A big chunk of our summer each year is spent putting together our year round and holiday catalogs.  So while most of you are heading off to the beach, summer camp, or hiking in the mountains, we are taking photos of chocolate.  Chocolate in boxes, chocolate on a plate, chocolate in a bowl, chocolate santas, chocolate turkeys.   You get the idea, we’re taking a lot of pictures of chocolate.

We painstakingly pick the most perfect truffles we can find, arrange the ribbon on the box just so, and choose the right surface, all to make the chocolates look so delicious they practically jump off the page.

In just another month or so you will see in your mailbox the result of our hard work.  Some of the beauties that really stood out this year include a stack of chocolate bark.  Bark doesn’t always get the attention it deserves, but we’re about to change that.  If this photo of bark doesn’t make you want to try some, well then, I guess bark isn’t for you.

Another shot I found quite stunning is our cover, featuring two new caramels, in addition to our Sea Salt Caramels.  You’ll have to wait just another month to hear what those two new caramels are and to see our new cover….

Then there are the gift baskets, always the most challenging.  I don’t know how our packagers manage to arrange the products so perfectly in those baskets each and every time.  What I do know is that we are constantly adjusting when it comes to the baskets- the Selection box sits up too high, the Five Star Bar sits too low, that ribbon looks odd- really, we could spend all day tweaking, but in the end we always manage to get a shot everyone is happy with.

Finally, I’m pleased with our wedding favor photo.   With two new favor boxes and lots of new ribbon colors, we were able to capture the elegance and simplicity of our chocolate favors while also showing all of our fabulous new options. 

Enjoy the photos, knowing more will be showing up in your mailbox very soon!

In honor of National S'mores day, this past Sunday we decided to take our own twist on the traditional campfire treat.  Surprisingly this was my first s'mores event of the summer season - I think it’s just been too hot to even think about building a fire lately.

In keeping with the localvore/organic food movement, I choose our Milk Sea Salt and Almond and Dark Spicy Aztec organic squares.  I also threw in a few of our Signature Milk and Dark Chocolate Coins for the less adventurous in the crowd
(read: under the age of 4).

I was given the tip to try some local crackers called Castleton Crackers, made just down the road from us.  I was a bit skeptical, crackers for s'mores?  You need graham crackers for s'mores, everyone knows that.  Boy was I wrong.  These were amazing.  I'll say it again, amazing.  Like our chocolates, Castleton Crackers are made in Vermont, are all-natural and made by hand.  They come in five different flavors, but the maple glazed ones were the obvious choice for s’mores.

For the marshmallows, we have a fabulous recipe for homemade marshmallows.  I’ll admit, even though this recipe is easy and quick, I just didn’t have time to pull it off, but if you want a true localvore, all-natural s’mores experience, this is the way to go.

So now we’re ready.  With sticks in hand, the roasting began. 

We laid the chocolate on or near the fire to move along the melting process.

Everyone tried each flavor- or at least the adults in the crowd did- and I believe it was a tie between the Spicy Aztec and the Sea Salt and Almond squares.   The cayenne, cinnamon and pumpkin seed flavors of the Spicy Aztec and the sea salt and almonds both paired perfectly with the sweet melted marshmallows; and the crackers, with just a touch of maple, provided a satisfying crunch (crunchier than graham crackers and with more flavor,  which we all liked). 

 
As an aside, we did do a little research in the LCC kitchen last week (another perk of working here, you can make s’mores and call it “research”) and Grace Under Fire was another popular choice.  Of course with a name like that, how could you not make a s’more with it?!  Like the Spicy Aztec, the heat was a nice counter to the sweet marshmallow.

I have to say, the combination of sharp sticks, fire, sticky marshmallows and melting chocolate with 10 people ranging in age from 1 to 92, things can get a little chaotic, not to mention messy. But that’s the nature of making s'mores.

So this year, try a different chocolate, a different cracker or make your own marshmallows, you might be surprised at what delicious combinations you’ll discover!

A lot of hard work went into researching this year’s chocolate and beer pairings for the Vermont Brewers Festival and it definitely paid off.

Last Friday night a group of 100 plus beer and chocolate enthusiasts made their way into the tent on the Burlington waterfront to experience 4 amazing pairings of local Vermont beer and chocolate.  Folks were even lucky enough to hear each brewery talk about their particular beer before each pairing.

Gary Coffey, self-proclaimed “Official Lake Champlain Chocolates Taste Tester” started off the night by explaining that even though there are six steps to tasting chocolate, in the end, there are no rules. This is a Brew Fest after all.

