Can you believe it?

We're open. Yes, we are open :) The Chocolate Season Confiserie and Dessert Cafe just finished our first week in Algona, IA, our new home (we hope they'll keep us around for a looooong time)
We opened during a blizzard but we still had loyal friends brave the snow, ice and wind to sample a latte or some chocolate and after that, the next 6 days were all a blur of training of employees (lissa and rachel) baking, chocolate-making, ribbon tying, reports, coffee grounds and foam.
Algona has been nothing but wonderful in their welcome and interest in the store and we've already had repeat customers. (we haven't even advertised yet...but we are recording a radio ad tomorrow...wish us luck!)
We open 7 to 5:30 Tuesday thru Friday and 8 to 2 on Saturday and even though its only been a week, it seems like we've been doing this at the store forever. We also opened up the on-line shopping cart Tuesday night and already had some orders! (yes, we need to update the web site to match the theme of the store and to showcase lavender, aprons, hair clips, purses and our new luxury gift boxes that are replacing the baskets (which i looooooove the new gift boxes!) but you can always call our new number if you have any questions or need to special order something (515-395-2462)

Our day starts early in the morning when we bake something fresh for the AM crowd, be it scones, banana bread, granola, brioche etc and then in the afternoon we try to bring out new cookies, brownies, tart, cake by the slice or this week i hope to get some chocolate custards or mousse out. Throughout the day we help pick chocolates out for people, make lattes, and our classic hot chocolate and European sipping chocolate has been extremely popular, and to sweeten your morning or afternoon, every drink comes with a little piece of milk or dark chocolate!

So how do we serve all our great customers and keep up with inventory? (which we ran out of continuously this week! i had to try to split time with training, being out front with customers, and in the kitchen making chocolates all week, and brad and i stayed at the store every night till 10-10:30 just trying to keep up!) But that's ok, because i have a secret weapon. :0)


My weapon is called.....Brad. and Mom. oh, and Dad. Yes, they have not left my side this entire week...i even get customers in requesting Brad's lattes, and no one greets customers quite like mom, she warms up the entire store with her charm and could sell a winter coat to a polar bear :) and dad's been wonderful with helping get the accounting books started and saving us with a drip coffee pot...long story....

One morning mom and dad even got to the store before us to start the coffee, put away some surprise groceries and sweep the floor. how lucky are we? i would have crashed and burned without mom, dad and brad's love, support, encouragement and all the time they spent helping with the store.Hope you enjoy some pictures of the store, and i'll try to update again soon (once i find an ounce of time!) But please come visit us to try some luxurious imported cheeses (which have been selling like crazy!) some wine from Jasper winery, chocolates, gourmet apples and treats, our fine solid chocolate bars, desserts or shop around for vintage hair clips, aprons or purses :)
If you have any questions, or suggestions, or requests, email us at contact@thechocolateseason.com, call 515-395-2462 or order online at thechocolateseason.com :)

PS- if you can find the time, try to stop by 114 N. Dodge St Algona, IA, for our ribbon cutting on 2/12 at 9:30 for samples and fun times and then Bradley's Photography, which opens in a couple weeks (and is suuuuuuuuuuuch a cool gallery and meeting place) has his grand opening on 3/5 at 9:30!

Almost Completed!

well, i'm sure you're all upset with me for not blogging properly the last couple months. but....if i had been blogging, then i would not have been working on the store, then i'd never be able to open, and you'd never get to eat truffles, rocky road popcorn or all sorts of lovely treats from the chocolate season ever again. :P so i figure you'd forgive my lack of posting with some updated pictures of the store!


things are moving along, you saw some of our "before" photos when i last posted, and here are some "inbetween" photos, and then the last ones are "so close i can taste the finish, but not quite there yet" photos.

what's taking so long you may ask? well, really, with the help of friends and family (toooooooo many friends to count (just trying to name some would be: the stones, limbaughs, christensens, loeschens, joe marck and lizzie lebedz (their generous personalities will deserve a note all by themselves!) and many many more!) and some of the key players have been: rich and linda feaster, ed and becky berg, and sara and scott lockard, but, as you can tell, we've been doing a lot of the demo/construction/finishing touches ourselves. So, as talented as we think we are :) we're not as fast as professionals!

