Renowned chocolatier Norman Love will provide ultra-premium hand-made chocolates and confections for Bar Cocoa’s retail offering, presenting flavors which are beloved in America and made with the finest chocolate ingredients from around the world. Considered edible works of art with a focus on freshness and preservative-free preparation, Norman Love Confections have been named the top chocolates in the United States by a highly respected consumer ratings publication. Norman Love was honored as one of the Top 10 Chocolatiers in North America in 2009 by Dessert Magazine, is co-founder of the National Pastry Team Championship and is a regular guest judge on the Food Network Challenge series.

Bar Cocoa’s signature offerings will also include daily Chocolate Afternoon Tea, a five-course weekly Chocolate and Champagne Dinner, hands-on culinary classes in the adjoining Cocoa Lab, retail selections including pastries from acclaimed Ritz-Carlton pastry chef Josh Cain and confections from chocolatier Norman Love, and a Chocolate Rehab package for this fall’s overnight guests. Bar Cocoa will also be open for à la carte chocolate beverage and menu service, highlighted by pastries and other sweet delicacies, Monday through Thursday from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m., Friday and Saturday from 11 a.m. to midnight, and Sunday from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Bar Cocoa’s contemporary take on afternoon tea will be presented seven days a week from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. and will feature six teas plus a signature chocolate tea and hot chocolate with house-made marshmallows. Priced at $32 per adult ($10 per child under 12) including valet parking, this uniquely modern tea will eschew the formal linens, intricate tabletops and hushed setting of traditional teas in favor of the vibe, energy and movement of the hotel’s lively Lobby Lounge. With limited seating and a start date of Saturday, October 1st, Chocolate Afternoon Tea at Bar Cocoa will feature flavorful mini-sandwiches, white chocolate and orange scones, petits fours (opera-style, chocolate and salted caramel tart, chocolate mousse with house marshmallow, tiramisu on chocolate sponge), and the restaurant’s signature “Bar “Cocoa — layers of praline and gianduja cake, hazelnut dacquoise, chocolate mousse and milk chocolate Chantilly. A special beverage option for the experience is chocolate-mint truffle tea, featuring a blend of Rooibos herbal tea, chocolate cacao nibs and mint, while Bar Cocoa’s signature hot chocolate beverage will be created with Valrhona Manjari Chocolate, using prized, delicate cocoa beans from Madagascar.

On October 8, Bar Cocoa will introduce its first weekly five-course Chocolate and Champagne Dinner, offered on Saturday evenings and priced at $125 per person. Reservations will be accepted up to three months in advance for this exclusive 7 to 10 p.m. all-dessert dining experience, which will be limited to parties of no more than four guests per table, and which will feature desserts created by Executive Chef Jon Farace and The Ritz-Carlton culinary team. Paired champagnes are set to include Perrier-Jouët Grand Brut, Veuve Clicquot Demi-Sec, Moët & Chandon Nectar Rose Imperial, Billecart-Salmon Brut Reserve, and Dom Ruinart.

Norman Love’s retail confections will be complemented by an array of pastries available for purchase and created by Josh Cain, Pastry Chef for The Ritz-Carlton, Charlotte and widely known for his glamorous wedding cakes, holiday dessert buffets and sold-out pastry cooking classes. Cain is also the designer and creator of a five-foot-tall Madam Cocoa chocolate statue which will perch atop a pedestal in The Lobby Lounge’s animated water feature, and which will beckon guests with an invitation to indulge their love for all things chocolate.

“Bar Cocoa has been in the works for a long time, and we are delighted to share this amazing new all-chocolate adventure with hotel guests and the local community,” said David Rothwell, General Manager, The Ritz-Carlton, Charlotte. “The pleasures of chocolate and cocoa are irresistible, and we look forward not only to sharing them on a daily basis, but also to revealing our chefs’ preparation secrets through a series of uniquely-chocolate cooking classes set to begin in October.”

