If you're a soon-to-be bride, you know that getting married is not just as simple as walking down the aisle.  There are details...and lots of them!  And not a single one of them seems unimportant.

Besides setting a date and choosing a venue, what's often at the top of the to-do list?  Picking a color scheme.  Why?  Because not only does it show off your personal sense of style, but it affects everything else from the bridesmaid dresses, to the invitations, flowers, programs, and yes, even the favors.

So with color schemes in mind, we're excited to have recently added a ton of new ribbon options to our most popular wedding favor - the Custom Engraved Favor Box.  There are now 20 different ribbons for you to choose from & coordinate with your big day - from classic colors such as ivory, black, navy, and brown to those that will make a bolder statement - such as turquoise, purple, raspberry, and orange.  We even have chartreuse!

And because we know brides love options, we're now offering two different box designs - a simple yet elegant White Favor Box or, if you want something a little more fun, go for the box with the Cocoa Pod Design printed on it.

With each box, you can choose your favorite chocolates to tuck inside, including gourmet truffles, chocolate hearts, or Chocolates of Vermont.   You can also make your event extra special by adding an engraved message to the top of your chocolate wedding favors.

Happy Choosing!

P.S. Don't forget to enter the Say Something Sweet Contest we're running with our friends over at WeddingWire.com!  There are just a few days left to enter.

Calling all brides!  Still need favors for your wedding?  Here's your chance to win 250 chocolate heart favors from Lake Champlain Chocolates!

We're excited to announce we've partnered with our friends over at WeddingWire.com for the "Say Something Sweet Contest".   To enter, you must either create a video (no more than 30 seconds long) or write a 250 word essay explaining how WeddingWire has been so "sweet" to you during your wedding planning process.

As I mentioned before, the winner will receive 250 sheer organza favor bags and over 1,000 chocolate hearts! (You can even choose your favorite flavors - milk, dark, or dark mint chocolate).

The contest starts Monday, August 9th, and you have until Sunday, August 29th to enter.

Never been to WeddingWire.com before?  You definitely need to check out their site...it's a must for all engaged couples.  Not only can you enter the Say Something Sweet Contest there, but you can also research the very best vendors in your area (be sure to visit our storefront under "Favors & Gifts"), create your own wedding website, find the perfect wedding song, and so much more.   And don't miss the WeddingWire Blog, for great tips and real life wedding inspirations.

Good luck!

Every time a holiday rolls around, I'm always racking my brain trying to think of the perfect gift to get my Mom.  Then after a few days, I usually resort to asking her what she really wants or needs.  If your Mom is anything like mine, the answer is always the same: "Please, save your money.  I don't need anything.  I don't want anything.  Just send me a card".  I'm not sure what it is about motherhood that makes you a martyr.  Or maybe it's that you never stop worrying about your kids.

Well whatever it is, I think chocolate may be your answer.  Really, it's the perfect Mom gift.  It's practical - she doesn't need to water it, store it, try it on (only to return it later).  Nor does it require batteries or setup.  At the same time, she will be impressed by how extraordinary Lake Champlain Chocolates are. Mom will appreciate the fact that our chocolates are handcrafted in small batches (the old-fashioned way) and made from all-natural, local ingredients.

Mom will also approve that we have chocolate gifts for any budget.  Our Chocolate Truffles are always a hit on Mother's Day, with gift boxes starting at just $12.  Our Chocolate Assortments are also popular, especially the beautiful Spring 15 Piece and Summer 15 Piece Gift Boxes (both $29).  If you're looking for something really fun, my Mom loves the Chocolate Fish!  Or, the Chocolate Flowers are also a great value at $19.

Those are just a few gifts that I'm sure your Mom would be thrilled to receive this Mother's Day...and more importantly won't keep her up at night worrying about how much you spent.  If you'd like any other suggestions, give us a call!

