An Ounce a Day Keeps the Dr. Away

On Saturday, Alex and I went on a Chocolate Factory tour at Theo in Fremont.  It was really fun to see such a small operation doing such great things. 

"Theo produces premium, organic, fair trade and specialty chocolate. Our founder Joseph Whinney pioneered the manufacture and supply of organic chocolate products as the first individual to import organic cocoa beans into North America in 1994. Over a decade later, Theo is proud to be the only roaster of organic cocoa beans and the first roaster of Fair Trade certified cocoa beans in the United States."

Theo Chocolate factory tours are available everyday at 1 pm and 3 pm. The cost is $5.00 per person - call ahead for reservations at 206 632.5100.  The tour was a little over an hour and it was really interesting to learn a lot about the history of chocolate. 

My favorite part was learning about the roasting process and tasting the "nibs".  These are wonderful little bits of roasted cacao that have a delicious nutty flavor.  Alex mentioned that Theo's nibs are much better tasting than Scharffen Berger's.  I was able to find a few recipes though from the Scharffen Berger website.  There are a lot of sweet recipes but the savory one's look even more interesting to me.

Chocolate Obsession has an ice-cream recipe that looks intriguing.  Theo also has a number of recipes available at their Factory.

Another wonderful thing about Theo is their confections.  Little bites of goodness.  They make a number of types of chocolates that are unique and mouth watering.  Try the Lemon, Mint and their signature Peanut Butter & Jelly.  These are wonderful parting gifts when you are entertaining as well.