2020 Chocolate Salon Ambassadors Honored for their Support of Artisan Chocolate

In honor of their support for and contribution to artisan chocolate during the Summer 2020 Virtual Chocolate Salon Panels, TasteTV and the International Chocolate SalonInternational Chocolate Salon has designated each of the panelists and moderators who participated as:

HONORARY CHOCOLATE SALON AMBASSADORS

We congratulate and thank each of them!

Amy Sherman food writer
Art Pollard of Amano Artisan Chocolate
Barbie Van Horn of Finding Fine Chocolate
Ben Glass of The Good Chocolate
Charly Kayle radio host and food writer
Cindy Wong Chen of China Live
David Gambill of Sonoma Chocolatiers
Elisia Otavi of Raphio Chocolate
Elyce Zahn of CocoTutti
Erin Andrews of Indi Chocolate
Joey Garcia author
Julie House of Panache Chocolatier
Karen Urbanek of Flying Noir
Kimberly Yang of Formosa Chocolates
Margaret King of Magnolia Chocolatier
Michael Benner of Michael’s Chocolates
Michael Poole of Hot Chocolat
Phillip Ashley Rix of Phillip Ashley Chocolates
Robert Bowden of Vivere Chocolates
Seth Bain of the Confectionist
Syovata Edari of CocoVaa Chocolatier
Tonet Tibay of Marti Chocolatt
Wendy Lieu of Socola Chocolatier

Virtual CHOCOLATE SALON Panel: In Conversation with Bean to Bar Chocolatiers

TasteTV & the International Chocolate Salon in conversation with award-winning Bean to Bar Chocolatiers about their creative inspirations & business challenges, including tips for great chocolate, flavor profiles, travels, and tips for success. Discover and support these great artisans!

Featuring Amano Artisan Chocolate, Indi Chocolate, The Good Chocolate, and moderator Barbie Van Horn of Finding Fine Chocolate.

WATCH THE VIDEO FROM THE PANEL

The Conair Fabric Defuzzer is a Small but Mighty addition to your Fashion Accessories

Do you ever get fuzz balls and pills on your favorite sweaters, sweatshirts, scarves, coats, socks, or even furniture? Yes, it’s a big problem, because it makes you not want to wear them anymore, or at the least to not feel as great as you did when they were brand new.

Well guess what? You can make them as good as new by using a small electronic device that removes those pills in minutes.

The Conair Fabric Defuzzer Is lightweight, runs on just two batteries, and only costs around $12. Despite this low price, it can make hundreds of dollars of clothing look like you just bought them. It’s a great investment.

The Defuzzer has two settings, one for close contact with the fabric, and one with slightly less contact. To make it work you basically run it in a gentle circle across the affected area, and Voila, the pills are removed.

Unlike past versions of these pill remover devices, this one has a nice long battery life. Which means you can go through a lot of clothes before it starts slowing down and needs to have them replaced. This is really great, because once you start removing pills you’re going to find it to be an oddly addicting of activity. You’re going to not only want to do your clothes, but everyone else’s as well. And once you finish with the clothes, you’ll start with the armrest on your couch. (When you get to the rug, you know it’s time to stop)

Also makes a small but popular holiday or birthday gift.

Find the Conair Fabric Defuzzer on Amazon here.

(Maybe your stay at home fashion sweats could look as good as J. Lo’s if you remove the pills and fuzz.)

J Lo getting coffee in her fashion sweats

WINE PICKS: 3 Chardonnays that are Perfect to Drink Right Now

On a hot sunny day or in cool stormy weather, if you’ve closed a big deal or just sitting down to relax, these 3 Chardonnays are perfect for any situation or climate.

Tolosa 2018 1772 Chardonnay, Eden Ranch Edna Valley

Fermentation: French oak barrels

Aging: 9 months in French oak barrels, with 20% of them being new

Vineyard: Edna Ranch

Alcohol: 13.4%

Tolosa has a wine series they call “1772”. The series is named for the founding year of the Mission San Luis Obispo de Tolosa, and honors the local terroir and winemaking history of the cooler and Pacific Ocean-influenced climate and limestone sediment of the Edna Valley. The 1772 Chardonnay from 2018 is priced around $58 a bottle. Tolosa calls this their classic Chardonnay, and says that it truly captures the essence of the estate. The 2018 Tolosa Chardonnay has an appealing hint of bright acidity, with notes of the minerality of the Edna Valley, as well aromas of fresh fruits and herbs. This Chardonnay was aged for 9 months in French oak barrels.

Find here.

Anaba 2017 Chardonnay, Sonoma Coast

Vineyards: Tolay Vista, Dutton (Shop Block and Mill Station), J McK Estate

Alcohol: 13.2%

Fermentation: Hand-sorted and whole cluster pressed. Barrel fermented (75% malolactic fermentation, 25% retained natural malic acid). Aged 17 months sur lie in French oak barrels, 25% of which were new.

Cooperage: Damy, Cavin, Taransaud, François Frères Cases Produced: 738

This Sonoma Coast Chardonnay comes from distinct areas within the Sonoma Coast AV. Some of these areas were impacted by the 2017 North Bay fires, however the fruit was picked before those events took place so they were not affected. In general, the regions from which they come are cooler or foggier than some other Chardonnays, giving this 2017 vintage a great year.