Dates for Bar Cocoa’s 2011 cooking classes, to be presented in the hotel’s Cocoa Lab, are October 15, October 29, November 5, November 12 and December 3. Priced at $75 per person, which includes parking and a keepsake apron, the hands-on classes for a maximum of eight students will be offered from 9 a.m. to noon and from 2 p.m. to 5 p.m. on Cocoa Lab’s five scheduled instruction dates.

• 14k White Diamond & Blue Sapphire Star Pendant with Chain
• Platinum/18k Yellow Gold Gent’s Ring with .55-cts Diamonds
• 14k Yellow Gold Ring Channelset with 1.65ct Sapphire
• 18k White .30cttw Diamond & South Seas Pearl Earrings
• 14k White Gold Hoop Earrings set with .55cts Diamonds
• 14k Yellow Turquoise and Mabe Pearl Earrings
• Sterling Silver and 14k Yellow 2.70cttw PS Garnet Earrings
• 14k White Gold Cross with .75cts Diamonds and Chain
• 14kw Yellow Gold Pendant Set with Pink Druzy and Moonstone
• 18k White Gold Start Pendant set with .55cts Diamonds and Chain
• Carved Burmese Black Jade Bangle
• Freshwater White Pearl Bracelet

1. California Honey – Simplicity sings in this beautiful golden California honey ganache dipped in Swiss milk chocolate.

2. Hazelnut Praline Truffle – Pure and delicious Hazelnut praline is better than ever in this luscious milk chocolate truffle.

3. Hot Dark Chocolate – This intense dark chocolate confection is infused with jalapeno pepper for a delightfully spicy sweet combination.

4. Mango – Ripe sweet mango provides a taste of paradise, which we enrobe in delicate white chocolate.

 5. Peaches and Cream – Nothing says “summer” like tart fresh peaches drenched in heavy cream and coated in white chocolate.

 6. Peanut Brittle Truffle - The buttery toffee and roasted peanuts that make peanut brittle such an all-time favorite are blended into a creamy milk chocolate truffle.

 7. Peanut Butter Banana – Back by popular demand, this confection is new again, honoring a classic flavor combination with a blend of creamy peanut butter and fresh banana covered in milk chocolate.

 8. Rum Cake – Indulge in a rich buttery dark rum-soaked cake, which we’ve blended into white chocolate ganache and covered with dark chocolate.

 9. Sweet Tea – Fresh brewed black tea and a splash of lemonade covered in white chocolate is a refreshing change from the ordinary.

 10. Tiramisu – Ciao down on creamy vanilla mascarpone and rich espresso ganache enrobed in a dark chocolate shell.

Norman Love Confections offers a total of 36 flavors year-round. In addition to the new flavors described above, the following delectable tastes are making a comeback this year:  66% Venezuelan Dark (formerly known as 70% Complexite), Almond Marzipan, Caramel Apple, Cherry Cordial Truffle, Cinnamon Roll, Coconut Truffle, Cookies ‘N’ Cream, Dark Chocolate Cream Truffle, Espresso Truffle, Florida Orange, Key Lime Shell, Milk Chocolate Truffle, Mint Chocolate Chip, New York Cheesecake, Passion Fruit, Passion Panna-Cotta, Peanut Butter, Peanut Butter & Jelly, Pistachio Cherry, Pumpkin, Raspberry, Strawberry, Tahitian Caramel, Vanilla Cupcake, White Chocolate Raspberry and White Vanilla Truffle.

For more information on these 36 flavors, special collections such as BLACK and S’more Love, Specialty Chocolates and more, visit http://www.normanloveconfections.com/.

If so – be sure to join us in our Gourmet Chocolate Classes where you’ll be assisted every step of the way by my team of gourmet chocolatiers.

We’ll help you make your very own mold of candies, from buffing, to coloring, to casting and boxing — and the best part?

Every confection you make is yours to take home!

I do try to be at every class, however, if I’m not able make it, my team of chefs will help you every step of the way.

