What I appreciate about my Dad….

He not only says he loves me, he shows it with his actions.  He loves my kids.  He is sincere.  He is kind.  He is generous.  He genuinely cares about people.  He is a great thinker.  He can fix anything, even chocolate making equipment that wasn’t engineered properly by the “professional” manufacturer.  He has taught me how to learn to figure things out for myself.  He is hilarious!  He is honest.  He is still an awesome water skier!  He considers others before himself.  He loves God by loving people.

Even if he wasn’t all these things, I would love him anyway because he is my Dad and because he has been present in my life.  Thanks Dad, for all of the above and for being a father who has always been interested in me.  Some sweet stuff is coming your way on Sunday!

Customer Spotlight: Jean

Something that makes Stella Leona a special place to be is our customers.  We really have some of the most interesting people frequent our shop, and we thought you might enjoy hearing about them.   This is the first customer spotlight of many which will appear in this blog periodically.

So………….meet Jean!

Jean is like a walking set of encyclopedias to us!  Each time she stops in to see us is like unpacking a new volume because we usually learn something new about her many talents and interests.  Jean grabs a cup of our Red Rambler coffee on her way to work at Sauder Village where she works in the Basket Shop, Anna’s Spinning Shop and in the Tinsmith’s Shop to name just a few. 

Jean is also an avid woodcarver and weaver.  You can see some of her craftsmanship and read more about her on her blog:  Butternut Barn Studio.  You can also see her whimsical woodcarvings in her Carving Gallery and see her weavings in the Weaving Gallery.  She has a wonderful laugh as well, but you’ll have to come to the shop when she’s around to get a glimpse of that!  Thanks Jean for sharing yourself with us!

Send Your Love…..

 

Like me, you may have a son or daughter that you just sent off to college for the first time or sent back to school for another year of enlightenment.  I remember that those early days and weeks can seem a little……well, overwhelming.  Whether you have a homesick freshman who needs your encouragement or a well adjusted upper classman who needs a reminder that you exist, a Stella Leona College Care Package is just the thing.  It’s packed with flavor and most importantly with your love when we include a handwritten note sharing your thoughts.  Your young adult feeling your concern from miles away is priceless……..and at 26.00 this care package is a bargain!  Check out the details and order here or stop in at 362 Main Street Pettisville and enjoy a cup of coffee or one of our Signature Hot Chocolates while you’re at it.

Chocolate in Vancouver: 3rd Nibble

Is your mouth watering after two nibbles???  I know mine was during the time I spent at Cocoa West.  I like to call it market research.  It’s my job to develop a broad range of tastes and be aware of what other fabulous chocolates are out there in the market, right?  All class participants enjoyed Carlos’ great coffee and samples of Joanne’s delectable chocolates.

So……………for the techniques and experimentation…

Here Carlos demonstrates an airbrush technique using masking to create varied designs and effects.

Kelly, working with Carlos and Joanne since she was 14, demonstrated a variety of painting techniques both with and without the airbrush.

We spent the first half of the class experimenting on plexiglass and plastic wrap to allow for exploration without ruining finished chocolate pieces in the process.  Practice makes almost perfect…..whatever that is.  Still more……

Chocolate in Vancouver: 2nd Nibble

If you have been in our shop or visited our web site, you already know that I love to use color on the chocolates I create. 

The problem with airbrushing cocoa butter is that, like chocolate itself, it is very finicky.  Cocoa butter is that fat that comes from the cacao bean that cocoa liquor comes from.  Cocoa liquor is mixed with sugar and milk if making milk chocolate, to make the chocolate we all enjoy so very much. 

The cocoa butter can be pressed out of the liquor and used in other applications such as hand painting once color is added.

One of the aspects of being a chocolatier I love most is the creative process and the opportunity to learn by trial and error.  The problem with airbrushing cocoa butter is that it prefers to clog up the equipment rather than flow through it.  I had reached my limit of frustration with the amount of “error” in this learning process.  It was time for reinforcements! 

