The Mountain Xpress Best of WNC

It’s that time again!  It’s time to vote for your favorite Asheville establishments in the Mountain Xpress Best of WNC.   We have won first place for Best Chocolate for 12 years (and 2^nd place twice) and we need your help to win again!  Please vote for us and your other favorite Asheville establishments and tell your friends, neighbors, and fellow chocoholics to vote.

When you begin filling out your ballot, remember that you can skip the survey at the beginning but you will need to vote for at least 30 categories for your vote to be counted.    Even if your local we know this can be a challenge so we have compiled this list of our favorites to help you make your decisions.  It could get a little long so if you get tired just write The Chocolate Fetish into 30 slots!  Thanks for your continued support and thanks for helping us “rock the vote!”

Place your vote here:  www.vote.bestofwnc.com

Voting ends August 22nd

Eats
Barbecue  12 Bones
Bakery (sweets/desserts)  Old Europe
Bread  Farm & Sparrow
Breakfast/brunch  Early Girl Eatery
Burger Roman’s
Caterer Rosanne Capone Purple Rose Catering
Cheap lunch The Mediterranean

Chocolate  The Chocolate Fetish

Greek  The Mediterranean
Indian  Katmandu
Italian  Strada
Japanese / Sushi  Heiwa Shokudo
Options for special diets (gluten-free, lactose-free, etc)  Posana
Pizza  Circle in the Square
Seafood  Bonefish Grill

Best service  The Chocolate Fetish

Splurge restaurant  The Admiral
Subshop/deli/sandwiches  Roman’s
Top chef  Rosanne Capone Purple Rose Catering
Vegetarian  Laughing Seed

Drinks
Bartender Jackson @Beer Garden
Coffee shop Malaprops
Dive bar  The Admiral
Local brewery Highlands Brewery
Sports bar The Beer Garden

Arts

Sculptor Elizabeth Foley Chocolate Sculptor @ The Chocolate Fetish

Local Visual Artist Joshua Spiceland
Photographer Julie McMillan
Local band: R&B/Blues  The Secret B-Sides
Local band: Rock Antique Firearms
Place to hear live music Grey Eagle

Uniquley Asheville

Best Reason to Live in Asheville The Chocolate Fetish

Spring at The Chocolate Fetish

Asheville is in full spring bloom and things are really starting to hop here at The Chocolate Fetish!  Chocolate bunnies of all shapes and sizes adorn our shelves in preparation for Easter next weekend.  In addition to the beautiful hand painted Easter eggs we have been making for years this year we are adding special filled eggs in four fabulous flavors; Coconut, Soft Caramel, Peanut Butter Melt-away, and Mint Melt-away.  We’ve taken our delicious German style caramel softened it with fresh cream and filled a milk chocolate shell with its gooey buttery goodness.  If caramel isn’t your thing then maybe a melt-away will inspire indulgence?  Decadent chocolate that literally melts in your mouth these chocolates are super smooth and velvety.  Available in dark chocolate and mint or milk chocolate and peanut butter they will make a great addition to an Easter basket or just a great addition to your afternoon.

Our family of Easter bunnies has grown this year as well!  In addition to the fun whimsical bunnies of years past like the motorcycle riding bunny and the bunny wearing a suit we have added the sharp shooter cowboy bunny and the sidecar family of bunnies.  You’re not going to find anything like this fabulous family of bunnies piled up on a motorcycle complete with sidecar at your local grocery store (and I guarantee ours tastes better).  A touch of color has been added to our “big eared” bunny so he now boasts pink ears and nose and fluffy white tail.  We wouldn’t want all these bunnies getting lonely so we added some friends, white chocolate lambs and hand painted chicks!

