I Love Fall!

Can you believe it's October? Wow, time has flown by...but how can I be sad about the passing of another year when I get to look out out huge windows to see the leaves changing and I get to feel the brisk morning air. This time of the year is always perfect...it feels cool during the morning and warms up to the mid to high 70's still by the afternoon...you get the best of both seasons right now!

Also with fall comes the excuse to eat s'mores (as if I ever needed an excuse!) eat caramel corn, caramel apples, pumpkin pie and break out the hot chocolate and spiced cider! Kids get excited about Halloween (My favorite costume was Peter Pan...I wanted to be a fairy, but my mom thought the Tinker Bell costume was to skimpy for a child my age!) I get excited about going to haunted houses, an apple orchard or pumpkin patch and eating pumpkin pie...(wait..did I say that already?!)

What are your favorite things about October? The weather? Food? Time with family? To help you celebrate all your favorite "Fall things", The Chocolate Season is featuring its Gourmet Apples.

Buy any 2 of your favorite apples and get a big ol' 8 oz bag of Sweet Caramel Corn for FREE! For the month of October only, you also get the chance to purchase a whimsical "Goulish Apple" (a white chocolate covered apple, tinted orange, and topped with dark chocolate)

And don't forget the cookie special, which will be extended till the end of October...Every cookie order is 20% off!
I hope the month of October is only the beginning of a Fall full of picture-worthy moments with friends and family, and I hope The Chocolate Season will help make every moment even sweeter!

Girls' Weekend!

Well, this will be a short post, but I just wanted to tell you what a wonderful weekend I had in the great city of Omaha! My best bud from high school, Nicole, and my sister Amanda, drove to Omaha to spend some time with my twin Sara and myself.

We just wanted some time to catch up and hang out, and the weekend started out great with a wine and movie night, complete with some Rodney Strong Pinot Noir, bread, cheese and chocolate (of course!)

The weekend continued with a trip to the world-famous Omaha Zoo, some ice cream at Ted & Wally's and then a night out to Jazz (a wonderful restaurant at 14th and Farnam), and then meeting up with friends at Upstream.
Thanks girls for such a great time, wonderful talks and just an opportunity to reconnect!

Anniversary Weekend

Hello all! I know it has been a couple weeks since I've written, it has just been a busy time getting back into the flow of things after being in New Hampshire and Georgia!

The last couple weeks have been spent completing orders and setting up meetings with new clients, one of which I'm very excited for. I'll be speaking at a Creighton sorority in October, educating them about the benefits of sorority life after graduation, (I'm a Chi Omega alum) the risks and rewards of starting up a new business and life as a business woman/chocolatier.

This past weekend was my one-year wedding anniversary with my darling husband Brad. Brad and I went to Algona to celebrate with my parents, but before the celebration, we both had a wedding to attend in Minnesota. Brad was the photographer and I provided truffles and bon bons for the dessert reception. Brandon and Ana (groom and bride) were super fun and their wedding was an intimate affair for close friends and family. We were both honored to be a part of their day! (here are some pictures of their chocolates!)

My anniversary was wonderful! Brad surprised me with a leather-bound storybook album of our wedding day...it was soooo beautiful! Mom and Dad cracked open a wine from their trip to Paris and shared our wedding cake with us....I was surprised at how NOT bad it was! (well...it wasn't awesome....but for being a year old....it wasn't to bad!)

I also got to catch up with some friends from Pharmacists Mutual, drop off some orders for a few employees, and also bring a gift basket for the folks at Kemna Auto Center, with whom I am now corporate partners with...buy a new car...get a customized chocolate basket with Kemna coffee mug! I'm very excited for this new adventure and love working with all the considerate employees at Kemna!

That's about it for this week...but more to come later! Have a wonderful week and check out the 20% cookie special at The Chocolate Season (good till October!)
http://www.thechocolateseason.com

Finally Back!

I feel like the last couple weeks have been full of traveling....well...they have! First chocolate school at L.A. Burdicks and then a personal trip to Georgia to see my wonderful and very sweet best friend, Amanda.

