one month wrap up

It's been a month! We opened the day of a blizzard and still had excited chocolate-enthusiasts braving the weather to come check us out. It's been a blur of chocolate dipping, coffee making, cleaning, accounting, baking and so much more :)
I can't tell you how fun its been and what a continued learning experience it is for us to figure out what our customers crave, how to train employees, learning how to use the cash register and change the tape in our pricing gun and besides all the daily chores, i still get to bake, create, and educate customers on our products and about chocolate in general. (which, by far, is my FAVORITE part)
We had a lovely grand opening with around 70 people showing up. Algona's response and support overwhelms and humbles us, we couldn't ask for a better community to live and work in. We had a variety of treats and those in attendance got to see a glimpse of what we do. But since you all couldn't be there, i'll describe some of the "yums" at the store.

The imported cheeses (and always one domestic!) as well as native Jasper wines are very popular and people love the fact that they have gourmet food options right in their back yard. The mornings always feature one or two breakfast items that are, yes, made THAT MORNING!

People are in shock when they realize they are not purchasing items baked from frozen Sysco or Sam's club and when they taste it, they just about fall over from disbelief because homemade items are just not something you find in retail stores anymore.

But that makes my job all the more rewarding and I love exciting customers with new items or flavors they wouldn't normally pair (hmmm, banana nutella bread and chocolate chip amaretto bread pudding and *gasp* muffins with a complimentary yogurt/fruit sauce)

We have fresh brewed drip coffee (no over-roasting here!), sensational lattes (with real chocolate and caramel) and hot chocolate or sipping chocolate (made from chocolate. not syrup. and not powders)

The afternoon is enticing with artisan chocolates and fudge from the case, any of our worldly chocolate bars, dipped apricots or fresh cookies, gourmet popcorns, or a "snack of the day" which you will find at least one or two, if not several options like decadence cake, vanilla-cardamon mousse cake with raspberries, cupcakes, cheesecakes, brownies or whatever inspires us that afternoon.

What people are loving about the shop is our relaxed atmosphere, free WiFi, friendly customer service, and the fact that everything you find is natural, no preservatives. Everything you eat you can pronounce ;) and we make our chocolates and other sweet treats daily right in the store. Everything but the cheese, wine and chocolate bars are made from scratch in-house, and even when you order on-line, you are still getting your treats made just for you :)

Besides the yum-yums, we have lavender products, purses, vintage hair accessories and super cool and flattering aprons!

Lastly, I want to thank you all for being loyal friends and customers, and for making our dream, The Chocolate Season, come true. We hope to continue to thrill and inspire you with our creations and hope that our life's passion will become sweet moments in yours.

Can you believe it?

We're open. Yes, we are open :) The Chocolate Season Confiserie and Dessert Cafe just finished our first week in Algona, IA, our new home (we hope they'll keep us around for a looooong time)
We opened during a blizzard but we still had loyal friends brave the snow, ice and wind to sample a latte or some chocolate and after that, the next 6 days were all a blur of training of employees (lissa and rachel) baking, chocolate-making, ribbon tying, reports, coffee grounds and foam.
Algona has been nothing but wonderful in their welcome and interest in the store and we've already had repeat customers. (we haven't even advertised yet...but we are recording a radio ad tomorrow...wish us luck!)
We open 7 to 5:30 Tuesday thru Friday and 8 to 2 on Saturday and even though its only been a week, it seems like we've been doing this at the store forever. We also opened up the on-line shopping cart Tuesday night and already had some orders! (yes, we need to update the web site to match the theme of the store and to showcase lavender, aprons, hair clips, purses and our new luxury gift boxes that are replacing the baskets (which i looooooove the new gift boxes!) but you can always call our new number if you have any questions or need to special order something (515-395-2462)

Our day starts early in the morning when we bake something fresh for the AM crowd, be it scones, banana bread, granola, brioche etc and then in the afternoon we try to bring out new cookies, brownies, tart, cake by the slice or this week i hope to get some chocolate custards or mousse out. Throughout the day we help pick chocolates out for people, make lattes, and our classic hot chocolate and European sipping chocolate has been extremely popular, and to sweeten your morning or afternoon, every drink comes with a little piece of milk or dark chocolate!

So how do we serve all our great customers and keep up with inventory? (which we ran out of continuously this week! i had to try to split time with training, being out front with customers, and in the kitchen making chocolates all week, and brad and i stayed at the store every night till 10-10:30 just trying to keep up!) But that's ok, because i have a secret weapon. :0)


My weapon is called.....Brad. and Mom. oh, and Dad. Yes, they have not left my side this entire week...i even get customers in requesting Brad's lattes, and no one greets customers quite like mom, she warms up the entire store with her charm and could sell a winter coat to a polar bear :) and dad's been wonderful with helping get the accounting books started and saving us with a drip coffee pot...long story....

