((PKG))  MAKING  CHOCOLATE 
((Banner:  Making Chocolate))
((Reporter:  Julie Taboh))

((Camera:  Adam Greebaum, Mike Burke))
((Adapted by:  Martin Secrest))
((Map:  Bethesda, Maryland;  Washington, D.C.))
((NATS))
((Sarah Dwyer, Owner, Chouquette))

So, after its long journey and processing, this is what we use to make our famous chocolate covered caramels.

((Locator:  US Botanic Garden, Washington, D.C.))

((NATS))

((Bill McLaughlin, Plant Curator, U.S. Botanical Garden))

What we’re looking at today is our chocolate tree or cacao tree. The scientific name for this is Theobroma cacao, and Theobroma is Greek. Theo is for god, and broma for fruit. So, here we have a cacao pod, which has been cut from our own tree, and inside we see this white pulp that’s surrounding the actual coco beans. These are typically just piled up and fermented, and it’s that fermentation process that drives the flavor into the beans themselves. Once they are at that stage, they can be dried and they can be processed in any number of ways, but I think the one way we’d like to hear about is chocolate.
((NATS))

((Sarah Dwyer, Owner, Chouquette))

Chouqette specializes in chocolate covered caramels. We started in 2010, and now we have about 200 stores that carry our chocolates. We have a great staff.

((NATS))                                       
((Sarah Dwyer, Owner, Chouquette))

So, I’m often inspired by memories, which I think a lot of chefs are, but also location. And so, when we did some of our first designs, the first ones I did were ‘Happy Birthday’. And then we also did a set of (Washington) D.C. monuments. And so, we took the five monuments that I love best in D.C., and made chocolates with those designs on top. And that was one thing that stores really responded to and so did people on my website.

((NATS))
((Sarah Dwyer, Owner, Chouquette))

We’ve got more people salting the chocolates over here, and then the last step is unmolding the chocolates and then packaging them.

((NATS))

((Sarah Dwyer, Owner, Chouquette))

I can’t imagine doing anything else. I love this. I look forward to coming to the kitchen, and maybe thinking of a new recipe. And when clients ask me, can you do a different design, yes, I want to learn how to do that. This is the first job I’ve ever had where I didn’t get bored.

((NATS))