Easter is just a hop away, and you know what that means...chocolate!  Chocolate Easter bunnies, chocolate Easter baskets, chocolate Easter eggs...you name it, anything chocolate...with a few delicious jelly beans mixed in.

While chocolate is traditionally what the Easter Bunny will bring this April 4th, we know there are a few of you out there who may be considering surprising your loved ones with a real live baby bunny or chick.  Before you do so though, we stumbled across this great organization – Make Mine Chocolate! – whose mission is to educate the public about the responsibilities involved with having a rabbit as a pet.  Check out their Interactive Bun to find out if a rabbit is right for your family. (I don't want to brag, but I got quite a few thumbs up from Watson!).  You can even print out a shopping list of things you'll need at the end.

And if it turns out that you're not quite ready to own a bunny just yet, don't worry we've got you covered for Easter.  From our adorable Placesetting Easter Bunnies to our Classic Easter Bunnies, to the Cruisin' Easter Bunny, and our largest - the Mr. Goodtime Bunny - you're sure to find the right one to take home.

Every year, it seems like more and more people are hosting their own New Year's Eve party instead of spending the night out on the town.  But with entertaining comes a lot of planning and hard work.  What will you do?  What will you serve?  One way to both keep it simple and have fun while you wait for the ball to drop is to have a chocolate & cheese pairing party.

Arrange different combinations of chocolates and cheeses around the room (with cards identifying each) for guests to sample and discuss.  Have them start with the mildest pairing and then work their way up.  You can even print out instruction cards, with advice on how to taste like a pro.

For guests to cleanse their palates between pairings, you might want to serve a dry sparkling wine such as Presecco (it is the holidays after all!).  Sparkling water, plain crackers, or baskets of fresh bread also work nicely.

Our friends over at the Vermont Butter & Cheese Creamery came up with a few pairings to help you get you started (you can also watch Allison Hooper, owner/cheese maker, demonstrate these pairings on VPT Cooks Chocolate):

• Fresh Goat Cheese (Chevre) with Dark Sea Salt Caramels

• Sharp Vermont Cheddar with Dark Chocolate Covered Ginger or Ginger Lemon Organic Truffles

• Blue Cheese with 70% Dark Organic Truffles

• Hard Sheep’s Milk Cheese with Organic Honey Fig Truffles or with Organic Milk Chocolate Sea Salt & Almonds

• Bijou with Spicy Aztec Organic Dark Chocolate

• Bonne Bouche with Champagne Truffles

These are just a few suggestions; you could also browse your local cheese shop for other ideas and recommendations.  Just remember, as Allison says in the video, there are no absolute right answers for pairing...just have fun & enjoy!

What's sweeter than a box of our chocolates?  Why that could only be a FREE box of our chocolates!

From November 29th to December 31st, exclusively at Macy's, receive a complimentary 15 Piece Assortment of our mouth-watering chocolates (specially-designed for our friends at Calvin Klein) with the purchase of any 3.4 oz fragrance from the euphoria collection.

Isn't it nice when you get two presents for the price of one?

Happy Holidays!

Switchback Dooley’s Belated Porter (5.8%) with Lake Champlain Chocolates 54% Dark Chocolate Square  

 For locals, Switchback’s Unfiltered Ale is what you order.  Walk into a Burlington bar or restaurant, you’ll see 90% of the beer drinkers with a murky, amber colored potion in front of them.

I’ll admit, sometimes I go for a Belgian White Ale (I love how it’s served with an orange slice) or will order a house beer if I’m at a microbrewery, but almost always, I go for the Switchback. 

The Switchback Brewery reminds me slightly of Willy Wonka’s Chocolate Factory – mysterious, very few people work there, yet they create incredible beer, readily available on tap at restaurants and bars around Vermont.  

Our fourth and final beer paring at Brewfest combined Switchback’s Dooley’s Belated Porter, a 5.8% alcohol by volume porter, with our Signature Dark Chocolate.  The flavor profile for our dark chocolate includes brown fruit (think cherries, dates, raisins), vanilla, baked brownie and brown spice. 