but we've been doing lighting, painting, then touch ups for painting, building the bar, doing baseboard and quarter round, then searching for inventory (aprons, purses, wine etc), ordering business cards, GC cards and envelopes, more kitchen accessories, prints and frames for the studio, sewing pillows for the store (thanks sara!) finding more furniture, ordering chocolate, making the chalkboard, figuring out pricing for ALL the products, learning how to use our cash register (ok, that's on the "to-do" list still) setting up a credit terminal, ordering and putting away boxes for confections, setting up the kitchen and familiarizing myself with my surroundings, ordering coffee equipment, coffee, learning how to USE the coffee equipment *ha ha ha*

and brad's still doing photography, print orders, making albums, responding to emails etc, and these are all things we've been doing...and there's so much more i can't even remember it all! oh yes...and lets not forget the fact that bradley and i bought a new house and we finally closed on it after "renting" and living there for a month...so we are slowly...slowly....trying to unpack and make it our own!

so i hope you enjoyed some photos, sorry, there's still newspaper on our gorgeous front windows, and yes, i need to do some major cleaning...but you'll get the idea!

also, what's to come? well, an awning for the front of the building in the next week (i hope!) putting in the coffee equipment, finishing the bench cushions, getting tables and chairs, and hiring and training an employee, doing a ton of paperwork, and hoping for a potential opening in mid-end january. *gulp* wish us luck and i'll let you all know when we're open and when the shopping cart is ready to use for national and international orders! (even though i expect all of you to come to algona to see us at the store!)

thanks again for all your support and interest....and see you soon....at the store! you can browse gorgeous photography with a very handsome photographer, or just stop by and pull up a chair at the chocolate bar :P

A New Direction

The Chocolate Season is heading in a new direction....North :0) Actually, northeast to be exact. We are relocating to Iowa from Nebraska and will be expanding into a confiserie and dessert cafe and will be sharing a retail storefront with Bradley Jensen Photography. (some of Brad's work below!) :0)


The new shop will be Euro-Vintage in design, featuring free WiFi, a sit down granite chocolate bar, imported cheeses, local espresso and coffee, fresh breads in the morning, desserts by the slice, assorted chocolates, native wine and some non-edibles like handcrafted whimsical aprons, locally grown lavender products and one-of-a-kind hair accessories. (as well as all the other services you've grown to know and love from The Chocolate Season)

This exciting expansion has been a ton of paperwork, inventory researching, financing, and labor...especially since we are doing a majority of the construction and decorating in-house...(extra thanks to mom and dad and the members of Team Rohan!))
*pic #1: what we started with
*pic #2: some demo...ok... ALOT of demo
*pic #3: Team Rohan
*pic #4: drywalled and beginning to prime and paint The Chocolate Season officially closed down for a few short months to make this transition go more smoothly, with an expected reopening of the online shopping cart, and new store, in January.

But we did, however, have time to do some fun projects right before closing, including a lovely baby shower, hosted by Chi-O sister, Jess :) We did some pretty-in-pink baby favors and pink cupcakes, and afterward, we received the most considerate and sweet thank you note in return (it truly made my day..week...month....thanks jess! xoxoxo to you!)
Also had several weddings in the last month, one featured the ever so popular mudball favor, another was a one-piece truffle favor with custom made "thank you" tag tied with ribbon, and also the two-piece truffle purse favor, for a wedding in Iowa City.
In addition to weddings, we made some treats for Wiltgen's Jewelry and Gift World's open house this week, created chocolate favors for Algona's hospital fundraiser, the Legacy Ball and made some yummy desserts like an apple frangipane tart, strawberry cheesecake, and chocolate pave cake, for a Rotary Club presentation (including a powerpoint...yes...i created a powerpoint....impressive right?) :PThat about wrapped up the last days we were open...and then...Brad and I bought a house. We have some work and decorating to do, but it is truly lovely and we are so excited about this new phase in our lives.Even though we will be closed, I will keep you updated on the phases on the new retail location, as well as any house improvements we do! (Because i know you're curious!) :P

Thank you for your continued support, and just because we're relocating, doesn't mean we won't still be coming to NE. We'll be around a ton, and some fun incentives for my home base clients will be sure to make an appearance in your emails! As for my national clients, look for NEW gift options to show up on the shopping cart when we re-open, and i won't keep you waiting for long...just a few short months to January, and then you can satisfy all your Chocolate Season cravings!

Fall is here!