One morning mom and dad even got to the store before us to start the coffee, put away some surprise groceries and sweep the floor. how lucky are we? i would have crashed and burned without mom, dad and brad's love, support, encouragement and all the time they spent helping with the store.Hope you enjoy some pictures of the store, and i'll try to update again soon (once i find an ounce of time!) But please come visit us to try some luxurious imported cheeses (which have been selling like crazy!) some wine from Jasper winery, chocolates, gourmet apples and treats, our fine solid chocolate bars, desserts or shop around for vintage hair clips, aprons or purses :)
If you have any questions, or suggestions, or requests, email us at contact@thechocolateseason.com, call 515-395-2462 or order online at thechocolateseason.com :)

PS- if you can find the time, try to stop by 114 N. Dodge St Algona, IA, for our ribbon cutting on 2/12 at 9:30 for samples and fun times and then Bradley's Photography, which opens in a couple weeks (and is suuuuuuuuuuuch a cool gallery and meeting place) has his grand opening on 3/5 at 9:30!

Almost Completed!

well, i'm sure you're all upset with me for not blogging properly the last couple months. but....if i had been blogging, then i would not have been working on the store, then i'd never be able to open, and you'd never get to eat truffles, rocky road popcorn or all sorts of lovely treats from the chocolate season ever again. :P so i figure you'd forgive my lack of posting with some updated pictures of the store!


things are moving along, you saw some of our "before" photos when i last posted, and here are some "inbetween" photos, and then the last ones are "so close i can taste the finish, but not quite there yet" photos.

what's taking so long you may ask? well, really, with the help of friends and family (toooooooo many friends to count (just trying to name some would be: the stones, limbaughs, christensens, loeschens, joe marck and lizzie lebedz (their generous personalities will deserve a note all by themselves!) and many many more!) and some of the key players have been: rich and linda feaster, ed and becky berg, and sara and scott lockard, but, as you can tell, we've been doing a lot of the demo/construction/finishing touches ourselves. So, as talented as we think we are :) we're not as fast as professionals!

but we've been doing lighting, painting, then touch ups for painting, building the bar, doing baseboard and quarter round, then searching for inventory (aprons, purses, wine etc), ordering business cards, GC cards and envelopes, more kitchen accessories, prints and frames for the studio, sewing pillows for the store (thanks sara!) finding more furniture, ordering chocolate, making the chalkboard, figuring out pricing for ALL the products, learning how to use our cash register (ok, that's on the "to-do" list still) setting up a credit terminal, ordering and putting away boxes for confections, setting up the kitchen and familiarizing myself with my surroundings, ordering coffee equipment, coffee, learning how to USE the coffee equipment *ha ha ha*

and brad's still doing photography, print orders, making albums, responding to emails etc, and these are all things we've been doing...and there's so much more i can't even remember it all! oh yes...and lets not forget the fact that bradley and i bought a new house and we finally closed on it after "renting" and living there for a month...so we are slowly...slowly....trying to unpack and make it our own!

so i hope you enjoyed some photos, sorry, there's still newspaper on our gorgeous front windows, and yes, i need to do some major cleaning...but you'll get the idea!

also, what's to come? well, an awning for the front of the building in the next week (i hope!) putting in the coffee equipment, finishing the bench cushions, getting tables and chairs, and hiring and training an employee, doing a ton of paperwork, and hoping for a potential opening in mid-end january. *gulp* wish us luck and i'll let you all know when we're open and when the shopping cart is ready to use for national and international orders! (even though i expect all of you to come to algona to see us at the store!)

thanks again for all your support and interest....and see you soon....at the store! you can browse gorgeous photography with a very handsome photographer, or just stop by and pull up a chair at the chocolate bar :P

A New Direction

The Chocolate Season is heading in a new direction....North :0) Actually, northeast to be exact. We are relocating to Iowa from Nebraska and will be expanding into a confiserie and dessert cafe and will be sharing a retail storefront with Bradley Jensen Photography. (some of Brad's work below!) :0)


The new shop will be Euro-Vintage in design, featuring free WiFi, a sit down granite chocolate bar, imported cheeses, local espresso and coffee, fresh breads in the morning, desserts by the slice, assorted chocolates, native wine and some non-edibles like handcrafted whimsical aprons, locally grown lavender products and one-of-a-kind hair accessories. (as well as all the other services you've grown to know and love from The Chocolate Season)

This exciting expansion has been a ton of paperwork, inventory researching, financing, and labor...especially since we are doing a majority of the construction and decorating in-house...(extra thanks to mom and dad and the members of Team Rohan!))
*pic #1: what we started with
*pic #2: some demo...ok... ALOT of demo
*pic #3: Team Rohan
*pic #4: drywalled and beginning to prime and paint The Chocolate Season officially closed down for a few short months to make this transition go more smoothly, with an expected reopening of the online shopping cart, and new store, in January.

