Wicked and inspiring Cacao Prieto

Everyone’s heard of Mast Brothers. Two charming, twee brothers from the Midwest. One incredible beans-to-bar factory in Williamsburg. Gorgeous packaging. Delicious products. Etcetera, etcetera, etcetera. The world is in love with the Mast Brothers’ chocolate bars.

But what of Cacao Prieto?? Strolling through Red Hook, there were signs of sweetness ahead. But still, I wasn’t prepared for this gorgeous distillery-factory in the middle of this barren neighborhood.

Daniel Prieto Preston, formerly an aerospace engineer and inventor (!), opened the gorgeous beans-to-bar factory in 2009. His family owns cacao plantations in the Dominican Republic, which is where his beans come from. While working with them, he noticed the alcoholic wash produced during the fermentation of the cacao seeds. This lead to a line of sweat cacao rums and the first rum distillery license in New York City since prohibition.

 Not only do they produce delicious rums and beautifully packaged 72% dark chocolate bars, with post cards designed by Brooklyn artist SophieBlackall…

… but master chocolatier Damion Badalamenti also makes fresh bonbons—like the sugar-rich, rum-filled Conquistador beauties.

 All in all, an amazing dose of discovery, inspiration and deliciousness.

Banana cupcakes with peanut butter buttercream frosting

Here’s something different. I baked.
I actually made cupcakes from scratch and they were actually edible!

I give credit to Marguerite, who adapted her recipe from The Craft of Baking. The combination of banana cake and peanut butter buttercream frosting was too irresistible to deny, n’est-ce pas?

But I was making the cupcakes for a party; a dinner party that I knew would be chic because my girlfriend who was throwing it is chic. So my secret weapon…

Bespoke Chocolates.

Each moist, flavorful cupcake got topped with a divine bonbon.

A 70% Columbian dark chocolate truffle. A peanut butter honey square.

A hazelnut praliné. And the famous pretzel-covered sea-salted caramel.

They were chic and delicious.

And if Cowgirl and Butter Lane and The Spot and Tulu's weren't all so close, I might even do it again.

A chocolate orgy in Paris

This weekend is the Salon du Chocolat in Paris.

My advice is to go with a big appetite, big pockets and a big checkbook. There is lots of sampling and plenty of temptation.

There’s hot chocolate and chocolate spreads.


Chocolate bonbons in bright colors…


…pretty spheres

and shaped like animals and fish and vegetables.


There are chocolate truffles, chocolate mendiants and chocolate pavés.





Chocolate bars and chocolate tablettes.



There are giant slabs of chocolate with nuts and berries and candies…





…and chocolate treats by the ounce.


Chocolate fondant, chocolate pastries and chocolate macarons.






Plus, chocolate demos and sculptures.




There are chocolatiers and chocolate experts.



High quality chocolate…


… and sugary garbage.


I think there will be plenty of chocolate in my dreams tonight.