November 08, 2016
Weddings have become a specialty at Chocology. We take pride in incorporating fine chocolates into your special day. From passed fudge and truffle platters at your reception to personalized gifts for the wedding party and favors, our top priority is making our clients and their guests feel special
We love weddings so much that we are excited to announce a new addition to the Chocology Wedding Team. Terri Palmer of Plano, Texas will be joining us in the capacity of wedding consultant for the southern region of the U.S.. Terri will be standing by to help you select the perfect wedding favors, chocolate platters, pairings for your cocktail hour and more.
We have worked with Terri for many years and know that you are in good hands with her. Her attention to detail, her love of event planning and her ability to personalize and make things special are why we are proud to welcome her to the wedding planning team. We love her and we know you will too!
Terri will be happy to help you coordinate luxury truffles to compliment your wedding colors or choose decadent chocolates that will pair well with the wine you will be serving. Even better, allow Terri to help you select one of our mouth watering Fat Ass Fudge choices for your wedding favors. Your guests will appreciate the unique and personalized detail that Chocology Chocolates add to your special day.
What's more, with each order of Fat Ass Fudge you will have the opportunity to choose a 501 C3 charity of your choice. Chocology will donate a portion of the proceeds from your order to honor the charity that touches your heart. Or allow Terri to help you choose one of the Chocology Cares organizations. Either way, adding Fat Ass Fudge to the festivities gives back in a big way, adding no additional costs to you. Your guest's will be touched that your gift is far reaching and helping others in the community.
“Whether a wedding in your backyard or at venue like ‘Big Red’ Courthouse or the Museum of Biblical Arts in Dallas, I have been beside the bride/bride’s family and created a beautiful, memorable wedding. And an exclusively-wrapped Chocology box took center stage on the table-setting – a gift within a gift! I would love to make a memory with you and remove the stressful aspects of planning a wedding.” Terri
Is your special day around the corner? We know that planning your wedding day is important, down to the last detail. Let Chocology take care of the details so that you can enjoy your time with family, friends and loved ones.
October 18, 2016
October is a special month to me – my birth month. At this time of year, I always feel the pull towards self-reflection and reevaluation of my goals and purpose. It is a time in which I recommit and align my actions with my innermost desires and vision. This year I am grateful for the path I have taken with Chocology. It brings joy, connection and fun into my life. This is why I’d like to share with all of you why I do what I do.
No. 1: I love seeing people smile
Everyone LOVES chocolate! It is such a blessing to have the opportunity to work with people who are happy and enjoying themselves. I love helping our clients choose the perfect gift, dessert for a special event or wedding favors. People are happy when they talk chocolate and this makes me happy as well. Madeline always says, “We meet the best people!” and she’s right. We are fortunate to cross paths with people in their finest moments.
No. 2: I’m good at it!
Being the Managing Director of my own company allows me to utilize all of my gifts and talents. Strong work ethic, good communication skills and a love of people are key ingredient's to running a successful business. Do what you love and you never work a day of your life! That is our philosophy and it’s worked well for us at Chocology. I love what I do every single day and am able to thrive because of this philosophy!
No. 3: I get to do it with my family!
One of the greatest gifts I feel I can give to my daughter is to show her that when you set a goal it can be achieved through hard work, a good attitude and perseverance. I feel so blessed to have the opportunity to model for my daughter that your dreams can come true! Not everyone has the privilege of working with family. Recently David is able to join us more and more on our chocolate adventures! We never know what is around the corner, but together we get the job done – ALWAYS!
No. 4: Every Day is Different
I love different! It’s so easy to get stuck in the humdrum of day-to-day life. At Chocology, each day is diversified. One day we’re working with children on a Chocology Kids project and the next we’re working with the senior’s community. We might go to a corporate meeting to serve fudge and then head out to plan a wedding or work on one of the various festivals that we attend. There’s always something new and fresh to keep us motivated and excited.
No. 5: Giving Back to our World
From the very beginning it was important to me to give back. I feel so blessed to live a happy and joyful life. Giving a little of that back makes me even happier. I don’t work for a non-profit however I sure can support them. And that’s what we do, plain and simple. Not only to we glean joy from helping our non-profits with monetary donations, we love doing simple acts of kindness. I just love it when parents allow their children to come by our Farmers Market booth to make purchases by themselves. The parents have realized that we take those children under our wings and feel blessed to have them as customers too. Kids are the best at “the art of tasting” and we love seeing them take it so seriously. We love giving our money, our smiles and our compassion to everyone that we meet!
No. 6: I Get to Travel
If you’ve read our blog, you know I love to travel. I love going new places and being the owner of Chocology provides that travel outlet for me. Whether it’s driving to the East End, traveling on the ferry across the Long Island Sound to make deliveries in Connecticut or going cross-country to deliver a check to one of our non-profits, the opportunity to travel keeps life interesting and new every single day.
