Dandelion Chocolate

CRAFT CHOCOLATE EXPERIENCE is just a week away! Follow the scent of chocolate to the Palace of Fine Arts on April 26th through the 28th. Craft chocolate makers, cocoa experts, pastry chefs, and chocolatiers from twenty-plus countries will gather for tastings, demos, lively discussions, and more. If that’s not reason enough, Stephen Durfee will attempt to make the World’s Largest S’more on Sunday. (How does one brûlée 105 pounds of marshmallow?) We hope to see you there. Buy your tickets at https://lnkd.in/ght9psV9 or at the door.

On February 21, 24 Aragon High School students along with the Culinary teacher Jenna Meyer; CTE and Career Coordinator Queenie Hua and Academic Advisor Angela Castillo attended a Culinary Pathway field trip to the Dandelion Chocolate Factory and Tartine Bakery Manufactory in San Francisco. The tours provided an invaluable opportunity for students to gain firsthand insight into the intricate process of chocolate manufacturing (at Dandelion) and bread making (at Tartine). Upon arrival at Dandelion, students were greeted with the rich aroma of cocoa and the sight of conveyor belts carrying raw materials. The tour started with an introduction to the origins of chocolate and students witnessed the meticulous craftsmanship involved in chocolate making, from the roasting of cacao beans to the blending of ingredients and the molding of chocolate bars. They gained a deeper understanding of the technical aspects of production, including quality control measures and machinery used in the process.  The best part of all was probably the chocolate and hot cocoa tasting! After Dandelion, students took a short walk to the famous Tartine Manufactory. With technical prowess and refined creativity leading to delicious results, Tartine has won a number of prestigious food awards. It won a James Beard Award for excellence in baking and pastry, and it’s regularly named to “best of” lists in the Bay Area and the U.S.  Witnessing the industrial-scale machinery in action, students observed the kneading, proofing, and baking processes that transform simple ingredients into loaves of bread.  One of the highlights of the tour was the bread tasting at the end of the tour where students had the opportunity to sample a variety of freshly baked bread straight from the factory ovens with butter, fresh cream, jam and hummus spread! Big thanks to Tartine General Manager Christopher Albrecht and Dandelion Chocolate Director of Curriculum Stephen Durfee for taking time out of their day to speak with our students!

The Craft Chocolate Experience is back for a second year! Join us April 26-28 at the Palace of Fine Arts in San Francisco for a gathering of craft chocolate makers from around the globe.

That's a wrap on 2023! Paula, our Director of Chocolate Production, recaps the year and looks forward to 2024. Of course, we couldn't do any of this without our fantastic team of chocolate makers and operators.

Dandelion Chocolate 12 Nights of Chocolate was a DREAM ✨ all I can say is COMMUNITY. It dawned on me as I set up the wine room for this event series, which is basically a pop up 10 day restaurant with 30 of the best Chefs and 20 of the best Sommeliers in the business, that the last time I had a space like this was in March of 2020. When I left the restaurant that fateful day, I didn’t know I wouldn’t be back, that life and its trajectory would bring me here. I often say I am a hospitality nomad, and I feel that, but Dandelion gave me a home for 10 lovely days with some of the most heart filling, incredible humans. I love this series. I love the cause- all proceeds to the SF Marin Food Bank. Eternally grateful to our wine community, my friends, who showed up and poured wine for the cause. Huge shout out to Elmer Mejicanos and Seth Corr who not only crushed the cocktail offerings, but set them up so sommeliers could build them. 👌🏼 Our little restaurant community, in this beautiful city I call home, is at the top of its game. I am so incredibly grateful to be a part of it. ✨

Thank you PM Lee Hsien Loong and team for coming to visit the Dandelion Chocolate factory in San Francisco yesterday. It was a great pleasure to show you around. We hope you enjoyed learning about bean-to-bar chocolate!

Each year, Dandelion Chocolate transforms their factory into a dining destination to celebrate the vibrant Bay Area restaurant community through their 12 Nights of Chocolate dinner and event series with proceeds benefitting the community through our Food Bank. The 2023 chef lineup is more exciting than ever, and we are looking forward to these exquisite dinners, where the only criteria is that they use Dandelion Chocolate in some form for each dish. This year, they're also welcoming top bartenders and sommeliers to pair wine and low/no-alcohol cocktails with each delectable menu. Partnering with Dandelion Chocolate through the 12 Nights of Chocolate event series has provided over 600,000 meals for our neighbors during the holiday season! Purchase a ticket to 12 Nights of Chocolate today: https://loom.ly/xSIIJFM