Past Newsletters
Vol 4 No 7

In Pursuit of Chocolate

Cookie Shop Designed for the Gourmand

You won’t ever taste a more scrumptious Chocolate Shortbread then this one - all that butter and not one egg! The Double Fudge Chocolate Brownie is also an exceptional treat. Both are sure to delight your palate, and impossible to resist for any true chocolate aficionado! The Mendocino Cookie Company uses only the freshest and most genuine ingredients, including toasted walnuts and semi-sweet premium chocolate from the Guittard Chocolate Company. “These cookies are to die for!

Three hours north of the Golden Gate Bridge, on the edge of the Pacific Ocean, you will find the Mendocino Cookie Company. Established in the village of Mendocino in 1984, the Mendocino Cookie Company has long been a favorite of coastal residents and visitors from all over the world. After baking cookies for fourteen years in a tiny one hundred square foot kitchen in the village, their move to a “dream kitchen was well earned. The retail store and bakery are now located in the coastal community of Fort Bragg (a short drive from Mendocino), in the historic Union Lumber Company Store at 301 N. Main Street. The one thousand square foot bakery has lots of windows for observation, and samples are provided for cookie connoisseurs watching the production.

This family owned shop specializes in fresh cookies, baked goods, and the best coffee and espresso drinks in town. Twelve to fourteen different varieties of cookies are offered daily, guaranteeing freshness.

Held Captive

In the early 1980’s Beverlee Younger and her husband, Donald, visited the Mendocino Coast and became instantly infatuated. From tall bluffs, they viewed the wild coastline with its pounding surf and abundant wild flowers. They admired the many historic buildings and galleries showcasing local artisans, and stood in awe of nearby giant Redwoods. They tasted some of the best wines in the world from neighboring wineries. Falling in love with this area made perfect sense. “Why aren’t we living here? they pondered.

The Youngers knew that the Mendocino Coast was where they belonged. They spoke daily of relocating, but what would they do for a living? Beverlee took a thorough inventory of the existing businesses in Mendocino and found that there was no place to pull up a chair, enjoy some award winning coffee and munch on divine baked goods - especially gourmet cookies. So, with a little sweat and imagination, she converted a derelict gas station and the business was born.

Back in the early days, Beverlee worked alone in the tiny shop making cookies one batch at a time with a household mixer. The first summer, husband Don, and son John assisted, but when winter came, Beverlee ran the company single-handed. Today three generations of family and a crew of dedicated employees work together to develop new recipes and ensure customer satisfaction with their personal touch.

Bev's Loyal Patrons say…

“Sensational goodies make perfect anytime gifts. As with any company that provides superior and exclusive products, the Mendocino Cookie Company has spawned quite a following of loyal customers over the last 19 years. In fact many visit daily to get fresh baked delectables as nothing else will do.

Gordon is one such customer. Coming almost daily for ten years, he has become a fixture at Beverlee’s shop. “Gordon would have a snit if we didn’t have his favorite Chocolate Bliss Shortbread ready for him, she says. When the staff notices we are getting low, they put one aside just for him. One year Gordon received a special gift from Beverlee and the girls in the kitchen. “We made a batch of Chocolate Bliss for him, filled a mason jar with it and presented it to him as our gift, she recalled. Gordon, in turn, helped Beverlee with an experiment. “We gave Gordon the gift before Christmas and asked him not to open it till February 1st. We wanted to see how fresh our Shortbread would stay with the quality ingredients we use.

Gordon took the jar home and let it sit on his shelf as requested. That took a lot of self discipline! When Gordon finally opened the jar and took his first bite from the more than a month old shortbread, he couldn’t tell the difference between fresh baked and the one he held in his hand - it was that good!

This was no surprise to Beverlee who uses only fresh, quality ingredients, and no preservatives, in her cookies. You don’t get this homemade fresh taste without that kind of quality control.

One Family’s Passion

One of the many reasons the Mendocino Cookie Company has such devoted customers is the fact that only the highest quality chocolate is used. Holding to this superior standard sets Beverlee’s enterprise apart from other cookie confectioners. It is no wonder that she chose Guittard Chocolate Company to supply her chocolate.

Founder Etienne Guittard who immigrated to America to seek his fortune was one of those 49ers who didn't strike it rich in California's Gold Rush, so he went to Plan B. In France, Etienne had worked for his uncle’s chocolate business, and so he turned to his family's recipe for chocolate to make his fortune. In 1868, Etienne moved to San Francisco and put his chocolate making skills to work by establishing the Guittard Chocolate Factory - the oldest family owned and operated chocolate company in the US.

To Gary Guittard, President and CEO of Guittard Chocolate Company, and Etienne's great-grandson, chocolate is not just one of life's most delightful culinary treats, it is his family’s passion. Guittard Chocolate has been making premium chocolates for the confectionery and pastry trade since 1893. The Guittards moved back into the consumer market with the April 2000 introduction of the E. Guittard line of chocolates. This line is made from the world's most select cocoa beans using small batch manufacturing and time-honored vintage methods.

