The 12 Nights of Chocolate are Here!

November 9, 2016 by Jennifer Roy

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We are thrilled to announce our fourth annual 12 Nights of Chocolate taking place December 1st through 12th. Each year, we invite chefs to take over our cafe and create a menu that follows two rules: use our chocolate, and don’t hold back. Over the years, we’ve hosted some of the best chefs in the country who have created menus ranging from quail and duck with mole, to the classic Mont Blanc dessert made by a three star Michelin chef. All proceeds go to the SF-Marin Food Bank, for whom last year’s event raised over 60,000 meals. This year, the evenings range from a seven-course tasting menu—both sweet and savory—to a family-style brunch after dark, with cocktails. More information and tickets here.

The Bar That Broke The Mold

November 24, 2014 by Jennifer Roy

When Josh and Evan, the discerning founders of Cool Hunting, sat down with me in the café at Dandelion to talk about a “collaboration,” I was intrigued. Their concept was to create a chocolate bar like no other, and when they brought in the boundary-breaking design firm Snarkitecture to design the bar and packaging, I knew we were onto something.

Despite the fact that Dandelion production is so very oversubscribed at the moment, we were up for the project for a few reasons. To begin, it’s a labor of love. Secondly, all of the profits will go to support Southern Exposure, a local non-profit organization.

It’s been a year, and we’ve finally arrived at the finish line. The result is a unique edible artwork in the form of a delicious chocolate topographical landscape.

The bar, once unwrapped from its silver foil, reveals a continuous fracture around the perimeter. Along this uneven edge, the bar splits into two pieces, revealing two perfectly opposite textured landscapes.

While the Break Bar looks simple, it was quite a challenge to develop. Creating the mold took several remakes. The first turned out to be too hard to temper, and the subsequent tries left a trail of broken bars which, to confess, we enjoyed immensely. Finally, we got it right.

When it came to actually making the bars, the production team was up for the challenge. Little did they know what they were in for. There’s three times more chocolate in a Break Bar than our regular bar, so getting the air bubbles out is no easy task. And to get the sharp edges we were looking for, each bar needed the tender attention of a hand-held hairdryer.

Erica drying

Even wrapping the bars is difficult. The foil is much thicker than what we regularly use, and the paper is difficult to handle.

In the end, for the sake of art, community, and chocolate, it’s all been worth it. To purchase the Break Bar, find it here.

PS — We’re producing a limited edition of 500 bars. One out of every hundred will include a “White Ticket,” which rewards the purchaser with a non-edible Snakitecture sculpture in the same form as the Break Bar.