If you’d like to learn more about our Gourmet Chocolate Classes be sure to visit our web site.  Please keep in mind, you must make reservations in advance as space is limited and our classes sell out quickly.

If you’d like to make a reservation, please give us a call at (239) 561-7215.

Thank you,

- Norman

…a gift from Norman Love Confections is a great way to say “I LOVE you” this Father’s Day.

Our signature gift boxes provide an assortment of dark, milk and white gourmet chocolate confections in quantities of 5, 10, 15, 25 and 50 pieces.

Sleek gift baskets include the Chocolate Lovers Gift Basket, as well as the Euro-Style Sipping Chocolate Basket and Dark Chocolate Deluxe Gift Basket featuring the ultra-premium BLACK dark chocolate line.

Gift certificates and chocolate specialties also make excellent gifts for Dad, and there are sugar-free selections as well.

This Father’s Day, remember: real men LOVE chocolate!

Be sure to order online by 2pm today, or stop by Our Salon.

Enjoy!

…Anne Schuette, who was born on April 7th, 1905!

Anne lives with her daughter and family in Fort Myers (and in Illinois), and here she is enjoying our Norman Love Confections cake and gourmet chocolate for her 105th birthday!

Thanks for sharing your photos Anne & family!

- Norman

]]> http://www.gourmetchocolatelove.com/a-gourmet-chocolate-birthday-meet-our-oldest-customer/feed/ 3 http://www.gourmetchocolatelove.com/our-storybook-mothers-day-contest-winners/ http://www.gourmetchocolatelove.com/our-storybook-mothers-day-contest-winners/#comments Tue, 18 May 2010 23:50:49 +0000 Norman http://www.gourmetchocolatelove.com/?p=391 As you may have read in one of my previous posts, we had a very special…

…contest where people nominated Mothers throughout the state of Florida to our Storybook Mother’s Day contest.

Last week, Mark Loren and I delivered our gifts to the winners of the contest, be sure to check out our photos from our journey.

Thank you to everyone who participated,

Norman

Maura, our Production Manager, worked with Jennifer Hicks (and her staff) of the North Carolina Museum of Art to create a gourmet chocolate version of the Kirchner’s Panama Dancers painting!

Using 2,400 flat, square shaped Norman Love Confections dark chocolate shells filled with Tahitian Vanilla Ganache, they recreated the painting.

We used 12 colors to produce the 2,400 pieces, and then mixed and matched the colors out of cocoa butter — airbrushing them to match the painting.

They assembled the piece in the studio at the end of April (here’s the video!)

Panama Truffles from The North Carolina Museum of Art on Vimeo.

The event was on Thursday, April 29th, and the guests were allowed to eat the chocolates during the evening, uncovering the artwork underneath!

Here’s a funny photo of the male servers passing the extra chocolates out in tutu’s to match the girls!

Thinking of Gourmet Chocolate?  Be sure to check out all of our offerings on our web site at www.NormanLoveConfections.com.

Gourmet Chocolate Collection!

Our Mother’s Day Gifts feature 8 Special Heart Shaped Flavors:

1. 70% Dark Complexite
2. Cookies ‘n’ Cream
3. Passion Fruit
4. Strawberry
5. Tahitian Caramel
6. Vanilla Cupcake
7. Vanilla Latte
8. White Chocolate Raspberry

Learn more about our Mother’s Day Gourmet Chocolate Collection, or visit our Online Store to see our Mother’s Day gift boxes.

Enjoy,

Norman

Be sure to watch the video above to see our segment with WinkNews, where Mark and I describe the contest, and how you can get involved by nominating your mother, or a mother you may know.

Please note: This contest is open to residents of Florida only.

If you’re interested in entering the contest, you’ll have to do so by midnight of Saturday, May 1st, by:

* Going to www.WinkNews.com.
* Clicking on the “Mother’s Day Contest” (you’ll see a button on the right).

If you can think of a mother you’d like to nominate – please do!

The winners will receive a personal visit by Mark and I, and some very special gifts, as well.

Thank you,

- Norman (and Mark Loren)