No 7: It provides Freedom and Autonomy
Most people think that when you own your own business, you get to set your own hours. This is not exactly true. I make myself available to my clients therefore my hours are dictated by the need. However, I do have the flexibility to use creativity to get a job done well and efficiently. People often ask, “How do you manage balance in your life?” My answer: “I don’t. I integrate.” Being with my daughter Madeline and my husband David is very important to me. We’ve learned to integrate our time together as a family while enjoying running the business. And I not only get to be with my daughter while homeschooling, I get to teach her about having a career that you love and doing it with a joyful heart.
No. 8: I can do it all!
Admittedly, I will welcome the day when our growth allows for more employees and my position will be more of a leadership role. For now, I get the opportunity to run the business both from the front and back end. Creativity, New Products, Website, Social Media, New Client visits, special events – these are the things I love. Bookkeeping – Not so much! Luckily, I love developing both sides of my brain; Analytical and Creative. There are so many facets of my personality and they serve me well in running the business. I need to switch hats quickly from planning and creative thinking to one of analytical and business-minded thinking. One day soon there will be others that can help, but for now I love the constant shifting and maneuvering that my business demands of me.
Overall, the message is that I am so grateful for my life as the owner and Managing Director of Chocology. I feel blessed to come across so many wonderful people out in the world. I love making people happy! The smiles I get to see are the icing on the cake! I love my life and thank all of those that have helped me live out my dream of running a family business.
August 30, 2016
This past Saturday, twenty-seven people gathered at the Pindar Wine Shop in Port Jefferson to sample the latest collection of fine wines, accompanied by an array of decadent Chocology Chocolates and award winning Fat Ass Fudge. Chocolate and wine! What more could you ask for on a Saturday afternoon?
The event, of course, was a great success. The Pindar Wine Shop is cozy, intimate and comfortable: the perfect venue for wine and chocolate pairing. Our guests had a fondness for both fine wine and fine chocolate, making the event both tasty and educational.
Before the tasting began, we discussed the key points of similarity in wine and chocolate.
Melissa Martin Director of marketing and hospitality at Pindar organized the event and Jenna and Jenny at Pindar, then presented the wines to be tasted. Linda Johnson, owner of Chocology, served truffles and fudge (on a frozen salt block). (What is a salt block? We’ll tell you more about that next week).
Since no two people’s taste buds are exactly the same, discerning which wine will go with which chocolate can feel like a daunting task. There really is no wrong way to do a tasting though. If the flavor pairings work for you, then we say go for it! There are, however, a few guidelines that can help you get the most out of your pairings.
Most everyone agreed that the favorite pairing on Saturday was the Pythagoras Merlot along with our 88% dark chocolate ganache. We also had great success with these:
The whole experience of pairing fine wines with fine chocolate was exhilarating. We look forward to more pairings at the Pindar Wine Shop! Thank you Pindar for providing a wonderful venue as well as the beautiful wines.
p.s. We are also excited to mention that Melissa Martin is also an author. Her book, Harvest Road, captures the beauty of the Long Island wine country and the intensity of a mysterious love affair. We loved it and can’t wait to read her next novel!
October 27, 2015
At Chocology, gratitude is something that we cultivate every day. We have so much to be grateful for and Saturday, October 24th was no exception!
We’re still flying high with all of the excitement we experienced by participating in the 8th annual A Taste of Port Jefferson, organized by the Greater Port Jefferson Chamber of Commerce.
Chocology was presented with two first place awards for best dessert - both by the Port Jefferson judges and by the People’s Choice. We were so honored to receive both awards and so grateful to everyone who took the time to come out.
We believe that our philosophy of RED ~ Relationships, Education and Distinctiveness ~ is what helps us at Chocology to achieve our goals. We value our relationships with our customers and aim to educate them about the chocolate that they eat. We teach our patrons the Art of Tasting mindfully, which helps them to taste the distinct and subtle flavors that might be missed by rushing through a tasting. We believe that by slowing down and appreciating the experience, we enjoy the finer things in life so much more!
We are so grateful to everyone who stopped by our booth at A Taste of Port Jefferson and want to personally thank all those who voted for us.
We would also like to congratulate some of our friends who also won awards at the event.
Danfords Hotel and the Wave Restaurant won the People’s Choice award for best food and drink overall and also the judge’s award for best over all table display.
The Fifth Season Restaurant won the best Overall Food and Drink presentation.
Smoke Shack Blues won the Best Signature Dish.
The event would not have been possible without help from the sponsors. With much gratitude, we would like to thank Long Island Creative Contracting, Jolie Powell Realty, Times Beacon Record Newspapers, Karras Agency Insurers, St. Charles Hospital, Smoke Shack Blues, AXA Advisors, YELP, Live It Up!, and of course the Chamber of Commerce. We appreciate your support of this fun event and look forward to future years of participation.
What a wonderful way to spend a weekend; great people, great food, great beer, great wine, great desserts and two awards. Now that’s a taste of sweet gratitude!