The first pairing got under way:

 Zero Gravity’s Grissette (5%)  with Dark Chocolate Covered Orange Peel

Paul Saylor of American Flatbread’s Zero Gravity Brewery describes this Saison beer “as a Belgian style Farmhouse Ale.  This beer has a golden color to it with a slight white head.”

We found the aroma had a beautiful scent of sage and ginger.  And pairing this with our citrusy Dark Chocolate Orange Peel really elevated the spice notes in this very dry beer.

Stay tuned for more pairings in the coming days….

It’s official.  Here in Vermont we’re having a heat wave.  It’s been 7 years since our last heat wave so it takes us a bit to adjust to 90 + degrees.  And for many people, eating in hot weather is not at the top of the list. 

Taking a cold shower? Yes.
Turning on the stove or grill? No. 
Drinking a cold beer?  Yes.
Swimming in Lake Champlain and then drinking a cold beer.  Yes and yes! 

There is one thing people do crave during warm weather- an ice cream cone.  There’s almost nothing that tastes more delicious and more like summer itself than an ice cream cone, especially on a warm- ok sweltering- summer night.

A few years ago, we realized we needed to put our good chocolate to work in the summer, if nothing else than to satisfy our own personal cravings; and thus Lake Champlain Chocolates Ice Cream was born.  The same all-natural, fresh ingredients go into our ice cream that go into our chocolate.  However, unlike our chocolates, we cannot ship our ice cream across the country, which means you have to come to Vermont to experience it- and it’s worth the trip. 

Thick, creamy and rich.  The coffee tastes so much like coffee, it’s no surprise there is real coffee in there.  Same goes for the Vanilla Almond Butter Crunch.  If you’re a fan of our Almond Butter Crunch, this is essentially the ice cream version. And yes, we use the same chocolate in our chocolate ice cream that we use to make our chocolates.  What could be better?

Just think of some of your favorite chocolate flavors and we just might have the summer version for you- Chocolate Hazelnut, Maple Butter Pecan, Mocha Chocolate Chip, even Chocolate Banana.  Ok, we don’t have any banana flavored chocolate but maybe someday we will!
 
And all our flavors are made in small batches, I mean small.  Our ice cream maker is only five gallons.  Need I say more?

Yes, there are other ice cream makers in Vermont who will remain nameless but we think ours is worth checking out- you can find it at our three scoop shops and at Shelburne Supermarket and Healthy Living.

So enjoy some ice cream and stay cool!

Here at LCC, it's just as important to us what is on the outside as on the inside.  You all know the care we take and the fresh, all-natural ingredients we use to make our chocolates.  Well, almost as much care and time is taken when creating the packaging to house our delicious chocolates.

Our seasonal packaging changes each year; we know some people who have collected boxes over the years and when you look at the wall in our office with the history of our packaging, it’s pretty impressive.  Some designs were more successful than others (we did have kind of a scary looking snowman one year) but in one glance you can tell that each box was individually designed to capture the essence of our company, of Vermont and of the gourmet chocolates tucked inside.

This is a long way of saying that it is nice to be recognized for the packaging of our chocolates.  We recently won Platinum in the Food & Beverage Packaging Category at the 39th Annual Creativity Awards for the design of our organic line of chocolates- bars, squares and truffles.  With only one Platinum award per category, this is a big deal for us!

So what is the Creativity Awards?  Well, for one they put out this AMAZING book of all of the winners.  If you’re into graphic design, you’ll want to check this out.  But it is also one of the longest running international advertising and graphic design competitions with categories in print, packaging, TV, radio and more. The entries are judged by a panel of advertising and design professionals.  

In short, it’s a pretty prestigious award and we are proud.  We’re not always great at patting ourselves on the back but this time I think we will.

By now most of you have probably heard about our awesome new rock ‘n roll chocolate bar Grace Under Fire.  It was even mentioned on Good Morning America last week!  Plus lots of great mentions in the blogosphere. The dark chocolate bar with red peppers and pistachios celebrates our fellow Vermonter and rock star Grace Potter.

So how did this all happen?  Here’s a super cool chocolate/music video that says it all!  The making of a chocolate bar by Grace herself set to Medicine, one of Grace Potter & the Nocturnals songs on their newly released self-titled album.

Chocolate and music both with a kick- let chocolate rock your world!

There is a gift giving season that people seem to overlook - which is shocking when you think about how many “hallmark holidays” we have these days - but end of the year teacher gifts is serious business.  No one deserves a gift at the end of the school year more than your child’s teacher (no matter what a joy it was to have your child in their class for the year).