A Heritage of Divine Indulgence

The chocolate-making skills first honed in France have been carried through four generations here in America. Gary remembers being employed by his grandfather. Some of Gary Guittard’s fondest childhood memories are of exploring his grandfather's chocolate factory on San Francisco's Embarcadero - marveling at the equipment, savoring the heady aroma, and indulging in an occasional sample. He quickly became enchanted with the process that transforms small, bitter beans into America's most craved food substance.

Gary's passion followed him into adulthood so his father suggested he get some experience before joining the family business. Gary worked with a food broker for a couple of years to understand distribution, and then spent time in marketing and sales for the bakery supply industry. He joined Guittard in 1975 to work side-by-side with his brother Jay and his father Horace A. Guittard, the company Chairman. Noting that home cooks were becoming increasingly sophisticated in their demands for quality baking chocolate, Guittard created the company's first line of chocolate chips for the home baker.

After the untimely deaths of his father and brother, Gary began running the company with his family of employees, many of whom had been there for 20 years and remain at Guittard's side to this day. Under his guidance, Guittard Chocolate continues to thrive.

Developing A Chocolate Palate

Chocolate can be heavenly, mellow, sensual, deep, dark, sumptuous, gratifying, potent, dense, creamy, seductive, suggestive, rich, excessive, silky, smooth, luxurious, celestial… If it is none of these things, it is either not quality chocolate, or not real chocolate. That’s right; there are lots of chocolate imposters out there! The following precepts will help you become a true connoisseur in all matters chocolate.

How to Sample Chocolate

• Look at it - Shiny and smooth are hallmarks. The color reflects the percentage of cocoa, therefore milk chocolates would be the lightest.
• Smell it – The best chocolate has a breathtaking full-bodied aroma.
• Break it – Great chocolate breaks clean and makes a cracking sound.
• Melt it – It will slowly melt on your tongue, and as an ingredient will melt smooth and not grainy.
• Taste it - A full-mouth taste with no unpleasant aftertaste will stay on your tongue long after the chocolate is swallowed.

Short Scoop On A Scottish Tradition

Shortbread in a Class of Its Own

The British Empire may have lost world power and momentum during the last 500 years, but there are no signs of a slow down in the empire that has grown around shortbread. Sold in millions of tons around the world, its fame is largely due to the talents of Scottish bakers, and to their determination that shortbread should not be classed as a common biscuit.

It is safe to assume that Scottish shortbread dates way, way, way back. There is a shortbread named Pitcailhly Bannocks, and the Pictish people were first mentioned in Roman literature in 296. The name "Pict" is said to have come either from a Latin word meaning "painted ones" or another meaning "fighter." Both of these accurately depicted the Pictish people. If you are interested in learning more, below is a link that will take you to a compendium of links about Scotland and her often turbulent history - http://www.scotland-inverness.co.uk/links.htm.

Old festive shortbreads were made by the rural communities and shaped into large round bannocks or wheels, or they were baked as rectangles and then broken up into uneven chucks for serving. Later shortbread was often baked in round molds with various designs, and served at high teas.

Cocoa Economics 101

If you ever wanted to know more about how chocolate beans are grown, there is plenty of information in the Internet. This editorial is primarily based on information from http://www.cocoatree.org/index.htm. It’s a very interesting source, and there is even a link that focuses on teaching children about Chocolate.

Cocoa is an important source of income for small farmers in developing economies all over the world. In fact, now most of the world's cocoa is grown on small farms, usually 5 to 10 acres, and typically the main source of income for the farmer. According to the International Cocoa Organization, 2.5 million farmers produce almost 90 percent of the world's cocoa.

Although the cost of fine chocolate has recently increased significantly, less than a few 100 years ago only royalty could afford it. Like other agricultural crops, cocoa is subject to weather patterns, several pests, diseases and fungi, and many other influences which affect its supply. When the cocoa bean supply diminishes and demand for chocolate continues to increase, so do the prices. But then again, higher prices for coca beans stimulate the growth of more cocoa farms which then may drive down the prices. If the price gets so low that the small farmers can’t afford to protect their crops from disease, then up go the prices – and the beat goes on.

Over the last 100 years middle income families discovered chocolate – perhaps WWII candy bars helped? When the demand increased sharply, investors developed large cocoa plantations, where trees were grown in rows and in the full sun – a far different environment than this plant’s natural habitat. These stressed out trees required extensive and costly fertilization and pest management, and under these conditions the soil was easily depleted. As a result, twenty something years ago Costa Rica's cocoa plantations were wiped out by Monilia Pod Rot (fungal disease), and Witches Broom devastated plantations in parts of Brazil. And you guessed it, the price of cocoa went up.

Today, agricultural scientists are turning back to a more natural way of growing cocoa, hoping to make cocoa production more consistently profitable for small farmers. This program, Sustainable Farming, has some pretty colossal goals - lower costs of production, increase farm income, and assure a rich and high quality supply of cocoa beans for generations to come.

Sustainable Farming relies on traditional methods rather than expensive chemicals and pesticides, and therefore benefits the environment, minimizes the impact on rainforests, creates more biodiversity, and increase habitats for wildlife.

Sounds like a sound plan!