The Genesis of the Society

My name is Brian Ruggles, and I am a chocophile.

I don't pretend that I am particularly special with chocolate, but I am in rarefied company with the extent of my chocophilia. I love chocolate. A lot.

It began again just over a year ago. I always loved chocolate, but in November of 2008 I discovered chocolate anew. My wife bought us tickets to the Utah chocolate expo as a surprise for me. I had been buying darker and darker bars with ever-increasing percentages of cocoa make-up. Little did either of us know what was in store for us.

The first booth I came across was Caputo's - a Mediterranean market in Salt Lake City. They had this wall of chocolate that blew my mind before I even saw exactly what was going on. In talking with my new friend Nick, he was using all these terms and dropping all this knowledge. I had no idea there was so much to even know about chocolate. Long story short is that I became one of their more devoted students, and I attended multiple classes Caputo's held to teach some basics of chocolate origins, manufacture, and tasting.

Chocolate can be complex. It is a full sensory experience. It has a look and a smell that affect the observer before it even reaches the lips. The taste can have an introduction, plot and character development, a climax and a lingering finish to allow the observant to ponder the subtle nuance long after the chocolate has melted and gone from the mouth. There are so many different bars from different countries from different producers using beans from around the tropical world. There is so much to discover in a single bar, let alone in the large selection of fine chocolate bars available. Chocolate is not necessarily just chocolate - there is far more to it than that.

It wasn't long before I started hosting my own chocolate tastings. I met Art Pollard of Amano (google it - they are the best) - the country's best chocolatier EVER, and he even came out to a special tasting highlighting his chocolate bar line. I determined early on I was terminal. I love to share this new passion and excitement with others open to having their paradigms pulverized.

And that brings me to my next point - I am starting up the Chocolate Society with some friends at Caputo's. We are like-minded souls devoted to advancing the understanding and appreciation of fine chocolate. In April, we will be launching the society which will be open to the willing public. We want to increase the exposure of chocolate as a gourmet food and to work to have more people accept chocolate as far more than mere candy.

More details will come as we decide them. Initially, this blog site will be the forum for spreading information and perhaps posting "lessons" and reviews. Later, we are planning a comprehensive website to cover upcoming events, provide a forum for those interested to discuss chocolate, post comprehensive reviews, and more. For the chocolate devotee, we hope to provide a fantastic and broad resource to fuel your devotion. But mainly, we want to provide face-time between people who love chocolate and want to learn more and more. (And more and more!)

Join us - we hope to see you in April!