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The 12 Nights of Chocolate

December 4, 2013 by Todd

We’re very excited to announce a new holiday tradition that we are starting at our chocolate factory on Valencia Street: the 12 Nights of Chocolate!

Starting next Tuesday the 10th for 12 whole nights, we will be hosting a series of festive events celebrating our love of chocolate. The highlight of this series are the pastry chef nights where local pastry luminaries Emily Luchetti, Janet Dalton, Jessica Sullivan, Lincoln Carson, Angela Salvatore, and Terri Wu will host intimate dessert evenings made with our chocolate. The profits from these pastry chef nights will go to benefit the San Francisco and Marin Food Banks, which seeks to end hunger in San Francisco.

We’ll be posting more details as the month progresses, but here’s a quick overview of what we have planned:

#1 – Guatemala Sourcing Talk – Tuesday December, 10th

Greg, our resident Bean Sourcer-er, will give a talk about his recent sourcing trip to Guatemala at 7:30PM in the cafe. FREE

#2 – Book signing and demo – Wednesday December, 11th

Local Mission author Andrea Lawson Grey will be doing a book signing and demo for her new cookbook: CELEBRACIONES MEXICANAS – History, Traditions, and Recipes. Andrea will show us how to make Mexican Hot Chocolate and Chocolate Dipping Sauce for Churros starting at 7:00PM in the cafe. FREE

#3 – Food drive – Thursday December, 12th

We’re kicking off our food-drive, by giving a free, special treat to anyone who brings in a food item for the San Francisco and Marin Food Banks this day. The most needed items are: tuna, canned meat, peanut butter, soup, chili, beans, cereal, canned fruit and vegetables, and granola bars. Food collection bins will be available through the 21st. PLEASE NOTE: Cafe will be closing at 7 for our staff holiday party.

#4 – Dolce Delfina – with Pastry Chef, Jessica Sullivan – Friday December, 13th

Hailing from our fellow neighborhood restaurant, Delfina, Pastry Chef Jessica Sullivan is taking over Dandelion for a night to showcase the decadent side of Delfina. She will present a wintery 3-course Italian dessert tasting including a Warm Panettone with Dandelion Chocolate Gelato. To complete the evening, a special selection of wines and spirits from Locanda will be available as pairing for the desserts. 8:30PM $50 – PLEASE NOTE: the cafe will be closing at 8PM this night. More info and tickets here.

All profits from this night are donated in support of the San Francisco and Marin Food Banks

#5 – Wine and Chocolate – Saturday December, 14th

An intimate evening with a wine and chocolate pairing in our upstairs mezzanine. Wines by Sonoma / San Francisco based Wattle Creek Winery. Limited to 14 people. More details and tickets here. 7PM. $75

#6 – Holiday Cookie Popup – Sunday December, 15th

All day Sunday our pastry chef, Lisa Vega, will be exclusively making holiday cookies in the cafe. Come try her creations or bring some home. ALL DAY

#7 – Movie Night – Monday December, 16th

We’re setting up the cafe as a small movie theater and screening Willy Wonka and the Chocolate factory. There will be (chocolate-covered) popcorn and golden tickets of course. Popcorn and treats at 7:45, movie starts at 8:15 sharp. $15 Tickets here. PLEASE NOTE: the cafe will be closing at 7:30PM this night.

#8 – Crunchy Creamy All Chocolate Pop Up Party with Emily Luchetti and Janet Dalton – Tuesday December, 17th

Executive Chef, Author, and James Beard Board Member Emily Luchetti is teaming up with Janet Dalton, former pastry chef of Postrio to a host a night of desserts! Buy tickets in advance (some available at the door) and drop in between 7-9PM to try hot chocolate milk shakes, desserts, and other treats made by these amazing chefs. Lots and lots of treats.

The chefs wanted us to warn you to eat something savory before you come. Not responsible for overdosing on chocolate.

Drop in any time between 7-9PM. $35 – PLEASE NOTE: the cafe will be closing at 7PM this night. More info and tickets here (or at the door).

