Gail Ambrosius Chocolatier

Fresh perspective for a fresh decade

Wednesday, January 20th, 2010

Another new decade ahead of us. A few days ago, I was talking with a friend and we remembered how monumental 1970 seemed to us then, our first cognizance of a new decade. We wondered at the year 2000; we’d be old if we were even alive! Here it is – 10 years after the new millennia – and I feel as if I’m just hitting my stride. Funny how time changes your perspective.

So does travel. It broadens my view of the world and allows me to appreciate how lucky and blessed I am. Thank you, universe! Especially for bringing Costa Rica and its people into my life. I recently returned from my fifth trip there. The tan is beginning to fade, but my smile won’t.

On this visit, I brought along one of my kitchen managers, Karina. We started in San Jose and then visited with my friends Hugo and Hubertien who own Finmac, an organic cacao farm near Guapiles.

Karina, second from left, with the women of Amazilia.

The farm is about 266 acres, employs 19 workers, and has 13 homes for the workers. One of the homes is a guesthouse and kitchen area for the women of the farm who have been working together for five years. The group, known as Amazilia, make their own chocolate bars. They now have a presence in some of the tourist hotels as well as supermarkets in San Jose. Karina and I were invited to share our chocolate making experiences and to help them improve their techniques.

I loaned the group a tempering machine and we taught them how to make caramel. They were thrilled! They had been tempering by hand. The machine will help them be more efficient. And who doesn’t love caramel? Good stuff indeed.

Then we traveled north to Guatuso and Upala, which are near the Nicaraguan border. The folks of Guatuso are also trying to revive cacao. They told stories of generations of family that had farmed cacao. Cacao is part of the fabric of their lives and they really want to revive it for themselves and their children. They had a lot of questions for us and many of them were beyond my ability to tackle. But their enthusiasm and desire to bring back this way of life was very moving. I will do what I can to help.

The families of Guatuso are passionate about regaining the cacao farming way of life.

On previous trips, I had a friend with me who used to live there and did all the driving and made all the arrangements. This time, it was all up to me. I was nervous about it at first, especially the driving, but I realized that I’m much happier being in the driver’s seat than simply a passenger. I had a blast.

Being in the driver’s seat makes a world of difference, no matter where you are or what you’re doing. So as this brave new decade begins, I hope that you’re in the driver’s seat and off on great adventures.

Yep, that’s me in the driver’s seat! There were cows everywhere!

Coming Home to Costa Rica

Wednesday, December 30th, 2009

I’m packing light. You don’t need to pack a lot of clothes to visit Costa Rica. It’s hot, even in January. Besides, I need the space in my suitcase to bring back the wondrously robust dark chocolate that makes my Rica Organica and Cointreau truffles special.

I leave on New Year’s Day, which seems appropriate. I can’t think of a better way to start 2010. This is my fifth trip to Costa Rica. I first visited the country through a chocolate tour in 2008. I fell in love with the country and the people on that very first trip. Although jungles and howler monkeys are about as far from Wisconsin as you can imagine, the people have made it a home for me. It’s only been five months since my last trip, but it feels like way too long.

My kitchen manager, Karina, is coming along with me for the first time. I’m excited to introduce her to my friends and show her all the places that words and pictures just can’t capture.

Hugo Hermelink (left) was my host on a visit with the Asociación de Mujeres Amazilia del Caribe in Costa Rica. I’ll be working with them again on this trip to help the women further develop their chocolate-making business.

One of our first stops will be my friend Hugo Hermelink’s organic cacao plantation, Finmac, located in Villafranca. This is the north central region of the country. It’s hot, swampy and rainy there. But it’s also a great place to grow superior cacao. Hugo is such an inspiring guy. Although cacao almost vanished from Costa Rica after a blight destroyed most of the trees in the ‘80s, Hugo kept the faith. He worked to create new varietals of cacao trees that could withstand the disease, called monilia, and now he processes his own chocolate and helps smaller farmers establish their own cacao crops. We share a Dutch heritage and a love of chocolate – those are two powerful bonds!

While we’re in the area, I’ll be doing a workshop with the Asociación de Mujeres Amazilia del Caribe. The wives of cacao farmers, the Amazilia women originally joined together to supplement their household incomes. After trying different ideas, they started working with organic chocolate in 2004. Today, they primarily make bars that are sold in San Jose and at resorts and gift shops catering to tourists. I have done chocolate tastings with the women before, but I’ll be spending more time with them on this trip. They have hired marketing assistance and hope to start making bon bons, so I’ll be showing them some of my techniques. They’re a delightful, enthusiastic group and I’m thrilled to see them again.

Then we head north to the Upala region, my home away from home. On my last visit, the members of the Upala Organic Cacao Growers Cooperative made me an honorary member. On this visit, my good friend Geovanny Herrera Valverde is planning something special for us. I’m not sure what, but I know it will be great. We’ll visit several different cacao farms in the region, which borders Lake Nicaragua. We’ll see how their cacao tree nursery program is progressing and we’ll work with the women of the cooperative, who are interested in making chocolate like the Amazilia group.

