Lesson {2} The Health Benefits of Chocolate!

There is a lot of new information about the health benefits of chocolate! Yes, health BENEFITS! We’ve read multiple articles on this topic and are highlighting some of the common findings among our sources!

1. Studies have shown that dark chocolate helps lower blood pressure, control blood sugar and act as an appetite suppressant.

2. The cacoa bean is rich with flavonoids which are compounds that act like antioxidants. Flavonoids protect cells from harmful molecules knows as free radicals. Free radicals can cause cell damage that leads to heart disease, aging and cancers.

3. The cacoa bean contains another antioxidant known as polyhphenols. Polyphenols are known to help combat heart disease.

4. The darker the chocolate (60-80% cocoa) the more of the cocoa bean benefits it will contain. Dark chocolate is always best over milk chocolate or white chocolate when considering health benefits.

5. Like all good things, eating EVEN chocolate in moderation is best!

Welcome to Stella Leona Chocolate 101

Welcome to class! This is the first lesson in our new Chocolate 101 series where we will teach you all about chocolate! Lessons will be short, but informative and fun! Let’s get started with 5 facts about how chocolate grows!

Lesson 1 – The Cacao Tree

1. Cacao Tree – Chocolate grows on the cacao tree formally known as Theobroma Cacao. Theobroma is the Latin word for chocolate that means “food of the gods”.

2. Cocoa Pod – The leathery oval pod is the fruit of the tree that contains cocoa beans. It ranges from 8-14 inches long and varies in colors of green, yellow, orange, red purple or maroon, depending on the level of ripeness.

3. Cocoa Bean – The 50-60 seeds nestled in each pods sweet juicy pulp. The seed of the pod is called a cocoa bean once it is removed.

4. Location – Cocoa trees grow primarily in the remote areas of West Africa, Southeast Asia, Central America and South America.

5. Fun Facts – Cacao trees can produce good cocoa pods for 25 years. Seeds are so bitter that only humans will eat them.

13abc Action News All Stars VS Pettisville

Photos Courtesy of Phil King Images

This spring the 13abc Action News team traveled to Pettisville for a basketball game where all proceeds raised benefited the school. We proudly sponsored the Pettisville team. It was an entertaining game that ended with a Pettisville Victory after Mike made two free throw shots! Stella Leona T-Shirts are available for purchase in the shop!

Spangler Peanut Cluster Winners!

Thank you all for your comments and stories on our Spangler Peanut Cluster Giveaway post! They were fantastic and we had fun reading them! If your comment is listed below you are the winner of a box of clusters!!  You must claim your box of clusters by Saturday, May 4th. 

If you are a local customer you can pick up your box in the shop on Thursday or Friday 9-5 or Saturday from 9-12. 

If you do not live nearby, please email us with your address and your choice of maple or vanilla clusters to the following email address: info@stellaleona.com.

 

Spangler Peanut Cluster Giveaway!

                                                                                                          Photo Courtesy of the Bryan Times
If you haven’t heard yet, we have collaborated with the Spangler Candy Company to once again create their historic and iconic Spangler Candy maple and vanilla peanut clusters in the Stella Leona Shop! Yes, those clusters! The clusters that were originally produced by Spangler in 1912! 

We have recreated the original recipe that was first produced just over a century ago. It has been a wonderful collaboration and the clusters are proving to be wildly popular again! You can read more about our partnership and the clusters here.
While we suspected they would be a big hit, what we hadn’t anticipated were the memories and stories these clusters would reveal! We have loved hearing all about when you had your first original cluster, where you purchased them and how your parents and grandparents were big fans of the original clusters.  It has been equally as fun to see new generations try the Spangler Clusters for the very first time!

We’ve enjoyed the stories so much that we want to hear more and capture them in writing on our blog! We are giving away 10 boxes of clusters.  All you have to do is tell us about an old peanut cluster memory or leave a comment about trying these clusters for the very first time!
To enter, leave your comment on this blog post! Check back here on April 25th to see if you are one of the 10 random winners!

Thanks for sharing your stories with us!

Easiest Way to Comment: Choose Name/Url, enter your name, leave the URL blank if you do not have your own URL.

It’s National Hot Chocolate Day!

Today is National Hot Chocolate Day! To celebrate, we are demonstrating how easy it is to make our signature hot chocolate in your own home! Don’t get us wrong, we love to make this for you when you stop in the shop, but we sell our chocolate shavings so you can enjoy this luxurious and smooth hot chocolate even when we are closed!

 
We sell milk and dark chocolate shavings as well as our Xocolatl which is a Mayan inspired hot chocolate. The hot chocolates are popular gifts to give and it’s been a challenge to keep them stocked this time of year! We also have gifts sets available complete with a small hot chocolate and Stella Leona mug!

 
To make your own hot chocolate follow these three easy steps. Heat 8 oz. of milk,

  add 3/4c. of shavings and stir vigorously with a whisk until completely dissolved.

 
Don’t forget to save just a little bit of the shavings to sprinkle on top of the whip cream for a gourmet presentation. We like to top the Xocolatl with cinnamon!

 
If you want to add a little something extra to your hot chocolate we suggest you try a Caramel Sea Salt Milk Hot Chocolate or a Peppermint Dark Hot Chocolate!

 
To make a Caramel Sea Salt Milk hot chocolate just add a little caramel sauce to your heated hot chocolate! Top with whip cream and add a little more caramel sauce for good measure. Sprinkle with chocolate shavings and sea salt for the perfect sweet and salty treat!


To make a Peppermint Dark Hot Chocolate simply swirl a Spangler Peppermint Candy Cane in your heated hot chocolate! Break a candy cane in small pieces to garnish the whip cream for an extra festive look! Top it off with a whole Spangler Candy Cane!

What’s hot chocolate without some chocolates to nibble too? We recommend you pair these hot chocolates with Stella Leona Vanilla with Sea Salt Caramels or Dark Chocolate Truffles!  Happy National Hot Chocolate Day! 

Customer Spotlight: Perry Runs in Hot Chocolate 15K!

We were very excited when Perry came in the shop to purchase a t-shirt because it was for a very specific reason! He completed the Columbus Hot Chocolate 15k on November 18^th and wore his Stella Leona T-Shirt for the race! Micah, Ariel and Erin joined him for the 5k portion of the Hot Chocolate Race. Proceeds benefited the Ronald McDonald House!

Congratulations to you and your team for participating in this event! Thanks for wearing our t-shirt and promoting Stella Leona! We appreciate your support!