The Easter excitement doesn’t end there!  We have our signature “Dinosaur Eggs.”  A textured chocolate shell bigger than a softball is filled with little baby chocolate dinosaurs.  Kids of all ages will love breaking one of these open Easter morning to discover the delectable goodies inside.  There are also our German made real eggshell eggs.  While we do make most everything we sell right in our shop downtown every once in a while we discover something special we want to share with you from elsewhere in the world.  A few years ago our owner’s went on a chocolate tour in Germany and found these really cool real eggshell eggs.  The company first empties the eggshell (they use the egg inside to make pre-cooked egg meals, like those used on airplanes) then after cleaning, sanitizing and painting; they fill them with an amazing German hazelnut chocolate.  These eggs are super yummy and lots of fun to eat.

Our owner Sue at the Gut Springenheide Factory in Metelen, Germany

Easter marks the beginning of another exciting time at The Chocolate Fetish… Chocolate Dipped Strawberry season.  Beginning Easter weekend we will be offering chocolate covered strawberries every Friday and Saturday through berry season (usually through June).  We source the biggest most delicious strawberries we can find, then dip them fresh through out the day in our signature dark chocolate blend.  At The Chocolate Fetish you’ll never get a berry that has been sitting around in a case for days.  We dip them multiple times throughout the day so you are always assured a fresh delicious berry.

Stay tuned, chocolate covered frozen bananas are coming soon….

Why Do We Use Real Chocolate?

Why Do We Use REAL Chocolate?
As an informed consumer, there is a lot of misleading rhetoric out there.
Are ‘chocolate flavored’ and ‘chocolate’ the same?
Is artificial chocolate just as good as real chocolate?
The answer is no.
Real chocolate is like no other substance on earth. For years scientists have tried to duplicate its characteristics without success. They have come very close, but the very best is still a pale comparison. The main difference between real chocolate and a ‘chocolate flavored’ substance is its most basic ingredient, cocoa butter. When you pick up a candy bar in the grocery store, look at the ingredients label on the package. If it does not contain cocoa butter, it is not real chocolate.
Chocolate is more expensive than its artificial counterpart and much more difficult to work with. It is temperamental at times. It can be affected by high humidity as well as warm temperatures, so it must be stored and handled in controlled environments. Chocolate must be melted to a specific temperature, cooled to a specific temperature and then warmed to a specific temperature, and it must be agitated in a specific way during this entire process before it will harden into a substance that you recognize. It takes much more work and expertise to bring you the tasty confection that you want and expect. So why do we use real chocolate? Because there is simply no other substitute. If you want to offer the very best, it is necessary to start with the best ingredients.
Chocolate has been found to lower blood pressure and it is a potent antioxidant according to the Aug. 27 issue of The Journal of the American Medical Association. Not only does it taste good but it is good for you~ Cocoa butter melts completely at 95 degrees Fahrenheit. Body temperature is 98.7. Coincidence? I don’t think so. Quetzalcoatl, the Mexican god that gave us chocolate, knew exactly what he was doing.
Chocolate has become the most distinct and popular flavor in the entire world. It has been with American soldiers in every war since 1940. Chocolate has mended fences, fixed broken hearts, closed sales, welcomed guests, turned acquaintances into friends and satisfied that unspoken craving. When you establish your business and reputation on something as important as chocolate, shouldn’t you only use the very best? We think that you should.

By Gary Dinstuhl ,Guittard Chocolates

Fall at The Chocolate Fetish

The cool mountain air of fall has once again settled upon Asheville.  Autumn’s cool days offer a much appreciated respite from the sometimes blistering heat that this summer brought us.  Our chocolate and those who like to leave the shop with a box or two of it are rejoicing as well.  Already the leaves are starting to turn and the mountainsides are soon to be ablaze with the gorgeous colors that make this area such a desired fall vacation spot.   Natures beauty in fall is a constant inspiration for us here at The Chocolate Fetish, evident in this years fall product offerings.