All profits from this night are donated in support of the San Francisco and Marin Food Banks

#9 – Wine and Chocolate II – Wednesday December, 18th

An intimate evening with a wine and chocolate pairing in our upstairs mezzanine. Wines by Sonoma / San Francisco based Wattle Creek Winery. Limited to 14 people. More details and tickets here. 7PM. $75

#10 – Lincoln Carson – Thursday December, 19th

Join Lincoln Carson, corporate pastry chef for the Michael Mina restaurants and Neyah White, brand ambassador for Suntory Whiskey in an evening of chocolate creations and whiskey which will include The Hibiki served ceremoniously Oyu-Wari style, as well as some unblended individual barrel samples to compare and contrast with each chocolate. 8:30PM $50 – PLEASE NOTE: the cafe will be closing at 8PM this night. More info and tickets here.

All profits from this night are donated in support of the San Francisco and Marin Food Banks

#11 – Angela Salvatore and Terri Wu – Friday December, 20th

Angela Salvatore of Waterbar and Terri Wu of Farallon will be hosting a sweet and savory prix fixe chocolate menu with spirit pairings by Craig Lane of Bar Agricole. 8:30PM $50 – PLEASE NOTE: the cafe will be closing at 8PM this night. More info and tickets here.

All profits from this night are donated in support of the San Francisco and Marin Food Banks

#12 – Fondue Night – Saturday December, 21th

We’re ending the 12 nights with Fondue! Starting at 6pm we will be offering fondue with a series of toppings in the cafe until close. 6PM until close (or until sold out).

Chocolate Plus Bourbon

July 30, 2013 by Lisa

We’ve been on a roll, Michael and I, teaming up to combine our respective loves of bourbon and chocolate. Upstairs in Hi Lo‘s loft, a quick turn ’round the block from Dandelion’s factory, we recently hosted our fourth event, tasting attendees through a lineup of 3 single-origin chocolates, first on their own and then paired with whiskey.

I get to share my love of the bean-to-bar chocolate making process and Michael Lazaar, the bar manager at Hog & Rocks, regales the crowd with the history of bourbon and the science of distillation. We’re hoping to make Chocolate Plus Bourbon a monthly tasting event that highlights the role of craft producers and explores pairings between each of our work-related passions.

I met Michael while perched at his bar in Hog & Rocks and our introduction quickly led to an impromptu chocolate and bourbon tasting. Once I reached into my purse for a foiled, broken bar, he reached up to the top shelf and taught me how to use a water dropper, a handy tool indeed. We found playing with the unique flavor combinations so much fun, we knew we had to recreate the experience for the public. We figured if we loved chocolate and bourbon, other people must, too.

We’ve had some great support from friends like Star St Germain, who designed a tasting mat and tasting notes to help refine the experience and took these pretty photos, and from Dandelion’s exec team. I have to thank them, and Michael and his expertise, for helping me share something I love with a wider audience and put a twist on it.

While every tasting’s been a little different, we’ve accumulated some crowd favorites. I think our Patanemo from Venezuela is a natural choice with classically caramel-tasting bourbons, such as Willett’s Family Reserve Wheated Whiskey, which brings out notes of maple in the otherwise nutty-tasting Patanemo.

We’ve found that Buffalo Trace Antique amplifies smoky flavors and we’ve had fun pairing it with Cumboto, another Venezuelan origin, and Papua New Guinea, made with naturally fire-dried beans. Madagascar, our fruitest-tasting chocolate, is a natural choice with Four Roses OSBO, a recipe that uses a high concentration of fruity-tasting yeast along with a high-rye mashbill to bring out complimentary citrus and spice flavors.

It’s easy to find interesting pairings when Michael sources the best single-barrel bourbons through the Hog & Rocks “Barrel to Bottle” program and I’m lucky enough to make extraordinary chocolate, sourced straight from farms and using only cacao and sugar. All in the same neighborhood.

Chocolate Plus Bourbon is tentatively scheduled for the second Saturday of every month, with the next event slated for August 10th. Tickets here.

Dandelions in Belize, want to join us?

July 23, 2013 by Greg

Two months ago I returned from a trip to Belize. Cynthia and I spent a week staying at Cotton Tree Lodge and working with Maya Mountain Cacao in order to learn more about their approach to buying, fermenting, drying, and shipping cacao. While there are some consistent aspects to these processes, the details make all the difference between mediocre and incredible cacao. Genetics and terroir are important factors but the final processing is truly an art form.

