Notes on Chocolate Part One: Tree to Table

I can't think of a flavor more associated with the dessert industry than chocolate. (Except sugar, of course.) In this multi-part series, I'll be showing you the entire process from cacao tree to finished chocolate products you can proudly put on a dessert display at your next party.

This entry will take you from plantation to table, following the cocoa bean through all its transformations. I will be including photos and information from my trip today to one of the coolest places to go in Raleigh, Videri Chocolate Factory. (By the way, it's right across the street from one of my other favorite places in downtown Raleigh, The Pit.)

Tools of the Trade

One of the questions my friends and family always ask me -- and I'm never sure how to answer -- is the question of tools used in the culinary industry. Why do I have such a hard time answering such a simple question? Because the answer, invariably, is "it depends on what you want to do." You want to decorate cakes? There's a list of tools for that. Get really good at making sushi? There's a completely different set of tools for that.

Since this blog is focusing on pastry, I'll keep the tool list focused on that. I've sorted into three categories: Knives, Utensils, and Accessories. I won't be including pots, pans, bowls, etc. in this list, as they could be their own article. Make sure you have the knives and utensils, and collect the accessories piecemeal.

Introductions are in order...

Who am I to make confessions? Let alone of a geeky or baker-y type?

Let's start with the important part: baking. I've been baking for as long as I can remember. In fact, when I moved out of my parents' place, a photo of me making cookies half-naked at the kitchen table when I was all of three or four still adorned my mom's fridge. Growing up, cooking was a family affair, especially when it came time to bake. Cookies? You bet my sister and I were under Mom's feet, waiting ever-so-impatiently for when we could form the balls and lick the bowl. Cakes? We got to pick the frosting!

Now that I'm an adult (and have lived on my own for a while), I don't have Mom or Aunt J in the kitchen with me to tell me what I'm doing wrong (or right). But, that hasn't deterred me from continuing on this delicious journey into pastry. I am largely self-taught as of this writing, however, I am also actively pursuing a formal pastry education.

So what makes me a "nerdy" baker? Well, let's start with this: I believe that if you identify as a nerd or geek, and enjoy at least one nerdy or geeky thing, you're a nerd or geek. However, if you insist on seeing some "geek cred", here it is: I've been playing D&D since I was 12, Magic: the Gathering since I was 9 (though I've quit twice), and I have three weekly tabletop RPG sessions. Then there's the Tolkien-reading, fantasy-writing, videogame-playing, Star Trek-watching, and wargaming. Yeah. I'm a nerd. I get that a lot.

What do I have to confess? Everything. I talk too much, and over-share fairly frequently. But, what will I confess here? My tricks, techniques, and successes. As well as "learning opportunities", failures, and oopses. No one's perfect, but everyone can learn to recover from a mistake.

See you on Wednesday.