When Chocolate Tales reached out to me and offered to have me attend one of their chocolate workshops, it was a no brainer for me to say yes. Along with a healthy supply of chips on each grocery list I create, there is always a spot for chocolate as well. If I had a small spot left in my cart and had to decide between broccoli or chocolate, chocolate wins every time.
I invited the most creative friend I know Stephanie to join me, and we set out to attend the Decorating with Chocolate class with Chocolate Tales. Classes are held at The Mad Bean Coffee House at Eglinton Ave. and Bathurst Street in Toronto.
It’s easy to register online for their classes, and they have a live calendar which shows what classes are running and when.
The Mad Bean Coffee House is cozy and covered with local art and photography, and they close in the evenings for private events, live music, and chocolate classes!
When we arrived we were offered complimentary coffee and tea, and we sat down at a station where we would do our chocolate decorating. The classes are kept quite small so you have a chance to ask as many questions as you would like, and you receive a lot of personal attention.
Our instructor was Coco Kelly, and she is very passionate about her craft! I learned a lot of things I had no idea about while attending this class. I am actually one of those people who didn’t know the caramel secret (I usually just eat chocolate – I don’t think about how it’s made!) but I learned how it was done that night. Sorry I’m not telling you how – ask Coco Kelly at your next class!
We learned about how to be creative with chocolate, and how to use moulds to create your own painted designs with them. The most interesting for me was using transfer sheets to add designs to your chocolate. I had no idea how to add designs like that to chocolate – I am so excited to do it on my own!
We created chocolates filled with ganache as well, and it was really neat to work with it and learn how to roll it. We had a little bit of extra time at the end of class and learned how to make chocolate shavings as well. This is when I lost all form of self-control and started eating what we created. If I had of taken a photo of myself at this point, there was likely chocolate on my face. Not pretty.
The best part was packaging our chocolates to go home! We were provided with bags, ribbon, a box and bag to take all of our designs home. I love wrapping and packaging up creations like this, so I thought it was a nice touch to take things home that way.
I had a lot of fun at the Decorating with Chocolate class! I really did learn a lot, and I think it’s a fun night out where you not only get to learn something, but you get to be creative. Oh, and you get to bring home tonnes of chocolate – there is nothing wrong with that.
To book your own class you can call their hotline at 1-800-905-2858, or book online on their website www.chocolatetales.ca. Chocolate Tales is currently offering a 45% discount on all of their workshops! Enter their promo code (you can find it online when choosing a workshop) to receive your discount.
They also have an online shop so you can try some of the things you learned in class at home which I thought was pretty cool. You can find their online shop here, and you can purchase some of their own chocolate, or the supplies you need to apply what you learned in class. You can even find some great how-to video’s to remind you of how to use their products.
For the holidays these transfers and moulds would be perfect to create your own Christmas gifts!
The only problem with attending a Chocolate Tales workshop? The chocolate coma you go into after eating everything you brought home. I was good and waited until the next day to open my cute packages of chocolate, but once I starting eating I couldn’t stop, and it pretty much brought that day’s productivity to a halt. Eat with caution – this is some spectacular chocolate, but make sure if you are going to binge on everything you brought home that you clear your schedule.
