Recipes, Ideas & Musings Charles' Chocolate Blog

Dear Friend,

Valentine’s Day is right around the corner and to celebrate, we’ve planned a number of great events, speakers and some even better gift ideas. Just remember, Valentine’s Day shopping doesn’t have to be a last minute chore. If you plan on ordering online, please keep in mind our ordering deadlines listed below. However, for those of you who may leave your shopping to the last minute, we’ll be open extended hours to accommodate your busy schedules (February 12th, 13th and 14th: 9am-9pm). All of us at Charles Chocolates hope you’ll have a fabulous Valentine’s Day and we look forward to seeing you soon.

TRUFFLE MAKING WITH MARTHA STEWART

Chuck will be appearing LIVE on the Martha Stewart Show today February 5, 2008 (1 PM PST on Channel 11, check local listings to confirm time). You can also view the archive online here (click on the February 5 tab). Chuck will be making truffles with Martha, as well as giving each member of the studio audience The Heart Collection in our Valentine’s Day edible chocolate box. If you’d like to experience truffle making in your own home, order the Charles Chocolates Truffle Making Kit, available online and in our Retail Store.

VALENTINE’S DAY CHOCOLATE & CHAMPAGNE TASTING
Saturday, February 9th, 1-5pm. FREE.
To make shopping easy and enjoyable we invite you to pick up a delectable treat for your sweetheart at Charles Chocolates while enjoying a glass of champagne. On Saturday, February 9th from 1-5pm, we’ll be hosting a champagne and chocolate pairing. And to reward you for shopping early, we’ll give you a 10% discount for all purchases made during the event. If you can’t make it in that day, we’ll be open extra hours during the week.
Extended Hours for Valentine’s Day: February 12th, 13th and 14th: 9am-9pm.

VALENTINE’S DAY GIFT GUIDE
For my favorite gifts, visit http://www.charleschocolates.com/valentine/recommended.html

The Heart Collection Indulge your sweetheart this Valentine’s day with our unique edible chocolate box. Filled with our enticing raspberry, passion fruit and mojito hearts, this beautifully constructed edible chocolate box is the essence of Valentine’s Day.

Large Heart Assortment This decadent heart assortment is so much more than your ordinary box of chocolates! Our gorgeous velvet heart can be filled with your choice of artisanal delight- either our famous classic collection, or the popular all heart assortment.

Deluxe Boxed Assortment This beautiful deluxe gift box contains an exotic assortment of our award-winning, premium chocolates. Sumptuously arranged in our signature blue and brown box, this deluxe assortment is the essence of luxury.

In-store only: The Charles Chocolates Fondue Kit. Available for purchase only in our retail store in Emeryville, the Charles Chocolates Fondue Kit comes with a bag of milk and dark chocolate and a recipe card which will allow you to make a fantastic dessert in just five minutes. Now you can create a delicious ending to a romantic night.

ORDER DEADLINES FOR VALENTINE’S DAY
Don’t delay on placing your orders! Below are all of our order deadlines for arrival of your chocolates by end of day February 14, 2008. To view our complete ordering deadlines, visit http://www.charleschocolates.com/valentine/ordering-guidelines.html.

CHARLES CHOCOLATES BOOK SIGNING WITH ALICE MEDRICH (rescheduled date)

Co-presented by Cooking with Amy We have rescheduled the Alice Medrich book signing to Tuesday, February 12, 2008 – just in time for Valentine’s Day. As part of our local speaker series, we’re thrilled to welcome chocolatier and local culinary legend Alice Medrich. In the 1970s, Alice’s Berkeley-based dessert shop Cocolat set new standards of excellence. She has been learning, teaching, and sharing what she loves about dessert making for thirty years. She brings to us an obsessive approach to recipes (meticulously written and tested), a commitment to quality ingredients, and a profound understanding of technique.

Join us as Alice signs copies of her newest book Pure Dessert: True Flavors, Inspiring Ingredients and Simple Recipes and discusses her experience with chocolate. This event is being presented in partnership with Cooking with Amy, a Bay area food blog that specializes in original food writing providing recipes, restaurant and product reviews, contests, essays and insight into culinary news.

Cost: Free. Space is limited, so please RSVP.
Date: Tuesday, February 12th, 6-8pm.
Tickets: RSVP now at www.brownpapertickets.com/event/26175.

CHARLES CHOCOLATES BOOK SIGNING WITH CLAY GORDON
February really is the month for chocolate, so it’s the perfect time to join us for a talk and book signing by a real chocolate expert, Clay Gordon. Dedicated to raising consumer awareness and appreciation of all things chocolate, Clay is the founder of DiscoverChocolate.com. He has spent over 10 years reading, researching, traveling, learning and writing about chocolate and sharing his extensive knowledge of chocolate.

In October of 2007, Clay published his first book, “Discover Chocolate”. Join us on February 21st as Clay gives a talk about his experiences with chocolate and signs copy of his new book.

Cost: Free.
Date: Thursday, February 21st, 6-8pm
Tickets: RSVP now at www.brownpapertickets.com/event/26707.

CHOCOLATE AND TEA PAIRING CLASS WITH TEANCE

Co-presented by Tea Time Meetup Thursday, February 28th, 7pm ($20/person) While tea and chocolate have both been important culinary indulgences throughout the ages, they have typically been savored individually. The combination of tea and chocolates, particularly Asian teas, has never been fully explored in the chocolate world – until now. After months of tea and chocolate selection pairings and tastings, a special collaboration between Charles Chocolates and Teance Fine Teas resulted in the creation of our exclusive collection of tea infused chocolates.

Now you can join us in exploring the pairing of chocolate and tea in our monthly Tea and Chocolate Pairing classes. In partnership with Teance Fine Teas, we will sample a variety of hand crafted chocolates by Charles Chocolates and pair them with teas sourced and selected by Teance Fine Teas. We will discuss the techniques and nuances of selecting pairings to create a harmonious balance between chocolate and tea.

In February we will continue partnering with the Tea Time Meetup Group of San Francisco, dedicated to bringing together tea lovers from all over the Bay Area.

Cost: $20 per person. Space is limited so advance registration is recommended.
Date: Thursday, February 28th, 7pm
Tickets: RSVP now at www.brownpapertickets.com/event/24194.

For more information, visit www.charleschocolates.com/events.

To celebrate Chinese New Year (February 7, 2008), all Tea Collection boxes (edible chocolate box or clear gift box) purchased through our website and our retail store will be decorated with a special Happy Year of the Rat sticker.

All events take place at the Charles Chocolates Store & Chocolate Bar located at 6529 Hollis St. Emeryville, CA 94608. For more information, please contact us at 510-652-4412 ext. 311, email events@charleschocolates.com or visit www.charleschocolates.com/store.