Bean to Bar: How Chocolate Is Made with David Menkes

Dear Food

Do you know about the cacao belt? It’s the agricultural belt that runs along the equator, and it’s the only place in the world where chocolate grows. Well, where the cacao beans that make chocolate grow, that is. That means, to make chocolate, you’ve got to visit some pretty exquisite places like Belize, Guatemala, the Dominican Republic and lots of other destinations most of us have only ever seen in travel magazines. Sounds glamorous, right? Chocolate Maker David Menkes, and his wife Corey would disagree. It’s a lot of hard work, but the (cacao) juice is always worth the squeeze.

What’s in this episode:

• How to make chocolate, from bean to bar
• David started a secret chocolate society at Dreamworks Animation
• Why chocolate tasting is a lot like wine tasting
• How to eat chocolate (besides simply shoving it in your face)
• Refined sugar is made with cow bones - yes, you read that right. Details inside the episode
• LetterPress chocolate bars are not candy. David explains why.
• The difference between a Chocolatier and a Chocolate Maker
• Bribing police in Dominican Republic in the name of chocolate
• And many more adventures in chocolate!

Links from the show:

• The LetterPress website: https://letterpresschocolate.com/
• LetterPress on Instagram: @LetterPressChocolate

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