Drawing on fall's inspiration to create beautiful Chocolate High Heels

Back on the shelves are our Maple Walnut Caramel Cups, a personal favorite.  These delightful dark chocolate shells, shaped like maple leaves are filled with a gooey liquid caramel made with Vermont Grade B maple syrup and toasted walnuts.  I grew up spending summer’s in Vermont with my grandparents and one bite of these takes me back to our summer excursions to buy maple syrup direct from the farmer.  I remember him climbing up the rickety old ladder to the rafters of the barn and handing down old mason jars and tins thick with dust.  Inside was the thickest sweetest most delectable Grade B maple syrup you’ve ever tasted.  (To learn more about Maple Syrup grades and why I think Grade B is better check out this website http://www.vermontmaple.org/grades.php)  This year my thoughts turn often to Vermont as I hear towns I visited in my childhood ravaged by flood.  I am glad that in one small way we can help the people of Vermont through our continued purchasing of their maple syrup.

Also on our shelves are our brand new Pumpkin Pie Truffles.  Over  a year in the works we finally found the perfect marriage of chocolate and pumpkin.  To get the perfect balance we sought out a new chocolate (which brings us to more than 6 different milk chocolates that we blend to make our delectable flavors) a single origin Milk chocolate from Hawaii.  This milk chocolate is made entirely from beans grown on one estate in Hawaii giving a distinct fruity flavor.  This delicious chocolate is quickly becoming a personal favorite and is also available as a Single Origin bar in our shop.  The Pumpkin Pie Truffle marries fresh organic pumpkin with this delicious chocolate and a hint of spice.

Hand Painted Chocolate Pumpkins

Fall marks the beginning of what we at The Chocolate Fetish refer to as 3-D season.  Starting with three dimensional pumpkins, turkeys, and cats and continuing through the seasons with Santas and snowmen, then on to Easter with bunnies and eggs.  This year’s pumpkins are particularly beautiful.  Hand painted in oranges, yellows and reds and dusted with shimmering luster dust, they make a great addition to table centerpieces for Thanksgiving or fall entertaining. As usual we are offering a wide array of chocolate leaves including some hand painted maple leaves, another great way to add a little flair to fall table decorations.

The cool air means it’s hot cocoa season again and this year we have a new product that will knock your socks (it had our samplers eyes rolling back in their heads, and I am not exaggerating).  Gone is the plain old American style hot cocoa of the past instead we are now offering European Style Sipping Chocolate.  This decidedly decadent and indulgent beverage is made from our premium blend of freshly shaved dark chocolate mixed with half and half.   If you don’t live in Asheville be sure you make it up here this winter to try some… trust me you won’t want to miss it!  For those of you that live a little to far for a Sunday drive we’re working on a make at home version that we can ship to you, just another thing you’ll want to be on the look out for.

For us at The Chocolate Fetish fall is just the beginning. The busy holiday season is close on fall’s heels and the excitement of more new products keeps me jazzed about coming to work everyday.  We have more single origins, more seasonal flavors, and a whole new line of truffles coming soon!  As usual stay tuned to all our social media to be the first to hear about all the new flavors coming your way.

August at the Chocolate Fetish.

It’s been a busy summer here at The Chocolate Fetish.  Our kitchen has been hard at work developing some new products while our retail staff has been busy providing awesome customer service to all the different people that Asheville summer events bring our way.  We literally rolled out the red carpet to celebrate Bele Chere this year and a few of us even found a moment to check out The Southern Highland Craft Guild and Elvis Costello while they were at the Asheville Civic Center in July.

The Chocolate Fetish rolls out the red carpet.

This summer we have renewed our focus on giving exemplary customer service with new training and incentive programs for our staff.  Our goal is to not only give everyone a wonderful experience when they visit our store but also to go above and beyond for every customer.  Thankfully we’ve been hearing lots of positive feedback from satisfied customers all over the country!  We love hearing your feedback so if you have a positive experience with one of our employees please tell us about it!  There is nothing like going through the daily business mail and finding hand addressed letters with thoughtful notes and even pictures telling us what a good job we’re doing (we like hearing good news electronically too)!  We may not be changing the world through chocolate but if we can  brighten peoples days on a regular basis then I think we are doing our job.