The Anaba Chardonnay’s fruit tends towards the citrus and vanilla bouquet, with a bit of minerality and a very subtle palate. The alcohol content is in the European-style of 13.2%. Only 738 cases were produced, and it was aged 17 months in French oak barrels.

Find here.

Sangiacomo 2018 Chardonnay, Sonoma Coast

Alcohol: 14.3%

Production: 280 cases

The Sangiacomo family has been farming in Sonoma County for three generations and almost 100 years. The Vineyard is 100% certified sustainable, and it produces California Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, and Cabernet Sauvignon. The Sangiacomo Sonoma Coast Chardonnay has aromas that bring in tea-like flavors, including nutmeg and chai, as well as the French oak in which it rested. You might also enjoy some aromas that remind us a bit of a delicious pear cobbler. It’s very rich, and was aged in the aforementioned French oak for about 10 months. The alcohol content is medium-level 14.3%, and the retail price is a reasonable $55. Only 280 cases however were produced by James MacPhail the winemaker.

Find here

THE BEST: Picks for Top Healthy Gourmet Snacks of 2020

2020 TOP HEALTHY GOURMET SNACKS

The world is full of fantastic, delicious, and innovative healthy gourmet snacks. That’s why we’ve tasted some of the best, and here’s what we found.

The 6th Annual Snack Awards selects and rewards the Top Healthy Gourmet Snack creations of the Year.

Products from across the country entered into this competition, and were sent to a select jury panel of food & wine media and industry judges located throughout North America. This panel tasted, reviewed and voted on which they consider to be the “Top Healthy Gourmet Snacks of the Year” by the TASTY AWARDS panel, the Academy of Media Tastemakers

The Healthy Snack Awards look for the tastiest, most appealing , and healthiest snack choices on the market. It doesn’t matter if it’s a bar, a chip, popcorn, or nuts, as long as it looks good and tastes good and is good for you then it has the chance of making the list. Gluten Free, Sugar Free, or just made with fresh and natural ingredients, the bottom line is that they have to satisfy your urge to munch.

The judges and reviewers for this year’s selections come from a panel of gurus from the Academy of Media Tastemakers. Here are their favorites

OUR TOP PICKS FOR GREAT HEALTHY & TASTY SNACKS

GOODTO GO Snacks Strawberry Macadamia Nut Snack Bar

“Tastes like something you have to keep checking the package to make sure it’s actually healthy. But it is!”

Kathies Kitchen: SuperSeedz Dark Chocolate & Sea Salt Gourmet Pumpkin Seeds

“Be ready to maintain a bit of portion control, it’s easy to keep munching on these tasty Salted pumpkin seeds in dark chocolate”

Nature’s Path Love Crunch Dark Chocolate & Red Berries Granola

“So cool to see a granola that adds unique ingredients and seasonings like red berries, healthy dark chocolate, and organic coconut”

Mary’s Gone Crackers – Super Seed Classic

“Fully plant-based gluten-free protein, these crackers can be eaten alone or paired with a topping such as cheese, avocados, or even peanut butter”

MadeGood Food Red Velvet Soft Baked Mini Cookies

“If you have a taste for red velvet, you’ll like these, but because of their size and healthy ingredients you won’t feel too guilty about having them”

Barebells Protein Bars – Crunchy Fudge

“The snack bar with no added sugar that you want to take with you to the gym or before a good run. “

MUSIC VIDEO: LAUREL’s new single “Scream Drive Faster”

British breakout vocalist, songwriter and producer LAUREL shares her new single “Scream Drive Faster” today via Communion Records. The track is LAUREL’s first new music since her 2018 debut LP Dogviolet.

The ’80s-hued “Scream Drive Faster” finds LAUREL euphoric, a mood starkly different from the melancholic chamber pop of her first album. “I really loved the songs on Dogviolet, but they were very heavy,” she explains. “At one point in my life I was in a pretty dark place and it was really comforting to sing about it, but it was hard to revisit those emotions every night.” When composing the track, Laurel wanted it to reflect the happiness she has found since.

Self-recorded, produced and mixed, Dogviolet received high praise from The Guardian, who likened her to Lana Del Rey, The Independent, and Vogue, who called her “the new face of British alt-pop.” The album also won her fans in the likes of BBC Radio 1 and Triple J. Still, her solitary approach to the record left her isolated and unhappy. Her new work is marked by a move from London to America and, having found people there she trusts and admires to work alongside, a newfound artistic process that’s open to collaboration. She wrote and produced “Scream Drive Faster” with Chrome Sparks.

LAUREL, born Laurel Arnell-Cullen, starting writing her own music at age 11 and by 13, inspired by Laura Marling’s debut record, began playing in local bars with her first guitar. At 17, she signed to Universal, and found herself living alone in a basement flat in London for the next three years, composing the material that would become Dogviolet. The transition was difficult: “Making music all day and night is how I survived and didn’t go crazy,” she says. She released her first book with the album, The Mutterings Of A Laurel, a collection of her journal entries to be read alongside the music. Though now writing from a much different perspective than she was with her debut, she is still dealing with the same big issues—love, loss and survival. Only now, she is happier, more determined, and head-over-heels in love.