But we did, however, have time to do some fun projects right before closing, including a lovely baby shower, hosted by Chi-O sister, Jess :) We did some pretty-in-pink baby favors and pink cupcakes, and afterward, we received the most considerate and sweet thank you note in return (it truly made my day..week...month....thanks jess! xoxoxo to you!)
Also had several weddings in the last month, one featured the ever so popular mudball favor, another was a one-piece truffle favor with custom made "thank you" tag tied with ribbon, and also the two-piece truffle purse favor, for a wedding in Iowa City.
In addition to weddings, we made some treats for Wiltgen's Jewelry and Gift World's open house this week, created chocolate favors for Algona's hospital fundraiser, the Legacy Ball and made some yummy desserts like an apple frangipane tart, strawberry cheesecake, and chocolate pave cake, for a Rotary Club presentation (including a powerpoint...yes...i created a powerpoint....impressive right?) :PThat about wrapped up the last days we were open...and then...Brad and I bought a house. We have some work and decorating to do, but it is truly lovely and we are so excited about this new phase in our lives.Even though we will be closed, I will keep you updated on the phases on the new retail location, as well as any house improvements we do! (Because i know you're curious!) :P

Thank you for your continued support, and just because we're relocating, doesn't mean we won't still be coming to NE. We'll be around a ton, and some fun incentives for my home base clients will be sure to make an appearance in your emails! As for my national clients, look for NEW gift options to show up on the shopping cart when we re-open, and i won't keep you waiting for long...just a few short months to January, and then you can satisfy all your Chocolate Season cravings!

Fall is here!

So many things have been going on in the last month! We have new products for Fall, new gift options to replace gift baskets, new logo, working on our new retail location, had a trip to GA to see my best friend and new baby, and Brad and I celebrated our 3rd wedding anniversary! *whew* i'm tired just thinking of it!

But let's start with some fun products for Fall. One of which are the Noir Callet Brownies. Oh lusciousness! These brownies are super dark, made with unsweetened chocolate, with pieces of 72% dark chocolate callets in the middle of their super fudgeyness (is that a word?!) But to accent with just a touch of sweetness, we dust it lightly with powdered sugar. Pair with fruit, unsweetened whipped cream, or an ice cold cup of milk! MMMMMMMMM!

For October only, we have the "Spook"tacular Gourmet Apple. A Granny Smith apple covered in caramel, dipped in couverture white chocolate, "mummified" with dark chocolate eyes and white chocolate drizzle. This guy weighs in at a little over a pound of yumminess...and I've decided to name him Herman :)
As I mentioned above, we are replacing the gift baskets with something new....I don't want to give away the surprise, but they will be awesome and a little more "hip" than just a basket!! and will still keep the names "surprise me, spoil me and indulge me" (because, well, i love that!) But just know that our baskets are now off-line, and we won't have them replaced for a couple weeks.

If you are in need of a custom gift option, just drop me a line, and I'd be happy to customize a gift bag or box for you!!

Also new on the horizon...a new logo. This is premiering in our business cards and printed material, but won't phase into the web site till later this winter. Pictured above is our former logo, and yes, I loved it, it was chocolatey, and symmetrical and had my favorite color green in it...but as we've been working on the new retail confisserie and dessert cafe, we have decided to go with a soft vintage/European decor and this logo just doesn't fit. Our new logo is more organic in nature and lighter in color, and this will hopefully give you a glimpse into what's to come! :)

Hmmm....other fun things in life was my trip to GA to see my dear friend Amanda, her husband Nathaniel and new baby, John. It was fun being "auntie" for a week and helped her clean and take care of the baby, and just spend some quality time with two (now three) of the most amazing people I know! You both are fantastic parents and I'm excited to see how John, and your family, grows!
*thanks for a wonderful trip dearie!*

Lastly, Brad and I were blessed enough to take some time and celebrate our 3rd anniversary in Iowa City. Marriage has proven to be a wonderful refining tool :) and has given us many fun times, but also times where we've had to lean on each other for support, which in the end, makes you appreciate each other all the more.

Even though we work a lot, we do always make time for date night (like this one...we went horseback riding!....date night is something I suggest EVERYONE do!) and I just wanted to thank Brad for always loving and encouraging me....because without his belief in me, The Chocolate Season would never have been born! *thank you sweetie!**and here's a link to our wedding slideshow, showcasing our fabulous wedding photographer Shawna Herring from GA. It's always fun to look back at a day that changed our lives!

Oops, almost forgot! The fall issue of Pastry Baking North America was published on the 25th, and if you are one of over 25,000 subscribers, you'll see The Chocolate Season in the Regional Showcase with a "plated version" of your favorite Marbled Cheesecake Brownies! Here's the photo, with components being the brownie, midnight fudge sauce, raspberry coulis, homemade raspberry leather, raspberry cream rolled in freeze-dried raspberry powder and chocolate discs....yummmmmmmmy.

Thanks for reading, and I'll make sure to keep you all updated on the new gift options coming soon, and hope to see you swing by The Chocolate Season for all your fall treats!