Ta-da!  Thank you Joanne and Carlos!

The good news is that in about 5 minutes of class, I learned what I had traveled thousands of miles to know.  That means the rest of the time was spent honing my skills, experimenting and learning other things that I didn’t even know I wanted to learn!

Still more to come…….

Chocolate in Vancouver: 1st Nibble

I want to let you know about an exciting opportunity I had recently that will ultimately result in new chocolate designs and tastes to tempt your taste buds.

I recently traveled to Bowen Island, just off the coast of Vancouver, British Columbia to attend a class at Cocoa West, a small artisan chocolate shop that prepares delicious organic chocolate confections.

The class was focused on the use of color on chocolate and specifically taught techniques to airbrush colored cocoa butter.  Joanne Mogridge, chocolatier, and her husband, Carlos, artist and co-owner of Cocoa West, taught the class to six participants from across the US and Canada.

It was an opportunity not only to learn specific techniques from Joanne and Carlos, but to learn from others in the class who had a wide variety of backgrounds in chocolate.

More coming……..the trip held way too much for one post.

Save us from the bunnies!!!

We’re up to our ears in Easter bunnies! 

They just keep MULTIPLYING!!!

Not knowing what else to do, Nancy eats them as fast as she can.  HELP!!!  Come get a Petit Easter Bunny quickly before Nancy weighs 300 pounds!!!

2010 Holiday Open House

It’s almost here!  You may not be getting ready for the holidays yet, but we most certainly are!   We’ve been working like crazy to get ready to share gift ideas and new chocolates we created just for this holiday season.

Tomorrow kicks off our three day Holiday Open House.  We will be open Thursday and Friday 9-5 and Saturday 9-noon. 

Stop by  to have a coffee or one of our specialty hot chocolate drinks and see what’s new for Christmas.

A Sneak Peek at What’s Coming

It has been a fun couple of weeks in the SL kitchen!  To be completely honest, this is my most favoritest………(No, you won’t find that in the dictionary.  I’ve been in a creative mood and sometimes there aren’t words in any of the languages I know that adequately describe my thoughts, so I have to make up my own new words.)….so……………it’s my most favoritest thing to do in the chocolate kitchen—create new chocolates and flavor combinations!!!

The holidays might seem like a distant occasion, but we have to begin planning for them early.  So……..my most recent responsibility (which I take very seriously) is to create new chocolate confections for you to enjoy during your family celebrations in November and December.  I even worked on some new pieces for Valentine’s Day this week!

The molds below give you a peek at the first attempt at our Artisan Ornament Collection that is coming for the Christmas season.  Just today I finalized the flavors and finished the samples for product photos.  I tried a number of different techniques and finally found one that performs like I want it to.  I don’t want to spoil the surprise, but I can say that the finished product looks MUCH better than anything you get a glimpse of in the picture below.

 

We will offer two sizes of Artisan ornaments.

The larger ornament will be a Limited Edition with a look and flavor profile only available in 2010.  We plan to create a new look and flavor for next year’s edition.  This year the gorgeous, glossy milk chocolate shell will be filled with a Vanilla Butternut Buttercream, Toasted Almonds for a delightful crunch, and Caramel Ganache. 

The smaller ornaments will come in three varieties making up a 7pc box.  The flavors you are soon to enjoy are Pecan Caramel in milk chocolate, Maple Walnut Caramel in dark chocolate and Toasted Macadamia Nuts in solid white chocolate.

We’ll keep you posted!

Get your ribs while they last!

This is our friend Sam McIntosh and his super duper amazing smoker rib cooker wagon.  (He did not ok this wording, but we hope he won’t mind our description.)

The combination of Sam, all the great Pettisville Meats staff and the shiny, incredible BBQ apparatus equals one thing—slobber all over yourself DELICIOUS!

We have tried all summer to pin Sam’s menu and production schedule down so we can share it with you.  But Sam is a creative sort of guy, and when it comes to meat fixin’s, you just can’t pin him down.  All we know is the guy next door to Stella Leona is cooking up some mean ribs and whatever other meats strike his fancy on any particular afternoon. 