We enjoyed our time there immensely and decided the best way for others to learn more about the agricultural side of cacao growth, harvesting, and processing is to spend some time on the farm as well. We currently teach Chocolate 101 (Introduction to Chocolate Industry Lecture & Taste Lab) and Chocolate 201 (Small Batch Chocolate Making Lab), so we’ve now added Chocolate 301 (Cacao Sourcing Field Trip). On November 2-9, 2013 I’ll be leading a trip back to Southern Belize with a combination of chocolate makers, chocolate lovers and hopefully an agriculture enthusiast or two. The goal of this trip is to give you a thorough understanding of how cacao is grown (specifically in Belize), an overview with some practical experience in fermentation and drying, and an appreciation for the history of cacao in Belize. Oh, and to enjoy a really beautiful part of the world!

The current agenda (which is subject to change) will involve:
– Visiting cacao farms, trying various products and learning about how cacao is grown in Belize
– Visiting Maya Mountain Cacao to learn more about their approach to group fermentation and drying
– Visiting at least 2 chocolate makers, 1 using classic mayan chocolate making techniques and at least 1 using more modern techniques
– Talks on cacao fermentation and sourcing
– Eating a lot of cacao and cacao related products!

In addition to the scheduled activities there will be plenty of opportunities to explore Belize (for instance fishing, swimming, horseback riding or cliff-jumping) or just sit around in a hammock and listen to the jungle.

I’m really excited to bring a group down to share the joy of Belize and cacao with others who’ll enjoy it as much as I do! If you’d like more information or pricing (prices start around $1300 excluding flights), please contact us at trips@dandelionchocolate.com and we’ll happily discuss it in more detail with you!

Greg D’Alesandre
Chocolate Sourcerer, Dandelion Chocolate

Bunnies and Baskets and Bows, Oh My.

March 28, 2013 by Alice

As it’s getting sunnier and sunnier in the Mission, we’re getting excited about springtime. We’re starting by celebrating Easter in full-force. We have beautiful Easter baskets for sale in our cafe and our online store, and they’re a true collaborative effort. I found Jen Kindell’s prints at MCM and asked her to come up with something chocolatey and festive. She came up with a beautiful version of our caramel tart. The tarts fly out the door at our cafe, so it’s nice to have a long-lasting version. Her cards are silkscreened, signed, and numbered. And, they’re gorgeous!

Then, Norah’s talents came in handy again with our basket assembly line. She makes it look easy, but her bows are very hard to beat.

Finally, each of our baskets is finished with a stamped bunny card. But, those aren’t the only bunnies we’ll have around our cafe. Today, from 4 – 7 PM, we’ll have a bunny petting zoo! Outside our space at 740 Valencia, you’ll be able to pet adult and baby bunnies, and I can’t imagine anything happier. Our cafe will also stay open an hour later, so that everyone can make it to bunnytime. Hope to see you there!

Pop-Up Parklet!

March 8, 2013 by Caitlin

What does Bill Monroe (the Father of Bluegrass) love more than bluegrass?…CHOCOLATE!!! And where can you find both?

Come Sunday from 12-4pm to a pop-up parklet outside Dandelion! Caitlin, our fearless production manager, will be playing with her string band, The Twin-Not-Twins (or TNT for short), from 1:30pm until 2pm. At 2pm, we will have a chocolate tasting! Hope to see you all there!

Wishing you a chocolatey Valentine’s Day

February 12, 2013 by Alice

We know that chocolate and Valentine’s Day go very well together, so we created a box of our favorite treats for you to give to your loved ones this holiday.

Our boxes include some of our favorite items from our new factory and cafe on Valencia Street. We included each of our own single-origin bars, from Ambanja, Madagascar; Elvesia, Dominican Republic; and Rio Caribe, Venezuela. In addition, our box also features treats from two local chocolatiers who use our Rio Caribe chocolate to make delicious confections for our retail space. We have chocolate covered nibs and caramelized almonds from Feve and chocolate covered shortbread cookies from Kika’s Treats. Shawn at Feve and Cristina at Kika’s Treats were two of our favorite neighbors in the Dogpatch. We’re very happy to collaborate with them now that we’ve moved to the Mission. And, they make our box of Valentine’s Day goodies that much more delicious!

This box is available for pick-up only. You can preorder a gift box in our online store until Wednesday evening. If you do place an order, please come pick up your box at 740 Valencia Street on February 14th, from 11 AM – 6 PM.

And! If you’d like to tuck a special note inside your box, Pam from Shotwell Paper Mill will be outside our factory and cafe from 12 PM – 5 PM on Thursday letterpress printing custom valentines on paper made from our cacao sacks! Her notes begin, “I love it when,” and you can finish the sentence with a message to your loved ones. All together, it should be a very special day here at Dandelion.

