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From My Table
I couldn't let Chocology in Bloom come to an end without bringing wine into the conversation.
So this week's discovery didn't happen at Chocology. It happened at my own table.
Last night, I opened a bottle of Josh Seaswept, a California blend of Sauvignon Blanc and Pinot Grigio, and paired it with three very different chocolates...
🍋 Castronovo White Lemon + Sea Salt
🌸 White Passion Fruit
🍫 Goodnow Farms Dark Passion Fruit
I generally gravitate toward a big, bold red, but this lighter, brighter wine seemed like a fun way to begin wrapping up a season that has been all about slowing down, noticing, and trying something unexpected.
And what interested me most wasn't simply which chocolate paired best.
It was what happened when I tasted the two passion fruit chocolates with the same wine.
Same fruit.
Same wine.
Two very different chocolates.
The white passion fruit brought out the brighter, more tropical side of the pairing. It felt light and lively alongside the wine.
Then I tasted the dark passion fruit.
Suddenly, the experience changed. The cacao brought depth and contrast to the passion fruit, and the wine seemed different right along with it.
Nothing about the wine had changed.
The fruit hadn't changed.
The chocolate had.
And that's the part I find fascinating.
We often approach a pairing looking for the answer to one question:
Which one is best?
But sometimes that's not where the discovery is.
Sometimes it's noticing how changing just one element can alter everything else we taste.
That's what we've been doing throughout Chocology in Bloom—with flowers, fruit, honey, cheese, olive oil, balsamic, salt and aroma.
Not looking for a right answer.
Just slowing down long enough to notice.
There's Still Time to Join Us Sunday
And speaking of noticing...
This Sunday, we're taking that idea even further.
Awaken Your Senses
Chocolate + Aromatherapy
Sunday, August 23 • 11 AM
$39 per person
Tara of Amadeus Aromatherapy and I are bringing our two worlds together for a hands-on sensory experience.
You'll begin with aroma—exploring different scents and creating a custom aromatherapy blend that's uniquely yours.
Then we'll bring in the chocolate.
We'll smell.
We'll taste.
We'll compare.
And we'll explore what happens when aroma begins to influence what you notice in chocolate.
This isn't about being able to identify the "correct" flavor.
It's about discovering what you notice.
Create a blend.
Smell.
Taste.
Compare.
Discover.
Your Blend. Your Chocolate. Your Discovery.
We still have a few spaces available for Sunday and would love to have you join us.
And Then... One Final Weekend
Before we say goodbye to Chocology in Bloom, we're bringing some of our favorite discoveries of the season back to the table.
Chocolate. Cheese. Honey. Aroma. Olive oil. Balsamic.
A little tasting.
A little experimenting.
A little Chocolate Trivia.
Some familiar favorites may return—and perhaps a surprise or two.
After a summer of smelling, melting, tasting, pairing and discovering, it seems only right to finish where we began:
being curious.
And you may discover that you know more about chocolate than you think.
More next week...
Until then...
Notice • Discover • Savor
Linda
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What happens when Chinese tea, fine chocolate, different cultures and a little curiosity gather around the same table? An afternoon of unexpected pairings, shared knowledge and discoveries we never could have planned.
Long before Chocology, our home had a name: The Gathering Place. This week, I realized that perhaps the Gathering Place simply moved—and these days, there's a lot more chocolate on the table.
As Chocology in Bloom comes to a close, I’ve been thinking about all the discoveries we’ve made this summer—and a few of my favorites weren’t planned at all. From unexpected moments in the shop to a very personal chocolate journey, Bloom reminded me what happens when we slow down, stay curious and notice. And now, something new is beginning...