As promised new flavors have been debuting from our kitchen.  We recently unveiled a new America’s Best Milk Coconut Truffle.  Our coconut loving customers have been asking for more so we introduced this classic milk chocolate truffle laced throughout with freshly toasted coconut.  Its a great classic flavor that is quickly becoming a favorite.   We have also been developing a peanut butter truffle.  Some of you may have been lucky enough to participate in our peanut butter truffle tasting.  We really appreciate hearing what you, our customers enjoy and desire and your feedback helps us achieve better results.  We are still working on perfecting the peanut butter truffle, its proving challenging to get the right balance of peanut butter to chocolate.  If you missed out on the first round of tasting I encourage you to stop by the shop often in the next couple weeks for another chance.  Peanut Butter and Coconut are not the only new flavors that we are working on!

Edible chocolate sculptures celebrate summer!

In our ongoing pursuit to create beautiful edible art all this month we are displaying an edible beach scene.  Featuring hand painted shells and fish created by our talented and creative team of chocolatiers the display has been getting rave reviews so far.  I enjoy listening to people as they check it out in the store and try to figure out if its all edible or not.  Many people wonder in particular about the sand on the bottom of the display, yes!  It is edible, it is a blend of sugar and cocoa powder.  Just to keep things interesting their is one shell in the display that is not made out of chocolate.  You’ll have to come down and see if you can find it for yourself.

August has brought with it once again The Best of WNC readers poll from the Mountain Xpress.  We have been voted the best chocolate shop in WNC or 12 years and we sure appreciate your help in making it to number 13.  The deadline for voting is August 24th so get your votes in and tell your friends!  This year we are also going for a win in the Uniquely Asheville category for Best Reason to Live in Asheville.  We might not beat the mountains (a long time favorite in this category), but its worth a shot right?  After all the mountains wouldn’t be as nice to enjoy if you didn’t get to savor a piece of chocolate along with the view.

Please vote for us as The Best Chocolate Shop in WNC. Vote at http://www.mountainx.com/bestof/vote/login

 

AmericasMart Atlanta

A Cat Cora demonstration at Americas Mart

I often hear people say that they would love to have my job and they would even be glad to work for chocolate.  I love my job and I definitely spend a fair amount of my pay check on chocolate but it is definitely not all delicious chocolate tasting and creative chocolate making.  As with any job their is the nitty gritty and the day to day.  For me the the yearly visit to the Atlanta Gift Market is high on the list of nitty gritty.

Atlanta is home to one of a few wholesale shopping markets in the country and the largest wholesale gift show in the country.   This place has everything!  Glittering showrooms boast the latest greatest trends in everything from housewares and gourmet foods to apparel and cheeky magnets.  It also is home to some of our packaging suppliers and a great source of new ideas and inspiration.

I dread the AmericasMart.  I like to spend lots of time out side enjoying this beautiful place I am so lucky to call home.  At the mart in Atlanta you don’t even have to go outside to go from one building to the next.  In fact we walked about three blocks from the parking garage to the hotel without even going outside, which I reluctantly admit was preferable to the blistering heat outside.

An art installation about at AmericasMart

We stayed at The Hyatt Regency Hotel.  It boasts that Spider man descended 22 stories from the ceiling one new years eve and the elevators were finished with molasses.  What on earth molasses is used for I don’t know.  I do know it tastes good with chocolate.  Its a beautiful building and close to the mart which is nice when your trying to cover 20+ floors in three buildings in less than three days.

In everything I do I try to find inspiration and value; the mart is no different.  So I enter with 5 pound guidebook in hand determined to make the most of it, get some serious work done and find something new and exciting to walk away from it with.  A multitude of corridors were roamed seeking out the coolest new chocolate related products and most beautiful packaging offerings.  Interspersed with visiting suppliers and placing some orders I got to watch Cat Cora (the only female Iron Chef) do a cooking demonstration, attend a social media seminar and taste some delicious (and not so delicious) cookies, crackers, candied nuts and the like.

