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Friday, December 12, 2008
Chocolates begging for a stocking to call home
Local chocolate company Arte y Chocolate was started in 2005 by Krystal Craig and Lila Browne, who wanted to use top-quality ingredients to make fine chocolates found in Europe and New York City.
At less than $20, their delightful bon bons (the one with peanut butter is my favorite) and beautiful chocolate bars, which Lila informs me are called barks, are perfect for stocking stuffers. The chocolate-coated graham cracker is also a favorite for either vegans (it is both vegan and nondairy) or kids (there is no paraffin, a type of wax, in any of their products).
Lila, who moved to Austin from New York, has a master’s degree in education, but fell in love with the art of chocolate making. “It was a way to be creative, but I’ve had a passion for my food for my whole life. “It’s like the French word ‘bijou,’ each piece is a little jewel,” she says. They keep it simple, using organic honey, cream, butter and coffee and local products when possible. For example, the filling for the peanut butter bon bon is simply honey, salt and peanut butter. “It’s what a Reese’s should taste like,” she says. “Chocolate doesn’t have to be this mystified thing.”
You can buy their chocolates at the Blue Genie Art Bazaar, Primadora on South Congress Avenue, Cafe Medici in Clarksville and Thom’s Market on Barton Springs Road.
“Fine things are made in Austin,” Lila says. “When I moved here there was this attitude that you have to go to New York to find fine chocolate. But beautiful things are made here and it’s a food renaissance.”
I couldn’t agree more.
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BlueAvocado founders: What’s in Your Fridge Friday?
Paige, in the pink shirt at right, says the bags made out of recycled materials have only been on the market for a month, but already they are grabbing the spotlight. You can either buy kits (they start at $24.99) or individual bags ($7.99 for produce bags up to $19.99 for insulated or carry-all bags), which fit inside each other and condense down into about a wallet-size roll. “Each bag has its own function, but they all fit together,” she says. You can buy them at several H-E-Bs around Central Texas and on their Web site, www.blueavocado.com.
As the singleton of the group whose refrigerator is hypothetically the most photogenic, Paige was picked to show off her fridge.
What three things are always in your fridge?
Paige: hummus, soymilk, peanut butter (creamy)
Amy: Austin Farmers’ Market seasonal veggies, Feta cheese, apple juice
Missy: lactose free milk, watermelon, organic cheeses sticks
What’s your favorite condiment?
Paige: tamari soy sauce
Amy: Ranch dressing
Missy: Taco Bell mild sauce (guilty pleasure)
What’s your favorite thing to do with avocados?
Paige: sprinkled with balsamic vinegar or a facial mask:-)
Amy: inside my husband Bill’s homemade guacamole (or fresh cut on top
of a bed of mixed salad greens)
Missy: We call it a “taco de nana” - black beans and cheese on a warmed tortilla with sliced avocados on top
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