So many things have been going on in the last month! We have new products for Fall, new gift options to replace gift baskets, new logo, working on our new retail location, had a trip to GA to see my best friend and new baby, and Brad and I celebrated our 3rd wedding anniversary! *whew* i'm tired just thinking of it!

But let's start with some fun products for Fall. One of which are the Noir Callet Brownies. Oh lusciousness! These brownies are super dark, made with unsweetened chocolate, with pieces of 72% dark chocolate callets in the middle of their super fudgeyness (is that a word?!) But to accent with just a touch of sweetness, we dust it lightly with powdered sugar. Pair with fruit, unsweetened whipped cream, or an ice cold cup of milk! MMMMMMMMM!

For October only, we have the "Spook"tacular Gourmet Apple. A Granny Smith apple covered in caramel, dipped in couverture white chocolate, "mummified" with dark chocolate eyes and white chocolate drizzle. This guy weighs in at a little over a pound of yumminess...and I've decided to name him Herman :)
As I mentioned above, we are replacing the gift baskets with something new....I don't want to give away the surprise, but they will be awesome and a little more "hip" than just a basket!! and will still keep the names "surprise me, spoil me and indulge me" (because, well, i love that!) But just know that our baskets are now off-line, and we won't have them replaced for a couple weeks.

If you are in need of a custom gift option, just drop me a line, and I'd be happy to customize a gift bag or box for you!!

Also new on the horizon...a new logo. This is premiering in our business cards and printed material, but won't phase into the web site till later this winter. Pictured above is our former logo, and yes, I loved it, it was chocolatey, and symmetrical and had my favorite color green in it...but as we've been working on the new retail confisserie and dessert cafe, we have decided to go with a soft vintage/European decor and this logo just doesn't fit. Our new logo is more organic in nature and lighter in color, and this will hopefully give you a glimpse into what's to come! :)

Hmmm....other fun things in life was my trip to GA to see my dear friend Amanda, her husband Nathaniel and new baby, John. It was fun being "auntie" for a week and helped her clean and take care of the baby, and just spend some quality time with two (now three) of the most amazing people I know! You both are fantastic parents and I'm excited to see how John, and your family, grows!
*thanks for a wonderful trip dearie!*

Lastly, Brad and I were blessed enough to take some time and celebrate our 3rd anniversary in Iowa City. Marriage has proven to be a wonderful refining tool :) and has given us many fun times, but also times where we've had to lean on each other for support, which in the end, makes you appreciate each other all the more.

Even though we work a lot, we do always make time for date night (like this one...we went horseback riding!....date night is something I suggest EVERYONE do!) and I just wanted to thank Brad for always loving and encouraging me....because without his belief in me, The Chocolate Season would never have been born! *thank you sweetie!**and here's a link to our wedding slideshow, showcasing our fabulous wedding photographer Shawna Herring from GA. It's always fun to look back at a day that changed our lives!

Oops, almost forgot! The fall issue of Pastry Baking North America was published on the 25th, and if you are one of over 25,000 subscribers, you'll see The Chocolate Season in the Regional Showcase with a "plated version" of your favorite Marbled Cheesecake Brownies! Here's the photo, with components being the brownie, midnight fudge sauce, raspberry coulis, homemade raspberry leather, raspberry cream rolled in freeze-dried raspberry powder and chocolate discs....yummmmmmmmy.

Thanks for reading, and I'll make sure to keep you all updated on the new gift options coming soon, and hope to see you swing by The Chocolate Season for all your fall treats!

Business Buddies

I don't know if you've noticed or not, but when you become involved in something, or interested in something, don't you find yourself gravitating towards that subject, or going the extra mile to promote or support it?That's how I feel about small businesses. My husband Brad and I are both self-employed. He is a truly genius photographer who seems to enchant everyone he meets, and I, as you know, am a chocolatier and dessert fanatic :) Since we both rely on the good will, support and loyalty of our customers and friends, we often seek out independents to help spread the "supporting karma" of small biz owners everywhere! Like if we eat out, we do our best to find independent restaurants instead of going to a chain, or if we shop, we do farmers' markets and local boutiques if at all possible.

It just so happened the last couple weeks have surrounded me with the glow of small business owners, specifically, women business owners. Last week I participated in the Kossuth County Fair (had a quaint little spot selling baked goods and showcasing some of Brad's photos!), and shared a space with Nancy, who co-owns Colors (a Diamond Vogel paint and design store) with her husband, and who is also a talented designer and uplifting gal to be around. She is contagiously enthusiastic and thinks outside the box, turning ordinary objects into extraordinary works of art! (*also, lucky us, she's helping design the new photography studio and chocolate/dessert cafe! more info to come later...but be excited...very excited!)