At Burdick's we were immersed in gourmet food and chocolate goodies. Our instructor Michael is a culinary genius and the most down-to-earth person I've met in a long time. The class consisted of 10 strangers who became great friends by the end of the week, sharing pictures of kids and dogs and swapping stories from the week....I love that we still e-mail each other and I hope to stay good friends with everyone!

The knowledge and hands on learning experiences gained that week are indescribable and I would go back in a heartbeat.
*Look forward to brand new flavor combinations for chocolates...my creativity was unleashed and I can't wait to make brand new recipes for everyone! ex: burnt caramel chocolate, lavender vanilla and mojito...just to name a few!


As for GA, my best bud Amanda and her husband Nathaniel hosted Brad and I for a couple days and they were awesome hosts! We got to stay at a little apartment in Savannah and they took us out on the town, we went sightseeing, stayed at their house in Brunswick, smoked pork and chicken for us, made a good ol' Southern breakfast...complete with grits...and we had a whole day at the beach!

Thanks for the wonderful memories, inspiring conversations and just for a great, great time!!!

To New Hampshire....and Beyond!

Well, actually I'm not going much beyond New Hampshire..but I thought the title sounded kind of fun!

I'll be going on a business trip to New Hampshire from today the 11th, till Sunday the 19th. I'll be studying some new chocolate techniques with world famous chocolatier...Larry Burdick! Always ranking in America's Top Ten Chocolate Shops, this will truly be a memorable experience and I can't wait to pass on all the *delicious* tips and trends in the chocolate business to you!

Any order or email received while I'm away will be processed and answered when I return in a timely manner. Have an enjoyable week and look for some fun pictures to go up on-line when I return home to Omaha!

Any Requests From the Crowd?

Something I love providing for my customers is the ability for them to be able to "create". I offer many products at The Chocolate Season, but sometimes occasions call for something unique, or custom made just for that person. For example, your dad's birthday is around the corner and you want to have something made just for him....you search the bakeries and check Hy-Vee, but nothing seems quite right.

That's where The Chocolate Season comes in handy. So your dad loves cinnamon and bananas and hates chocolate....what's a girl to do? How about create a bananas and cream cake with vanilla bean and an Italian buttercream frosting with cinnamon, then top it off with baked banana slices and some whipped cream art? (Mmmmmmmmmm)

So was the case last week with a request for an anniversary cake. What does an anniversary mean to you? To me, it means wine and flowers, chocolate and fruit. So how about create a merlot chocolate cake, with chocolate raspberry frosting and top it with sugared rose petals? I loved this cake so much that I decided to add it to my product list!
http://www.thechocolateseason.com/store/cart.php?m=product_detail&p=39

What's the point of this particular journal post? Just letting you know that food is fun, and if you have ideas...let's try to create something fantastic together!

Lovin' Algona...

I just went back to my hometown Algona for a couple days to meet with customers and enjoy some time with my parents.

It was a wonderful opportunity to deliver some orders to friends back home (thank you to the Tim and Barbara, Robin and Sandy!) as well as visit with some businesses about options they can use to show their customers appreciation, send holiday wishes or receive information on retail opportunities (great visiting ya'll at Interior Designs, Erpelding & Voigt, Northwest Federal, Iowa State Bank, Styles Salon, The Gallery, Kossuth County Hospital and Teresa's Bridal)

I know some say that people are just different in small towns, but sometimes, I think it's true! I was greeted with such warmth and enthusiasm, it made all my visits so pleasurable and it was very exciting talking with others about the products we have here at The Chocolate Season and all the options that are available for customization!

I can't wait to go back to personally deliver customer orders or to talk with others about The Chocolate Season, and I know I'll have an enjoyable time with the friendly people of Algona, as well as investigate the wealth of opportunities that lie there!

PS-thanks to my parents for putting up with me for a couple days, dad for taking me golfing (swing towards the hole!) and mom for the morning of bagels and cream cheese and the funny conversations with Sandy at The Daily Grind, among other countless moments!