[My SF Past] San Francisco's Newest Chocolate Makers

[Gloria Lenhart]

Chocolate has been part of San Francisco history since the Gold Rush.  The two oldest chocolate companies in the U.S. -- Ghirardelli and Guittard -- both started in San Francisco and still make their chocolate here in the Bay Area. Continuing our city’s tradition as an incubator for chocolate innovation, San Francisco now has two new chocolate makers who specialize in making artisan chocolate by custom roasting beans sourced from small growers around the world.  

TCHO (pronounced chO) calls itself New American Chocolate.  They offer tours and tastings twice a day, every day, at their factory at Pier 17, right next to the new Exploratorium.  Founded by NASA engineer Timothy Childes and now managed and funded by the couple who also started Wired magazine, early on there were rumors that the T in the company name stood for Tech.  According to the company’s website, TCHO is the first syllable of chocolate spelled phonetically.

TCHO is proud of their advocacy of small growers of cacao, the football-sized fruit that produces the beans used to make chocolate.  They partner closely with growers in places like Peru, Ecuador, Madagascar and Ghana, applying technology to the fermentation and roasting processes to preserve the natural flavors of the beans.  

The best part of the TCHO factory tour was the guided tasting which included samples of chocolate with flavors ranging from “Nutty” or “Fruity” to “Earthy” or “Bright.”  I confess that I am mostly unable to taste the “grass” or “raspberry” or “apricot” notes in wines, but I definitely noticed the “sour cream finish” on the “Bright” chocolate sample, and could easily tell the difference between “Nutty” and “Floral” chocolate tastes.   

TCHO tours are free, but reservations are recommended, online at: http://www.tcho.com/tour/.  And hurry -- rumor is they will be moving out of their San Francisco location sometime in 2014.

Dandelion Chocolate at 730 Valencia St in the Mission is San Francisco’s newest chocolate maker.   College friends Todd Masonis and Cameron Ring started making chocolate in their garage to share with friends.  About a year ago, they took over a brick building that once housed an auto repair shop, and long ago, the site of the Valencia Street Hotel, which collapsed in the 1906 earthquake.

“Chocolate is the next big thing in the world of artisan foods,” Todd Masonis, co-owner of chocolate maker Dandelion in the Mission, told me.  “In coffee, companies like Peets, Blue Bottle and Ritual built their reputations by sourcing and roasting their own beans to control quality and taste.  We are now on the leading edge of the same trend in chocolate.”

Dandelion offers a tasting wall with free samples and information on their chocolate, which you can watch them make  -- from roasting the beans to molding and wrapping bars by hand – behind a glass wall.  The café offers hot chocolate with handmade marshmallows, plus chocolate-inspired treats by Gary Danko-alum, Chef Lisa Vega.

 

Tasty treats at Dandelion Chocolate.

The only ingredient Dandelion adds to their beans is sugar.  “Most chocolate makers add vanilla and an emulsifier,” Todd said. “We don’t. Our taste profiles come solely from the roasted beans.” Dandelion offers classes, from the basics in Chocolate 101, to Chocolate 201 which provides a hands-on experience, and Chocolate 301 which includes an overseas trip to cacao farms.  More information is on their website at http://www.dandelionchocolate.com/. 

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Posted By Gloria Lenhart to My SF Past at 1/01/2014 01:02:00 PM