Another gal I LOVE to be around is Kim, owner of Allure Salon. We just celebrated National Cupcake Day together. She hosted fantastic product specials and offered knowledgeable advice as well as free cupcakes (oh yes...customized cupcakes...chocolate cake with Italian buttercream, decorated to reflect the colors and mood of Allure!)

Kim just had her 5-yr anniversary of owning Allure, and her customers can't seem to get enough of her! Besides being a business owner, she is talented in the art of hair cut, color and styling, a nail extraordinaire as well as formally educated in make up application, specifically, Mirabella makeup. And if she wasn't busy enough, she is also one of The Chocolate Season's best customers :)

And lastly, a newbie in the small business world is Amanda, a Mary Kay consultant. By day she is a new mom, wife, teacher and friend, by night, she makes the world beautiful, one lucky lady at a time :) I helped host one of her parties last night and some lovely friends (thanks Clarissa, Laura and Sara!) came and helped support Amanda in her business. And what party is complete without chocolate?
So I thought I'd chip in and make 2 oh-so-yummy pavés (pa-vae) which is a chocolate sponge cake, soaked in caramel soaking syrup, layered with chocolate caramel ganache and diced apricots and then covered again, in chocolate ganache. (its supposed to look like a French paving stone...)Yum-o. :)
Just wanted to wish you the best of luck Amanda, thanks for being so attentive to everyone's needs, you'll do great!!!

So guess this post is getting a bit long. If you'd like any more information on any of these ladies, drop me a line! From hair, to make up to perfect design advice, these girls can help you out! (And don't get me wrong, these are not the only talented business owners I love...I love you all! From Icon, to The Market, Dario's, Tangles, Creative Design Concepts....the list goes on and on....hopefully I get to highlight them all soon!)

And before I end this entry, I did want to let you in on some super awesome news...yours truly will be an officially published pastry chic! Look forward to the Sept/Oct issue of Pastry and Baking North America where you will find your favorite Marbled Cheesecake Brownies turned into a fresh yet classic, plated dessert! I will tell you all about the components and show you pictures in our next post...so stay tuned :0)

PSS- completely random...a couple weeks ago we did a "manly" but whimsical Huskers cake for a dear client of mine, Anne, who ordered her favorite thing...chocolate cake with cookies n' cream filling and American buttercream....her favorite statement? "Anne? are there cookies in this cake?!!! Yummmmmmmmmmm!" love ya Anne!

Fun & Festive Treats

I love holidays. Its a wonderful way for the family to get together, celebrate a worthwhile occasion, and provides an absolutely splendid excuse to invent something new in the kitchen and get immediate feedback!!! :0)
My holiday started off with a chilly morning parade and continued on for the Jensens' 2nd annual wine, chocolate and cheese luncheon! (Thanks to Mary and myself for starting this tradition!!!) We picked out some delightful cheeses from Whole Foods, had some salami (i think...Rod would know what it was we ate!) *ha ha ha* sparkling white wine, lovely raspberry wine, dark chocolate and my first creation of the day, Pate a choux with Grand Marnier Mousseline, sandwiched with strawberry compote! yummmmmmm
If you'd like to try your hand at the mousseline, it is truly the best filling ever....use it on fruit, in pastries, on a brownie or heck, eat it with a bagel!!! (if you'd like to omit the alcohol, just add some OJ)

Grand Marnier Mousseline:

10 oz milk

zest of one orange

3 egg yolks

120gr sugar

25 gr cornstarch

115 gr butter, cut into small chunks

1.5- 3 oz Grand Marnier (depending on desired thickness)

1 tsp gelatin and 1 TB water

4 oz heavy cream

Sprinkle the gelatin over the water. Let stand until ready to incorporate into the pastry cream.
Bring the milk to a boil with the orange zest. In a separate bowl, whisk the egg yolks, sugar, and cornstarch until pale. Slowly pour a small amount of milk over it while whisking vigoursly (to temper your eggs and reduce curdling)Make sure all your ingredients incorporate smoothly and then continue to add the rest of the milk.

