with this brand from Italy, you MUST try it. It is a strong, but very smooth coffee which is popular all over Europe.

Gotta dash…customers coming in! Hope to see you soon too!!

In fact, I wish you all could smell what I am smelling right now. Our candymaker just whipped up a batch of caramel and it is just divine, buttery goodness!! We are in the process of developing and testing our menu. Besides yummy, gourmet truffles and coffee drinks by LaVazza, some of the other things that you will be able to find at Cocoa Latte are: chocolate covered strawberries, popcorn (caramel, plain, cinnamon/ pecan, spicy and chocolate drizzled), almond butter-crunch toffee, fresh, homemade marshmallows (which, if you’ve never tried, you are seriously missing out), nougat, several varieties of fudge, turtles, chewy caramels, chocolate covered caramels, caramel apples…. and we keep on adding to that list…

So, my friends, you’re gonna have to wait just a little bit longer, but I really think that by the end of April, we should be good to go!! I’ll keep ya posted. Until next time…

This will be a quick blog because my Internet is out at home and I’m being held hostage by RoadRunner, who promises to be here… Sometime between dawn and dusk:-/. So, I’m typing this on my iPhone…

Lots of exciting things going on though! For one, we signed on with LaVazza “Italy’s Favorite Coffee”. David has used it many times over the years in desserts with a coffee element. It is strong, but very smooth!

Also, our neighbor, Carlos, is custom building our cabinetry. He is an artisan from Chile, which is where David’s parents live. They formed a fast friendship a decade ago when my father-in-law noticed Carlos was flying the flag from a Chilean soccer club. He is a genius craftsman and I’m so excited to showcase his work!! Tomorrow, we go to pick out the granite for our countertops… It’s all coming together.

We are still planning on opening our doors on Saturday, April 9th.

The wait is almost over…

After I finish writing this, I am headed over to the store to put my office together. Ikea is the best. Easiest assembly EVER!! In the coming weeks, I will be finishing up the interior (display cases, coffee equipment, counters, seating etc) and finalizing the menu. Our specialty at Cocoa Latte is most certainly the chocolate. With out a doubt, we have that angle COVERED!! On the other hand, other than being “enthusiastic coffee drinkers” for many years, baristas we are not…yet… So, I encourage you all to leave comments with your favorite coffee items…nothing crazy people…no ” venti, soy, half-caff moccachino with foam not whip, double cup, no lid”…

Bye for now, hopefully, next time I blog, it will be from my new office! Have a great week everyone!!