Why Utah Doesn't Suck: #41 - Fine Chocolate. Especially This Stuff

A couple of disclaimers.

1.) I am a chocolate fanatic. Not in the Calgon-Take-Me-Away-with-Shitty-Chocolate vein. I'm a fan of the good stuff. Bean to bar. Good technique. Good beans. All of it equals an unparalleled flavor bomb that is fine chocolate. No fillers. No crap. No waxy mouthfeel. Oh and I don't like my chocolate to smell like a marshmalow, either. If that makes me a snob, so be it.

That's why I'm a huge fan of Amedei of Italy. Yeah, yeah, I know. But, Vanessa, what about French chocolate? And Belgian, and Swiss, and ... 

Well in my view, geography doesn't determine chocolate supremacy. Skill and technique do. And Amedei's Cecilia Tessieri has it dialed. No question. No stammering French objections. This stuff is incredible. Even the Academy of Chocolate says so. Tasting Amedei Chuao (picutred above) for the first time is like taking your first sip of an excellent Chateauneuf de Papes or formidable Barolo. It changes you. And you never look at the food the same way again.

2.) Caputo's Market is where it's at. In terms of shopping greedily for things to cook (but really, anything they sell could be eaten, stand alone, and qualify as a feast). They have cheese aging cell with a rocking affineuse in one Antonia Horne, a mind blogging selection of good oils, artisan, cheese meats, not to mention an in-house butcher that cuts fresh, local, pasture-raised meat, but also cures it into amazing stuff. Yes, I am a Caputo's alum. And I'm damn proud of it. Who wouldn't want to surround themselves with good.

3.) The above two can be found in Utah. Yes, Utah. The home of the Mormons. The sustainers of funeral potato casserole. The state's whose liquor laws shall not be named. We have amazing food sources here. And for one night, they're going to come together in a big way. 

Amedei's Gabriele Bianchi will be at Caputo's Market downtown for the first ever FINE CHOCOLATE FEST 2012. This won't be your average chocolate show. No bunnies. No advent calendars. And there sure as hell will be no chocolate fountains (P.S. the chocolate is mostly vegetable oil. True story).

Thursday, October 25th, 7:30-10PM brings together Matt Caputo and Gabriele Bianchi for an amazing tasting of Amedei chocolates, but also a full roster of the best chefs:

Amber Billingsley of Vinto
Romina Rasmussen of Les Madeleines Patisserie
Viet Pham of Forage
Matt Harris of Heirloom Restaurant Group
Ruth Kendrick of Chocolot
Letty Flatt of Deer Valley Resort
Lya Luna of Caputo's Market

They'll be making sweet AND savory creations all with Amedei chocolate. Plus there's a beverage pairing for all of these dishes reocmmended by:

Epic Brewing Company
Francis Fecteau of Libation, LLC  
Slide Ridge Honey (featuring their Cacysir Honey Wine)

I've always wanted an event to focus on good chocolate to really take root state side. And I promise you this isn't just a one-off. Because Utah, for all of its faults and suscepitbility to naysaying has an amazing potential to be a hub of fine chocolate. Thanks to amazing chefs, great local products, and local shops that bring in things like Amedei, it's another reason to show the world by Utah doesn't suck.

World, here's our passion. It jives with Italy's. Just saying... 

Fine Chocolate Fest 2012
Featuring Amedei of Italy
Thursday, October 25th, 7:30-10PM
$15 in advance; $20 at the door
To RSVP click here or call (801) 531-8669 ext. 1 

Proceeds go to cacao sustainability projects around the world.

Samplings of chef-created magic using only Amedei & beverage pairings
*Cash bar available 

Comments

[Rocky Mountain Woman]

If I can make it, I am soooo there! I love Caputos. When I worked downtown I ate there about three times a week...