Stop by for some lunch take-out or offer to “cook” dinner for the family.  Shoot, you could even eat these for an afternoon snack!  You’ll just have to be a little adventurous ‘cause you never know for sure what will be on the grill, but you can be sure it will include out-of-this-world taste!  The smoker isn’t smokin’ quite every day, so you might want to call Pettisville Meats at 419-445-0921 to make sure it’s a take-out kind of day.

Of course, an even better idea is to pick up a mess of Sam’s ribs, some potato salad or their famous cole slaw and then stop by Stella Leona for some dessert to go with it all.  Taking home dinner AND chocolates could get you some serious points at home!

Feel the Love

Congratulations to Justin and Dessa!  They celebrated their marriage and shared the love with their friends, family and guests via some Stella Leona chocolates created especially for the occasion.

 

 

These specially created heart boxes were tasty gifts for the bridal party.  We were so excited about them and getting the entire order packed up for the big day that we forgot all about taking pictures of the platters of assorted chocolates for guests and the reception favors which were our chocolate covered pretzels in eggplant and white to match the wedding colors.  That’s too bad because they were adorable! 

Check out all our wedding and event favors by clicking here.  We also love customizing chocolates to be uniquely yours, so contact us if you are interested in a variation of the favors on our site.

The Colors of Springtime

We just keep painting away!  Even though the weather in northwest Ohio is still a bit dingy and gray, inside Stella Leona it is bright and cheerful thanks to all the hand painting going on.

These are the colorful chocolate flower medallions, carrots and speckled eggs that hide inside our Petit Easter Bunny pictured here.

He is an adorable little guy!  Kids usually take a crack at him by biting off his ear and then squeal with delight at the hidden treasures inside.  The Petit Easter Bunny is made of milk chocolate while the painted pieces are dark and white chocolate.  This sweet gift retails for $15.75.  Click here to order yours early as these will be in limited supply.

Here comes Peter Cottontail!

Hoppin’ down the bunny trail…….well, not exactly.  Let’s just say Peter had an extreme makeover!!  Easter is quickly approaching and that means it’s time for lots of hand painting at Stella Leona.  I thought you might enjoy seeing how some of these beautiful chocolates are created.  Our most impressive painted chocolate is definitely our Easter Bunny Centerpiece. 

 

He stands approximately 20 inches high and contains over 2 pounds of creamy milk chocolate.  This is an Easter dinner centerpiece like no other! 

Each bunny is meticulously hand painted and no two are exactly alike.  It takes an entire day to make just one.

We can’t share all our secrets about how we make these, but it is an understatement to say that there are many steps and the process is very labor intensive.  If we make any mistakes or attempt to rush the process in any way, the bunny will come out of the mold with chips or streaks in the color and be unusable.  Ultimately if we did everything right, he hops right out of the mold like something from The Gingerbread Man, looking brilliant and bright!

If you’d like to share our Easter Bunny Centerpiece at your Easter dinner, be sure to reserve yours now.  Due to the time involved in creating each of these, we only make enough to fill orders placed, but we’d love to make one for you!  It is truly a joy to create special gifts that show friends and family how much they are appreciated and valued. 

Be sure to stop in our shop or at Pettisville Meats next door to sign up to win one of these centerpieces.  One winner will be drawn on April 2nd and notified by email to pick up their centerpiece on Saturday, April 3rd.

Milk Chocolate Bacon Bark

It's here!!!  Our much anticipated Milk Chocolate Bacon Bark has arrived!  Our retail shop is located right next to the famous Pettisville Meats store.  We love those guys and their savory meat creations!  Our Bacon Bark was born out of a marriage of our rich milk chocolate and their mouth watering bacon crumbles.

You can only get it at Stella Leona--a delicious handmade treat that is locally produced and a tribute to our rural northwest Ohio roots.  A 4 oz. bag is only $6.75 – order online here!