SUMMER 2022

bring your group of 6-8 participantsby
appointment
7:30 p.m.



 

Ever wonder how chocolate is actually made? Spend a fun evening making chocolate from the cacao bean while learning some interesting historical facts about the chocolate industry! Taught by Joe Vadnay, owner of Vadnay Chocolate Company. Joe is a natural teacher with an enthusiastic and friendly style you are sure to enjoy!

​

Class description:  This hands-on approach to making chocolate starts with the cocoa bean. To achieve chocolate in the form we expect for consumer use and sale, it takes 48 hours from start to finish. The majority of that time is when the chocolate is grinding (in a melanger - stone mill grinding machine) until it's smooth and sugar and/or cocoa butter and/or milk powder can be added. The class will go through all beginning steps. 

In step one, we crack the cocoa beans in a bag by hitting them with a rolling pin; this reduces the bean to a point where we can winnow (blow off husks) the beans using hair dryers and separating the husk from the nib. The cocoa nib is then put in a hand crank grinder and further processed so the machinery can handle it more easily. After grinding, we slowly add the cocoa to the melanger. As the melanger works the beans they eventually turn into an oily paste called chocolate liquor that has no alcohol content.  Each student will receive some chocolate at the end of class (if participants want a bar from the actual chocolate made during their class, there is an optional $25 fee to cover costs of post-class labor and packaging). 

​

Due to the nature of the chocolate making, dust is produced and eye protection is provided along with hair nets, aprons, and gloves.

​