June 17, 2015
We were so busy this week we almost forgot to post our blog and say Happy National Fudge Day! Since it was National Fudge Day (what a perfect day to celebrate!) and since we have so many new follower’s we’ve decided to repost our popular blog The Origins of Fudge.
Have you ever wondered where fudge came from? Is it American or French or Canadian? What exactly is it that sets fudge apart from other candies? And why do we love it so much?
We at Chocology like to know everything there is to know about the products we offer. Since Chocology acquired Fat-Ass Fudge in early November, we thought it might be fitting to do a bit of research about the history of fudge. While we know all about the makings of fudge, since we make it in the Chocology kitchen, we weren’t quite sure about the origins of this sweet delight. So, we set out to do research and of course, when we learn something new, we like to pass it on to you.
Every story about the beginning of fudge differs a bit but it seems that it may have started in the late 1800’s in a women’s dorm room in the United States. Here’s the picture we envision:
Several women hover around a stockpot simmering on a hot plate in a dorm room. One of the women, currently enrolled in a taffy making class, stirs the pot as the others take in the aroma. The taffy student is working diligently to perfect her caramel for class the next day. Another woman stands by the door as a look out, lest they get caught cooking in their room. She whispers, “They’re coming!” The women quickly put out the fire and hide the pot behind the rocking chair.
When the coast is clear again, the taffy student stirs and stirs but realizes the caramel is a flop. They have failed to get the temperature hot enough!
Dismayed that the ingredients were now wasted, they dipped their fingers in to see what the concoction tasted like. To their delight, it was delicious! They called their new discovery “fudge”, to identify it as a mistake. The taffy student takes her fudge to class the next day and a new product is born.
We will probably never know exactly what happen that night in the dorm room. But we do know that the first fudge was sold at a Baltimore grocery store in 1886 for forty cents a pound. In 1888, Emelyn Hartridge obtained the recipe for fudge. After selling it at an auction at a Vassar College, fudge became the newest popular confection. The desire for fudge spread to other women’s colleges where new and improved recipes were developed.
The ladies in the dorm room were only two degrees away from their caramel. Lucky for us, the pot got turned off too quickly resulting in the fudge recipes we enjoy today.
Fudge is generally made by mixing milk, sugar and butter and then heating it to 240 degrees. The mixture is then blended with chocolate and beat while it cools to obtain a creamy, smooth consistency.
Over one hundred years have passed since the invention of fudge. The recipes have developed over the years and now we have access to thousands of interpretations of that first mishap. Experimentation with ingredients has yielded us the many varieties of fudge that we enjoy today.
Our Fat-Ass Fudge is made with goats milk, goats butter, sugar and the finest Belgian chocolate available. We then mix it with other quality ingredients to bring out the most decadent taste imaginable. A lot of care goes into our recipes; attention to detail, temperatures and fine ingredients are strictly followed. We think this makes our fudge one of the best on the market.
We hope you will give our Fat Ass Fudge a try. With prices starting at $10 you can’t go wrong! Choose from Dark Chocolate, Dark Chocolate with nuts, Dark & White, Peanut Butter fudge, White chocolate and White chocolate with nuts and our latest creation… Cappuccino. There’s something to please everyone’s palette! And keep checking back. We are in the process of developing new flavors to add to our fudge line in the months to come.
Plus we are proud to announce a collaboration with the following non-profit organizations who pull on our heartstrings: Back on My Feet, PA, Operation Freedom Paws, Caterina's Club, Pathways to Peace, Maritime Explorium. To sweeten the pot even further, you can help. . . simply by eating our Fat Ass Fudge! Chocology will donate $1.00 from every fudge order ($2.00 for orders over $50.00) to one of the above charitable organizations using their code at checkout..
We would love to hear from you when you try our fudge. Be sure to comment here or visit us on Facebook and let us know if you think this is the best fudge ever!
Here’s some of the feedback we’ve received so far about Fat Ass Fudge:
Linda, My fudge arrived today. I am more excited than a dog with two tails. I have eaten a lot of fudge in my day, but nothing like yours; it’s DIVINE!
I hoarded it for Thanksgiving but will buy more for Christmas to share with family members.
I can't get over how GOOD your chocolate tastes - every other chocolate maker's chocolate I have tried over the past ten years has been just awful - lots of sugar, no chocolate.
So glad you have taken over this company and are experimenting with additional varieties, also. However, your dark chocolate with nuts is TOPS with us.
The white fudge was incredible. Appearance and fragrance much better quality than other companies and it melted so deliciously "white" on my tongue.
Hi Linda - Owner and Maker of Fat Ass Fudge that I could easily become addicted to ...Your fantabulous fudge arrived on Thanksgiving morning by carrier messenger ... And it has totally changed my desire for chocolate! I had almost forgotten how delicious - truly fresh and rich chocolate can be - I LOVE IT!!! I LOVE YOUR CHOCOLATE!!!
Wishing you our loyal followers a happy belated National Fudge Day. Enjoy!