Porters, like stouts, have chocolate undertones, which in this pairing, brought out those subtle flavors in the chocolate, like brown fruit and baked brownie.  Mmm… 

For those of you who missed out on our Chocolate & Beer Pairing at this year's Vermont Brewers Festival, here are the first of the tasting notes as promised.  The event seemed to be a big hit, even despite the weather.  Gary Coffey, our Retail Sales Director, led a crowd of approximately 100 people first through the steps in how to taste chocolate & beer and then through the actual pairings themselves.

Gary started off by explaining to the crowd the first rule for pairing chocolate & beer is...that there are no rules! What tastes good to you may not to your neighbor, so just go with whatever floats your boat.  Just be sure to take your time and to enjoy the craftsmanship that goes into producing each of the fine beers & chocolates.

So without further adieu, here is the first our chocolate & beer pairings...bon appétit!

Pairing #1
Harpoon Leviathan IPA (9.3%) w/ Dark Chocolate Covered Orange Peel

This big beer by Harpoon has a powerful hop bitterness up front and just enough caramel malt to provide a balance to the hop intensity.  Its generous citrus tropical fruit notes make it a perfect match for our deliciously sweet candied orange peels drenched in 54% dark chocolate.

*This one was a favorite at the Vermont Brewers Festival!

Stay tuned for our other 3 pairings....

It's finally here!  The Vermont Brewers Festival is one of my favorite Burlington summer events.  If you haven't gone before, it's a definite must.  This year, the Festival will feature 37 craft brewers from all around New England and even one from California.  And because this year marks Lake Champlain's 400th anniversary, a few of our friends up north from the La Belle province, Quebec will also be on hand showcasing their finest brews.  The Festival takes place at the Burlington Waterfront Park, with three beer tasting sessions for you to choose from - one on Friday, July 17th and two on Saturday, July 18th.

Do you still need another reason to go?  Well once again, Lake Champlain Chocolates will be hosting a Chocolate & Beer Pairing during the Friday session (from 7:15-7:45pm).  Gary Coffey, our Retail Sales Director, will be leading the event.  While I can't divulge exactly which chocolates & beers he'll be pairing, I can tell you that all the beers will be from right here in Vermont.

Capacity for this event is limited, so we recommend you get there a little bit early.

Hope to see you at the Waterfront!

P.S. Don't worry, if you can't make it to the event, we'll be posting the pairing notes here on our blog.  Perhaps you can use them to host your own tasting party!

This year marks the 400th anniversary of French explorer Samuel de Champlain's daring expedition to our region and to the Lake that now bears his name (and from which we get our name here at LCC!).  Known as the "Father of New France", Champlain was the first European to ever set foot in Vermont.  And so to help commemorate 2009 as the quadricentennial, special events - celebrating the Lake, the land, and its people - have been planned all year long throughout the state.  Right here in Burlington, the quad's International Waterfront Festival kicks off this Thursday, July 2nd and continues on thru the 14th - 13 total days of fun!  From concerts on the Lake - Tony Bennett anyone? - to theater performances, food festivals, kid's events, and so much more, there is truly something for everyone to enjoy.

As sponsors of the Burlington International Waterfront Festival, you'll find LCC scooping our delicious small batch ice cream at the following events:

July 3rd - Independence Day Celebration Fireworks, Battery Park, 9:30pm
July 4th, 5th, 9th & 11th - Various Performance, Champlain Valley Stage, City Hall Park
July 6th - Dan Zanes & Friends Concert, Waterfront Stage, 3pm
July 8th - Steve Earle & Aimee Mann Concert, Waterfront Stage, 7pm
July 10th - Les Cowboys Fringants & Le Vent du Nord Concert, Waterfront Stage, 7:30pm
July 11th - Ween & Antibalas Afrobeat Orchestra, Waterfront Stage, 6:30pm

We hope to see you in Burlington!