Chocolate Documentary

Mary & Frederick, reunion - San Francisco, CA

Justine and I had an excellent, last-minute opportunity to catch up with Frederick at the Fancy Food Show before he breezed through town from Brazil to Ashland.  I’m not sure which was more fun: seeing him reunite with his mother or sampling cheese, honey and chocolate.  Seriously.  Good times all around.

For anyone who’s thinking about going to the Fancy Food Show, I’ve got one word for you: Delicious.  I would encourage everyone to go at least once.  It’s just amazing to roam so many aisles with so many great treats.  Samples, samples everywhere!  I went for three days and I didn’t come close to trying everything.  Foodie heaven.

Justine, loving France & its cheeses - San Francisco, CA

Frederick, Justine and I met up with some old friends and made many new ones.  We spoke with lots of people about the Chocolate project — the positive feedback has been truly remarkable.  There’s something really powerful about the combination of San Francisco, foodies and social entrepreneurship.  Every night after the show, I was beaming from all the encouragement and support.  (This, despite throbbing feet and a pickled tongue.)

Here’s a big shout-out to everyone we saw there — cheers to you!

Next stop: Natural Food Expo in March…

Frederick's spicy hot cocoa ritual

Frederick makes spicy hot cocoa from scratch… daily.  Now this is a habit I can get into.

Fortunately, we arrived at his home exactly at cocoa time.  “Oh!  You have to try this one… this is a great batch.  It’s got a kick,” he said.  Um… yes please.

I may have licked the mug clean.  I’m just sayin’.

Frederick’s recipe:

• Cacao powder (to taste)
• A little bit of unsweetened chocolate (to taste, for a bottom-end kick)
• Palm sugar
• Spices to taste (fresh nutmeg and a little allspice)
• A little sea salt
• Cayenne pepper
  

  Spicy hot cocoa - Ashland, OR

Alex & Frederick, playing - Ashland, OR

We set out after dark for a late-night drive to Ashland and — despite a fair amount of fatigue — all four of us were wired and chatty the whole ride.  OK, most of it.  Alright, I totally passed out after the Oregon border.  But for the first five hours, Alex, Justine, Danny and I had so much to talk about.  We finally had time to meet, uninterrupted.  It was the most productive road trip, only to be outdone by our drive home.

In the morning, Frederick welcomed us into his home for a day of interviewing and visiting.  The space felt like a zen sanctuary.  Quiet, warm, comfortable, calm.

We talked about the progress of the factory, his hopes for the company, his relationships with Diego and Chloé, and his ever-changing travel plans.  Justine and Alex lead most of the interviews, Danny and I threw in a few questions here and there.

Alex, Danny, Frederick & Justine, winding down - Ashland, OR

Frederick Schilling - Oakland, CA

After months of planning, prepping and primping, the ducks are in line and we’re ready to go.  Justine and Alex have developed a solid story and a killer team.  Every meeting leaves us more enthusiastic than the last.

Our three main characters continue to amaze us.  They are charismatic, passionate and devoted to making a difference.  Plus they’re great on film.  Bonus.

We caught Frederick mid-travels and met up with him in Oakland.

First stop: Oakland shipyards to see the chocolate equipment before it sails off to Bahia.  I don’t think anyone anticipated hunting down huge pieces of machinery in warehouse nooks.  It was fun finding it… beautiful, old and very dirty.  Those massive grinding stones are in for a real treat in South America.  I wonder whose chocolate it used to make and how many people benefited.

We continued interviewing Frederick back at Alex’s.  It was a little cold and drizzly in the Bay Area — a nice contrast to the talk of plans for the factory in Bahia.