Slow Food Maumee Valley: Chocolate From Bean to Bar

Wednesday, March 4, 2009

Chocolate From Bean to Bar

The Mansion View Inn was a beautiful setting for last night's chocolate event. Some of Toledo's savviest food purveyors were on hand - Flying Rhino, Downtown Latte, Phonenix Earth Food Co-op and the Original Sub Shop were all represented - to learn about Ecuador's Kallari Chocolate Co-operative, where indigenous families harvest, ferment, and roast cacao beans in the foothills of the Andes, then make fabulous organic dark chocolate bars at nearby factories in the cooler highlands.

We blind-tasted 10 dark chocolates, and the Kallari bars were a clear favorite. Look for them now at Whole Foods, perhaps soon in Toledo!

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Slow Food Maumee Valley is part of Slow Food USA and the global Slow Food network of over 150,000 members in more than 150 countries. Through our network, we link the pleasures of the table with a commitment to protect the community, culture, knowledge and environment that make this pleasure possible.

Our mission as an international grassroots membership organization is good, clean and fair food for all.
Good
Our food should be tasty, seasonal, local, fresh and wholesome.
Clean
Our food should nourish a healthful lifestyle and be produced in ways that preserve biodiversity, sustain the environment and ensure animal welfare – without harming human health.
Fair
Our food should be affordable by all, while respecting the dignity of labor from field to fork.
For All
Good, clean and fair food should be accessible to all and celebrate the diverse cultures, traditions and nations that reside in the USA.
Working together with members and supporters in our area, across the nation and around the world, we:
Care
We preserve and share local foods and food cultures. We defend and advocate policies that promote holistic alternatives to the industrial system. Through tastings, workshops and social opportunities, we explore and celebrate the Slow life.
Cultivate
We champion local, culturally significant heritage foods, customs and recipes – and bring these experiences into farms, markets, restaurants and homes. We teach the next generation how to grow, prepare and share food responsibly.
Connect
Conviviality is central to our mission. We are part of a global community, connecting people to the land and to each other through local projects, educational events, and shared meals. We become catalysts for change by sharing the joy of Slow Food and prioritizing wholesome living over convenience.
Learn more about Slow Food USA and Slow Food International