Return the whole thing over medium heat and cook until thick for about 5-10 minutes. (carefully watch it and stir, scraping bottom, with spoon, don't let it boil, and if you see lumps, take off heat right away)

Remove from the heat (if you're feeling nervous about curdling, just push through a mesh strainer into a bowl!) add the butter and the Grand Marnier. In a microwave, dissolve the gelatin for 15 seconds. Quickly mix into the pastry cream. Transfer to a bowl and cover with plastic wrap (make it touch the cream so it does not let a skin form on top) and refrigerate until cold.

Whip the heavy cream to stiff peaks and gently fold it in the pastry cream.
Use as desired! Have fun!!!

Well, after the luncheon, it was too cold for pool time at the farm, so we went home and got ready for Steve's 4th of July party/BBQ. I had a ton of fun creating this next treat, a Raspberry Charlotte. This cake is light but creamy with a mixture of textures. I hand-piped sponge cake batter into two rounds and a set of lady fingers, made a raspberry cream mousse and a hazelnut dacquoise for the center.

To assemble, line torte ring with ladyfingers brushed with a raspberry puree/sugar syrup mixture, lay down one sponge brushed with syrup, pipe in some raspberry mousse, layer dacquoise, and another sponge brushed with syrup, top with fresh raspberries, and finally finish with the rest of raspberry mousse. Let set for 2 hrs and top with a mixture of berries!

This is probably one of my favorite things so far this summer! :0) I just love creating new desserts and then, of course, trying a bite!

(PS-thank you to Rod and Mary for a lovely holiday, full of parades, LOTS of food, family and fun, and of course, no 4th is complete without our trip to the fireworks show!!)

Also to help you celebrate summer, I created a Box o' Fun chocolate assortment that features both Bejeweled and Hand-dipped Chocolates, for the best of both worlds. And to sweeten the deal, every box size of this assortment is 15% off. So go ahead, indulge the last days of summer and let The Chocolate Season help you do it!!

Perfect Pairs

Some things in life always seem to come in pairs.....a pair of socks or shoes, a salt and pepper shaker, even things like ice cream and a cone. Same goes for life in the chocolate world. Just seems funny how we've had a couple duplicate orders in the last couple weeks...starting with two separate requests for one-piece favors to be tied with black ribbon (this is unusual as we don't normally carry black, but will special-order colors).
One set of favors was for a rehearsal dinner, which included the ever-so-popular milk chocolate mudball, and this favor was perfectly finished with a custom printed label. Not but a week later, the Magnolia Hotel was hosting a wedding reception and requested a variety of one-piece bejeweled truffles, with no truffle cup, and black ribbon.
That same week we had two PINK celebration cakes requested. One was for a long-time Chocolate Season customer, Robin, for her anniversary. She requested a cute, lil' 6-inch chocolate cake, with chocolate/caramel whipped ganache and American buttercream. Her wedding colors had been pink and burgundy, but with thoughts of summer, we opted for a completely pink cake! :) She said it was a big hit, and I was thrilled to please such a loyal friend and customer! (*thanks Robin!!!)*
The other celebration cake was for fellow Chi Omega sister, Angela, and her beautiful 1-yr old daughter, Helen. Requested was a very "girly" cake that had a dominant pink theme, with accents of white and purple. The cake was a 9-inch and 6-inch white cake with citrus simple syrup, torted with strawberry puree and strawberry Italian buttercream, iced with American buttercream and covered in homemade marshmallow fondant. We also included a 4-inch smash cake for Helen to dig into, which mimicked the larger cake, minus the fondant (we didn't think a baby could easily dig into that!) I loved how this cake turned out, and was super excited to present it to Angela, who also loved it! (*Thanks so much to Angela for this fun and creative opportunity!*)

And lastly, my other perfect pair for the month was Scott and Sara. They had their wedding in Okoboji, IA on June 14th, and the day couldn't have been more lovely. Brad took the wedding photos (as well the engagement photos below) and yes, sara, I've already had a sneak peek at the wedding pics and they are divine!!!! Can't wait to post more about the beautiful wedding and more importantly, what a beautiful and perfect pair this couple makes. They really do complete each other in a multitude of ways and I am so pysched to have Scott as an official part of the family! :)
Hope to write more later about some upcoming specials...but just thought I'd share all the fun pairs we've had in the last couple weeks! And if you're ever in need of your own favors, celebration cakes or just a day of sweet delights, then stop by The Chocolate Season...we'd love to help make any day a special one!