Get Schooled in the Chocolate Basics with Chocolate 101

Monday, August 18 2008 (11:33PM) | Posted by Rusty Worley | Commercial Street

On Thursday, August 21, from 7-9 pm, Shawn Askinosie will teach a class at the Askinosie Chocolate Factory on making and tasting chocolate. In the spirit of the back to school season, Shawn will honor his favorite childhood teacher, Paul Elmore. Mr. Elmore will introduce Shawn to kick off the event. The students who sign up for Shawn’s Chocolate 101 class will learn about bean to bar chocolate making process, tasting every step of the way. Students will taste cocoa beans, cocoa butter, cocoa powder, chocolate liquor and the finished bar. Prepare accordingly -- there will be a final exam.

At a similar tasting event Shawn taught at Zingerman’s in Michigan, one attendee said, “I felt like I had a decent idea of what the chocolate making process was like but tasting the components at each stage was incredibly enlightening. I just loved hearing Shawn’s story and was inspired and touched by his work with the farmers.”

Chocolate 101 is a required course for all chocolate lovers. The cost of registration for Chocolate 101 is $25 for one ticket, or $35 for two tickets. Call 417-862-9900, email info@askinosie.com, or stop by Askinosie Chocolate at 514 E. Commercial Street for details or to register for Chocolate 101.

Askinosie Chocolate is a small batch chocolate manufacturer located in Springfield, Missouri, sourcing 100% of their beans directly from the farmers. Shawn Askinosie, founder and chocolate maker (and frequent guest on Fox Business Network), travels to regions of Mexico and Ecuador to work directly with the farmers and source cocoa beans for his chocolate. This allows the chocolate to be traced to the source and labeled Authentic Single Origin Chocolate. It also enables Askinosie Chocolate to profit share with the farmers, giving them a "Stake In the Outcome". The Askinosie Chocolate mission is to serve their farmers, their neighborhood, their customers and each other; sharing the Askinosie Chocolate Experience by leaving the world a better place than they found it.