Decadent Artistry

There are few things in this world as decadent and wonderful as chocolate.  I truly feel sorry for those that don’t like the stuff, because they are truly missing out.  Throughout my life, I’ve eaten quite a bit of chocolate.  I’ve even taken a class on how to eat chocolate with wine.

Being an amateur chef, I find flavors to be one of the greatest things about being human.  You can do so much with flavors and taste and spices...yeah, I can go on and on.  But when you find places that does such thing with chocolate, you know you’ve found an amazing place.



One of the most wonderful places on earth is called The Chocolate Fetish.  It resides in Asheville, NC, and is truly the best place I’ve ever found for chocolate.  Trust me, I’ve looked around.  Luckily you don’t have to take my word for it, because on January 15th of 2013, they won yet another prestigious award for their chocolate.  This time the award was, “The Best Chocolatiers and Confectioners in America Four Star Award.”

They have this truffle called Velvet Sin. OMG.  But yeah, they have several different kinds of chocolate.  The absolute best though...when I lived in Asheville several years ago, on certain Sundays the owners would go to a friend’s garden and pick fresh strawberries, then bring them to the shop and dip them in the best chocolate.  I swear...its what heaven must taste like.

In the in, The Chocolate Fetish is probably the best place for chocolate in the United States.  Lisa was all about Godiva chocolate until I ordered her some chocolate from there for Valentines.  Now she’s all about that place.  The main secret is they use chocolate from different countries.  Some of my British friends once laughed at how bad chocolate in the US is.  It made me realize that there probably is a huge difference with European chocolate.


But then, there really has to be.  Things in the United States normally do not measure up, because we here have lost our will to make things truly beautiful.  We have lost our artistry.  But, that is yet another blog for later.  The fact is, it shows in our food, and our chocolate.  We are a nation of assembly lines, and making things quick and fast.

The fact is, I can hardly stand any chocolate from any of the big companies.  I can’t stand Hershy’s chocolate anymore.  The only chocolate I can eat without making a face, is M&M’s and Dove, yet even those I eat with a sigh.

One of these days, I do plan on visiting Europe, if only for the soul reason of having to try a different breed of chocolate.  You know, I hate to give free ideas away, but why isn’t there a Travel Channel show based on someone traveling around trying candy and chocolate from these types of places?

All in all, places like the Chocolate Fetish give me faith in humanity again.  They prove that there is still an art in making food and candy.  There is still art and beauty left in the world, and it comes through in the most spectacular way.  There is a quote from a movie that I’ve always loved.  “Food is the only beautiful thing that truly nourishes.”  I think all people that could should aspire to this quote, and then, just maybe, we can prove there is an artistry to simply living.