It’s a time for teachers to let loose, indulge, relax….and what better way to say thank you and kick off the summer than with some hand-crafted, gourmet chocolates.   They are appropriate, thoughtful and definitely will not go to waste.  No one needs another scented candle.

Give your teacher Chocolate Truffles or a Summer Assortment, the two teaching assistants each a bag of chocolate sea shells or some Chocolates of Vermont.  Go in on a group gift for a team of teachers with one of our delicious chocolate gift baskets!  We have gifts that run the gamut and with our cheerful packaging, there’s no better way to say thank you.  Give your teachers a treat to savor while they relax knowing they have the whole summer ahead of them.

And don’t forget teachers can’t do it alone, teacher aides, coaches, principals, scout leaders, piano teachers….it takes a village and everyone deserves a little chocolate.

As if working with chocolate isn’t cool enough, we are thrilled to announce our first collaboration with a rock ‘n roll band!  Vermont-based Grace Potter & the Nocturnals came to us a few months ago wanting to create their own chocolate bar and we were more than happy to oblige.

It was a true partnership to create this bar.  We went through many different flavors before deciding on one that blends the band’s love of spice, dark chocolate and nuts, foods the band gravitates towards when on the road.  The end result?   “Grace Under Fire,”  54% dark chocolate, bold red pepper, and savory pistachio bar with hints of vanilla and cinnamon.  Spicy, sweet and definitely delicious.

As Grace says herself, “We may be a rock ‘n roll band, but the Nocturnals and I take an unprecedented interest in all things food!  I've been a fan of Lake Champlain Chocolates since I was a kid, so to combine forces to create a rock n' roll chocolate bar is a dream come true!”

We'll start taking orders for the bars tomorrow morning, June 3rd and they will be in our retail stores starting  June 8, just in time for the band’s newest album release. 

Stay tuned for more fun events and news related to Grace Potter & the Nocturnals- you never know where they – or our new bars - will show up!
 
In the meantime, go out and treat yourself to their new album, catch a show (they are an amazing live band!) and top it all off with a spicy chocolate bar!    Trust me, you’ll want an encore of both.

We just got word from our friends at Wedding Wire that Lake Champlain Chocolates has been selected to receive the WeddingWire 2010 Bride’s Choice Award!  This means we are in the top five percent of all vendors in the WeddingWire Community, which includes over 100,000 wedding professionals across the US and Canada.  Let’s say that again: Top. Five. Percent.  Yes!

How does this award really work?  The annual Bride’s Choice Awards recognizes and celebrates excellence in quality and service within the wedding industry, as determined by recent reviews and extensive surveys from over 500,000 newlyweds.  We all can openly admit brides are not always the easiest customers, even the most laid back brides have their bridezilla moments.  So if we can please this many brides we must be doing something right!

We are thrilled with this honor, especially since it is based on the reviews and feedback of our own customers.  To all those newlyweds out there who used LCC- Thank you!!  We truly appreciate it! 

And to all of those brides-to-be out there, think about including gourmet chocolates on your special day.  You can check out our full line of wedding chocolates, including a newly designed custom engraved favor box filled with chocolate hearts, gourmet truffles or the distinctively flavored Chocolates of Vermont.  

And don’t forget chocolates aren’t just for weddings- our favors are great for showers, retirement parties, anniversaries, family reunions or any sort of party you may be throwing!

We have just two words for you:  Lobster & Chocolate.

Can you think of two more decadent, indulgent foods?  So this got me thinking, as a fairly new mom this might be a perfect Mother’s Day gift- a lobster dinner followed by some delicious truffles for dessert.  Throw in some good wine and good (adult) company and you’ve got a pretty great Mother’s Day gift.

You know where to get the chocolate, but what about the lobster?  Lucky for us we have friends in good places, like the Hancock Gourmet Lobster Co. in Maine.  They focus on creating the best all-natural specialty lobster products.  Check out their facebook page and see what’s happening – there are all sorts of choices, personally I love just plain ol’ lobster with some butter for dipping but I am tempted by some of their other creations such as Lobster Mac n’ Cheese or how about a Lobster Soufflé?  As my 3 year old would say, “oooh boy!”  (and now you know why I specified adult company -and wine).

As for the chocolate, we’ve got some great options too-  including the Spring Selection (an assortment of the most popular flavors), chocolate flowers and amazing dark chocolate covered orange peels. No lobster covered chocolate yet but with crazy combos like bacon and chocolate, who knows what’s next??

PS- Mother's Day is Sunday May 9th!