Finally, we’ll end our trip with a few days on a beach chilling out. After the holiday rush, Karina and I need a breather! Then it’s back to Madison, filled with fresh inspiration.

If you’re interested, there’s more about my experiences in Costa Rica on the website (http://gailambrosius.com/meet-gail/farmers/). You can try fine Costa Rican chocolate in my Rica Organica and Cointreau truffles. We also hold monthly chocolate tastings (http://gailambrosius.com/events/) where you can experience the distinct flavors of chocolates from several South and Central American countries, including Costa Rica.

When I get home, I’ll share more about our adventures. Happy New Year!

About.com Review

Tuesday, December 29th, 2009

Elizabeth LaBau:

I can usually find things I like about most chocolates, occasionally I find chocolates I really enjoy, and very rarely I taste chocolates I strongly dislike. Most chocolate falls somewhere along the spectrum of mediocre to good, but sometimes I am lucky enough to encounter chocolate that I absolutely love. The truffles I recently tasted from Gail Ambrosius Chocolatier fall into this last category.

Carrying on Mom’s Christmas Magic

Wednesday, December 16th, 2009

My mom, Lucille, with one of my cousins and three of my sisters. I’m the smallest one, second to the left.

The shop is always crazy around the holidays. We’re flying around the kitchen making seasonal treats like peppermint bark and truffles and chocolate snowmen (and women, too). I like to think I’m carrying on my mom’s holiday traditions on a larger scale.

That’s not to say that my mom, Lucille, didn’t cook on a grand scale. Feeding 10 kids and a husband is no small task! But at Christmas, our kitchen was truly a magical place. Mom made a mountain of cookies and candies. I remember helping decorate her soft sugar cookies. Her sugar-dusted, spicy Mexican cookies were a family favorite.

I especially loved her angel food candy (some know it as fairy food). It bubbled and boiled up to a lightly crunchy, sugary perfection on the stove. After it cooled, she coated the frothy chunks in chocolate. It was her secret recipe and I’ve never been able to replicate it.

Mom’s favorite was fudge. She liked to mix it up – adding nuts, crushed candy canes, maraschino cherries, whatever struck her fancy. Here’s her base recipe:

My family was big on both sides, so during the holidays there was a week-long round robin of visits to aunts and uncles with literally hundreds of cousins. It was so much fun. We played board games and ate all that wonderful food. The adults enjoyed another holiday tradition, cherry bounce. Mom made it by soaking the Door County cherries we picked in the summer in jars with brandy for several months. I noticed that The Old Fashioned on the Square is serving it. It’s good stuff.

My mom passed away a few years ago. I miss her always, but especially at this time of year. When I see a customer’s face light up as they bite into one of my truffles, I know I’m following in her footsteps. That’s when I experience a bit of her magic again.

I hope you experience magic this holiday season, too.

Falling for the Season

Wednesday, November 11th, 2009

The Fall season is well upon us. The leaves have changed and mostly fallen, we are teased now and then with bursts of warm weather followed by the chill that will last until spring. The minute it gets cool, the shop gets busier. Chilly weather and chocolate are a natural combination. All of a sudden, a mug of hot chocolate exerts a primal pull. Biting into a rich dark chocolate feels like pulling out a favorite sweater and wrapping it around you.

Like that comfy sweater, the flavors of fall are all about tradition and comfort. When the leaves are swirling off the trees, I start craving rich, smooth pumpkin. We?re making our pumpkin truffles again, blending chocolate with pumpkin puree and topping it with a candied hickory nut.

Speaking of hickory nuts, we buy ours at the Farmer’s Market from Robert and Audrey Biersach. In retirement, they rediscovered the joy of collecting hickory nuts near their home in Columbus and started Hickory Nut Heaven. Their hickory nuts are heavenly. If you’re at Monona Terrace on a Saturday morning, visit them at the market.

Another very Wisconsin flavor of fall is the cranberry. We combine tart cranberries with a 55 percent Hawaiian chocolate and top with a dried cranberry. The interplay of sweet and tart is deliciously complex.

Another fall flavor that inspires me is chai. I like blending tea/cream infusions into my truffles – from Earl Grey to Jasmine. They can be exquisitely subtle or bursting with layers of flavor. Chai, a blend of black tea and spices, is definitely the latter. I use a chai spice blend from Rishi Tea in Milwaukee and meld it with our signature 65 percent Colombian chocolate. Topped with some freshly grated nutmeg, it?s a flavor that warms you from the inside out.

Fall is always wonderful, but this fall has special significance to me. November 22nd is my fifth anniversary as a chocolatier. That first Thanksgiving, it was just me, friends and family in a tiny warehouse space crossing our fingers and trying to keep up. Five years later, I’m supported by a terrific staff and we’ve launched this new website. Thanks to all of you who have helped make my adventure in chocolate possible. I hope to see you in the store soon.