sweetriot blog - cacao | culture | cool!

Four Chocolate Questions Answered :)

It's Saturday and the perfect time to share a chocolate article!  :)  Mmmmm. Chocolate.

http://www.thedailybeast.com/blogs-and-stories/2009-09-29/four-chocolate-questions-answered/

Tribeca Film Fest

When the Tribeca Film Fest started 5 years ago, the organizers thought it may be a one time event.   Little did they know, New Yorker's and visitors alike loved it from the start!  This year sweetriot was honored again to have sweetriot given to the filmmakers.  I also ran into Peter Scarlet who is the Executive Director of the festival.  On the last day of the festival, he was excited to have sweetriot as a treat between films.

Jacques Torres & Willy Wonka.

Perhaps you have been to one of his stores in NYC or seen Jacques Torres on his Food Network show on chocolate.  He truly is an all around good guy and super passionate about his chocolate.

I stopped by his Haven to catch up this week and he gave me a personal tour of the factory.  My favorite part - the winnower of course - this is the machine that breaks cacao beans into nibs, so they can be eaten in little peaces (think sweetriot).  :)

Jacques does want to be the Willy Wonka of NYC - I on the other hand want to be the cacao-girl.  Thus, we are perfect chocolate & cacao loving friends & partners.  Thanks, Jacques, for the tour!  So glad I'm your neighbor now!   (Did I mention I now live 2 blocks from the Haven - wow!)

Cacao not cocoa (Ka-Kow!)

(This blog is a repost of a past post due to its importance and some brand new blog visitors from typepad/six apart - welcome!) 

In my ongoing quest to teach the world the true background of chocolate, I took an opportunity while traveling to Latin America to snap some photos of the real word, cacao, in play.  Here we have further evidence that the origin of chocolate is indeed cacao -- history has also proven that cacao was first linked to Latin America in the 1500's and is said to have been discovered by Cortez or Columbus. 

When traveling in the main cacao producing regions of Latin America, it is not difficult to find a cacao sign along the way. Yes, it's true a 'cocoa bean' and 'cacao bean' are the same thing, but cacao is the real word.  Through time, the word, 'cacao' was english-sized into 'cocoa.'  sweetriot is committed to teaching the world about the background of chocolate and giving individuals access to cacao directly before it is processed away into a chocolate bar.

I love these cacao signs - living proof of all of the cacao in action down South!   If you would like to see a cacao farm, check this out.

Whole Foods Chocolate Fest!

It's almost Valentine's Day!  Do you have your cacao standing by for your special someone?  In anticipation, Whole Foods held their Regional Chocolate Fest, and sweetriot sent teams through out NYC with cacao.   Heidi went to White Plains, Matt and I went to Columbus Circle, and Megan, Joe, Nina and I were at Chelsea.  Thanks to Colin for joining us from Boston for some guest rioting too! Whole Foods has a creative force and committed team behind the scenes and this past week was no different.  They had the details down to truly make the event special - imagine balloons, rose petals, red tablecloths, and cacao and chocolate every where!  Huge thanks go to Rebecca, Martha, Julie, Paul and everyone who made the Fest a great event for everyone!   Special thanks also go to Julie whose energy and passion is contagious and who undying support of sweetriot is greatly appreciated!

Zabar's and the Blizzard!

To prepare for the Saturday Blizzard in NYC, we were standing by at Zabar's today with cacao. 

We encouraged the shoppers to 'cozy up with cacao' for the blizzard.  Zabar's, as one of sweetriot's very first customers, is near and dear to our heart and that especially means our great friend, Scott.  He has helped us immensely with honest and direct feedback from the very beginning.   

If you haven't visited Zabar's, you are truly missing out.  It is a true New York institution and has something for everyone.  Luckily, I was able to stock up on a few items before the storm like their amazing cheese and Smoked whitefish dip.  Pictured here are Liz and Nina anticipating the snowstorm with their very own homemade snowflakes.  Kenny was also standing by today with his smile and kind nature.   

Oprah: Chocolate Adds 3 Years to Your Life

Oprah just announced 1 oz of chocolate adds 3 years to life.  Now, we have been discussing this here at Riot headquarters because sweetriot is exactly 1 oz.!   Has Oprah been eating sweetriot Cacao or is this just an irony?  Either way, we think she's reallly cool and that she should be eating sweetriot Cacao if she isn't already.  There certainly is a lot of chocolate info. on her website. 

If any of you can:
1 - verify where Oprah found this fun fact about 1 oz. of chocolate and/or
2 - help us get cacao to Oprah, please let us know.

Oprah and the whole entire world simply needs more cacao and the 1 oz size of sweetriot Cacao is just perfect (and luckily only 140 calories).  I gotta run to eat more right now!  :)