Sue and I meet Suzy Toronto!

The highlight of the mart was discovering Suzy Toronto.  She is an artist/wordsmith that creates a fun and funky line of gift products themed around chocolate.  “Behind every successful woman is a substantial amount of chocolate” is her tag line and I wholeheartedly agree!  It was fun to meet the artist that creates the products we will be selling and she is as fun as her art would lead you to believe.

All in all this years visit to the mart was a success.  We got lost in the maze that is the mart a couple of times but came away with some new ideas and exciting new products.  We also got to enjoy a little bit of Atlanta the highlight being when we visited the restaurant Two Urban Licks a must try on your next visit to Atlanta.  We sat at “the chef’s table” a long bar that surrounded the open kitchen on three sides and gave us an unforgettable view of all the plates leaving the kitchen.  A delicious meal was finished with a delightful bread pudding that left nothing to be desired… except maybe a chocolate course to follow it.

July at The Chocolate Fetish

With the official beginning of summer things have really started to heat up here in Asheville and at The Chocolate Fetish (don’t worry we’re keeping your chocolate nice and cool).  As usual this time of year downtown has been filled with visitors from out of town, lots of talented buskers, high energy drum circles, and a general sense of summer enjoyment and excitement.  We’re gearing up for the end of the month with the Southern Highlands Craft Guild Show and Belle Chere just around the corner.

If you’ve never been to a Southern Highlands Craft guild Show and you appreciate fine art & crafts this is the place to go!  I’ve always been a fan of The Southern Highlands show because it showcases nothing but top quality work from the best artists in the South and you get to meet the artists and watch demonstrations.  I like working in our shop during the show because lots of the artists come in to get their chocolate fix and because we see a lot of people that have a real appreciation for artisan things like our artisan Chocolates.   When Southern Highlands comes to town we always feature some of our more artistic Chocolates.  We continue to have a wide selection of hand painted Chocolate High Heels and Cowboy Boots on display as well as Smash Cakes and Chocolate Showpieces.  We will also be featuring our hand painted with luster dust Chocolate artist palettes available in milk or dark chocolate.  The show (http://www.southernhighlandguild.org/)  will be happening at the Civic Center July 21 to July 24, and if you make it downtown make sure and come by to get a little Chocolate!

As usual our kitchen is a buzz with activity.  The season for chocolate covered strawberries has come to a close but we are continuing to create delicious treats using fresh fruits.  Blueberry and/or Blackberry bites (made with local berries)  will be available on Fridays and Saturdays as they are available.  Apparently the extra rain has caused some of the black berries to be less than perfect so we’re crossing our fingers and hoping the later crops come in better.  These little morsels of goodness are so delicious!  Fresh juicy fruits offer the perfect tart/sweet accent to our always indulgent dark or creamy smooth white chocolate.  We’re also creating some new sure to be delicious creations specifically for Bele Chere.  At this point it’s all top secret but this much I can say…  if you are an Ashevillian that usually avoids Bele Chere because of the crowds it just might be worth a  trip to try some of our special Bele Chere treats (and it’s not that crazy early Friday and on Sunday). Stay tuned to Facebook and Twitter to hear about what seasonal fruit delight we will have every weekend through the summer.

The testing continues as our chocolatiers continue to develop some new truffle flavors.  We are extremely particular about our truffles.  We never take a recipe out of a book or just throw something together on a whim.  Each recipe is the result of numerous test batches to achieve just the right flavor balance.  It takes lots of work (and a lot of tasting, yum!) to create a flavor that unfolds on your palette and really creates a moment of ecstasy.  Chocolate is much like fine wine with different varieties and processes creating different flavor profiles from smoky to fruity or oaky and beyond .  To create the perfect truffle one must consider these flavor nuances as well as whatever you are using for flavor be it spices, herbs, fruits, or liquors.  Keep an eye out early this fall as I’m sure by then we will be ready to share the fruits of our labors.