Timothy McSweeney’s Sweeth Tooth is Insatiable

November 30, 2012 by Chiann

It seems like just the other day that we were telling you about our collaboration with 826 Valencia, a non-profit writing center founded in San Francisco that offers, among other things, free tutoring and writing workshops to students ages 6-18.

Now we’re excited to tell you about a new collaboration—this time, with McSweeney’s Publishing. McSweeney’s is an independent publishing house that was founded by author Dave Eggers, who is also the co-founder of 826 Valencia. (You can listen to Dave Eggers talk about 826 Valencia, their mission, and their connection to McSweeney’s in his 2008 TED talk.) Just like 826 Valencia, McSweeney’s is one of our neighbors in the Mission, and when they asked us to contribute to their annual holiday party, we were happy to oblige!

In celebration of new December publications by McSweeney’s, which include Lucky Peach issue 5 (a journal dedicated to food and writing), Timothy McSweeney’s Quarterly Concern issue 42 (an award-winning literary journal) and Beck’s Song Reader (Beck’s newest music album), McSweeney’s is hosting a holiday bash on Thursday, December 6 from 7-10 pm, at the Makeout Room in San Francisco.

They’ll have a live reading by author Paul Legault, whose newest collection, The Emily Dickinson Reader, was recently published by McSweeney’s. The reading will be followed by karaoke and dancing. There will be free holiday treats to enjoy, including our chocolate!

McSweeney’s has been kind enough to provide us with a limited number of complimentary tickets to the event, as well as gratis subscriptions to Lucky Peach magazine. We’ll be giving these away at our retail space with the purchase of $40 worth of chocolate starting this Friday, November 30.

Here’s the catch: You’ll get first dibs on your choice of either option (a pair of tickets or a year-long subscription to Lucky Peach) if you (1), include a copy of our 826 bundle in your purchase, or (2), casually mention to us how much you enjoy karaoke.

So whether you’re a McSweeney’s enthusiast, a Lucky Peach reader, or just a chocolate lover looking for a good time, please consider stopping by our space to get some holiday shopping done and receive some McSweeney’s goodies while you’re at it!

You can find a link to the McSweeney’s holiday party here.

In addition to our free ticket giveaway, tickets to the event can be purchased here.

For more information on all things McSweeney’s-related, please click here.

Chocolate, and cheese, and wine! Oh, my!

November 21, 2012 by Alice

I hope you’re all thinking about turkey and pumpkin pie as this week winds down. But, when the festivities end, we have another reason to celebrate! We’ll be next door with our neighbors at Mission Cheese on the night of November 26th, pairing chocolate, cheese, and wine from Sutton Cellars. You’ll each be able to play and discover your favorite combinations, while we share some of our own picks. It promises to be a delicious night and we hope you’ll join us!

Here’s the event information: http://www.brownpapertickets.com/event/296794. The Night Cheese tasting will take place on Monday, November 26th from 6:00 – 8:00 PM at Mission Cheese, 736 Valencia Street.

Upcoming Events

September 20, 2012 by Todd

We’ve got a few fun events coming up pretty soon:

First, we will be at the Eat Real Festival this Friday – Sunday at Jack London Square in Oakland. Our booth will be at the Craft Marketplace and we’ll be doing a chocolate-making overview on Saturday. Lots of our food vendor friends will be there too. Check it out here.

And the weekend after (September 29th and 30th), Cam, Alice, and Lisa will be up in Seattle for Northwest Chocolate Festival. They’ll also be visiting our friends at Chocolopolis for a Meet the Maker tasting on Friday 9/28 from 2:30 – 4:30.

Here’s a video from last year’s festival, see if you can catch a quick glimpse of Cam:

Cynthia’s famous!

July 16, 2012 by Alice

Yesterday, I was lucky enough to give Cynthia a ride to and from the Mission Community Market. I stayed for a minute and quickly realized that she has a whole set of regulars who know her by name. She does a fantastic job at the market, meeting the people who will be our neighbors when we move to Valencia. Apparently the staff of MCM thinks so too. We were the “vendor of the week” yesterday, and the folks of MCM posted a really sweet note about Cynthia. They also published her recipe for strawberry nib salad. Personally, I’m excited to know that Cynthia bartered our chocolate for roasted almonds and promises to make her chocolate-covered almonds for snacks at the factory!