I gave my 2 weeks notice.   I am off the chains and leash of Corporate America.  I caught snippets of former and current Goldman Sachs employees in the congressional hearings  this week, and it was quite enjoyable for me to see them squirm in their chairs.  But I went to a college that gave birth to a lot of those boys so it’s a love/hate relationship.

I’M working with a great gal that will help me understand the ins and outs of distribution.  The fear now is if I can keep up with production.  Stone grinding will always be done by hand.  When you automate everything, whether it be perishable or nonperishable goods, it takes a lot of character away from it.  As my friend Leslie says when it’s handmade, “you can feel the energy that the person put into it when you eat it.”  I like machinery, but with anything you have to draw that fine line of how much is too much.

THE life of a small business owner is crazy.  It is the birth of a child.  I don’t have a child and babies are much cuter.  The hope is to have a little one on the way, but this is my baby for now.   Ok, I’m actually at work right and I still am a slave for the next couple of weeks.  But I had to take a little time out to share with you the heavy burden lifted off my shoulder.

World….here we come!

Blessings!  Patricia

D. L. Rhein Studio
3303 Motor Ave
Los Angeles, CA 90064
(310) 280 – 0474
www.dlrhein.com

Various blends of chocolate bars sold in the store.

Heath Ceramics
7525 Beverly Boulevard
Los Angeles, CA 90036
(323) 965-0800
www.heathceramics.com/go/heath/

All retail packaging (chocolate rustic bars and hot chocolate powders) sold in the store.

It’s been a rough tax week.  It wasn’t just taxes, (I had to file an extension), but I’m getting reading for Unique LA this weekend and we just got into the Culver City Farmers Market.  As I’m watching the news right now, it seems like it’s going to be rainy this Tuesday.  As they say, Rain or Shine at the markets.  I’ve always set up on Rainy days, because when I setup it’s actually not raining.

OUT WITH THE OLD AND IN WITH THE NEW

So Banana + Cardamom is now retired.  I had the Chamomile + Cinnamon for a couple of weeks, but I think we are reaching the end of that.  It’ll be Pears + Vanilla for the next month.  I’m using Bartlett Pears – unsweetened.  The pears have a subtle flavor.  Cacao % is a 72%.  I bite into the chocolate and notice the bitterness of the chocolate and then aroma and taste of the Vanilla Bean.  I let the bits of pears lay on my tongue and the pear flavor hits you like a gentle surprise.  The bars are 2 oz, because the Dried Bartlett Pears are not cheap.

Market Days

I get some customers that tell me they don’t like dark chocolate.  I automatically know those people like sugar.  People who are willing to listen to my chatter of why THIS dark chocolate is better makes me feel good.  It shows they are conscious about what they put inside their bodies.  I had a lady today at the market tell me she likes milk chocolate much better.  But I told her she has to try this chocolate.  I gave her the sweetest chocolate – Shangri-LA and told her that her palate will be more accustomed to less sugar, and she should try to make her way up to higher cacao %s.  After 5 minutes of talking, standing in front of the booth pondering while babies were crying, and other bought a bar, she caved in and bought a Shangri-La (black sesame + goji berries).

I personally can’t go back to the smooth texture of normal dark chocolate and that’s what I told her.  The gritty texture of ChocoVivo chocolate makes it more satisfying, and I know that it’s minimally processed and the ingredients used are whole and pure.  I’m a purist at heart.

Oh, weather man just said that it’s going to be Rainy – 30%.  Well, 90% of the time they aren’t accurate.

Off to bed.  Sweet Chocolate Dreams Everyone!