Today we’d like to introduce you to Rachel Mari Kimber.
Rachel Mari, can you briefly walk us through your story – how you started and how you got to where you are today.
I have loved chocolate ever since I can remember. My first experiments were using high quality plain chocolate, melting it and adding flavors like cinnamon or orange essence, and then putting the melted chocolate into molds. In the early 2000’s I continued to experiment, and got more ambitious with my ingredients, using maple syrup as a sweetener with plain unsweetened chocolate, or cocoa powder, butter, nut butters and coconut oil. Many truffle experiments were enjoyed at that time
I suffered an intestinal disorder that forced me to simplify and look carefully at ingredients and sourcing.
In 2012 I moved to the Verde Valley from Canada, (I’m originally from the UK) where by serendipitous destiny, I ended up meeting the amazing chocolatier and chef Carolyn ‘Peaches’ Lyon who taught me how to use the ‘Italian Stallion’ tempering machine and how to make chocolates filled with various flavored delicious fillings. I was originally introduced to her as my doppelganger by a friend who kept saying ‘you’ve got to meet her!’ This started my time working with Peaches for magic man Kelly Johnson (Sedona Chocolate Superfoods) as a Chocolatier in the Chocolate Room of the Chocolatree Vegetarian Eatery in Sedona, making his love cups and truffles.
During my time at the Chocolatree, I also met living legends Lulu Bonner (Lulu’s Chocolates) and worked for her, alongside Jeffrey Boticelli (Fortina) and Sarah Ann Lesslie (Chocolita). After continual consumption of delicious chocolate for some time, I discovered that I was sensitive to coconut sugar, which was the prime ingredient in the sweetness of the chocolate, so I started experimenting with honey in my own time. I also had the opportunity to buy cacao powder (cocoa is cooked, cacao is raw, retaining the nutrients) and the cacao butter. I enjoyed working with these bare ingredients more than the results with cacao liquor, so I over time I figured out the alchemy of blending these two with honey. It took many hours and many happy mistakes, before I finally figured out the process. It is very lengthy and requires much patience, but now I feel comfortable to say I can make chocolate with a viscous liquid involved within 3-5 tempers. Tempering is where you melt and work the chocolate to get the ingredients to blend together. Because of the live nature of this chocolate, it has to be kept in a fridge once made; it is a fresh product full of life force!
Being a musician and very aware of sound vibration and the impact of it on humans, I started tone singing to my chocolate while tempering, this came naturally to me, as I am usually singing anyway! I only make chocolate when the mood takes me, and that has to be a joyful spacious mood where time allows for this exceptional indulgence.
In the past few years, I have mastered this craft, and have set up particular flavors with the chocolates that I make, all heart shaped and carefully created in my happy home kitchen.
My journey with food has been a discovery of the difference of what poisons and what heals. I also enjoy baking cakes and cookies which my friends have been the benefactors of for a while now. I have found the gluten and dairy free options to be most beneficial to my wellbeing, so with all of my baking and chocolate creations, I source the cleanest and best quality ingredients I can find. I have also experimented with birchwood derived Xylitol for a stoneground version of chocolates, for those friends of mine who are purely Vegan, instead of Beegan (dairy free but honey used).
Chocologie is still in baby stages so I am unsure if it is financially sustainable as it’s expensive to make, and it is fresh so not shelf stable. I welcome help in the financial side as that is my weak point. Creatively though, I couldn’t be happier!
All the feedback that I have received has been extremely encouraging, with comparisons to David Wolfe’s chocolate alchemy amongst others. One friend quoted that “Chocologie is Arizona’s best kept secret” – now the secret is ready to be revealed!
Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Challenges have been ingredients not blending together, and getting the balance of pricing the chocolates so that I can pay for the ingredients and my time. With the chocolate being a fresh product, I have also struggled with chocolate blooming if exposed to temperature fluctuations, and also that sometimes they will bloom after being in the fridge for a month, so they have a short shelf life which means I cannot hold stock for long. The packaging is compostable vegetable cellulose film (I care for mother Earth) so it is not suitable for the freezer, yet is fine for the fridge. Being a fresh and expensive to make product, it is not viable for me to have them in a store, hence they are exclusive and need to be ordered, made and enjoyed in succession!
Alright – so let’s talk business. Tell us about Chocologie – what should we know?
I specialize in making Raw Artisan Chocolate, and gluten free baked goods. I am known best for my honey sweetened chocolates, tempered by hand and sung to.
I am most proud of my chocolates, as they are delicious! I also am particularly fond of the signature flavor – Divine Trinity, which is gold, frankincense and myrrh.
Flavors include orange nutmeg, spice kick, lavender, peppermint, simplicity (plain) and divine trinity. Truffles include Maca Nut Crunch Meltie, Thai Lovebomb, Orange Cardamon, and Rach’s Peace which is a healthy take on a peanut butter truffle. I also make Vegan truffle versions on request, using brown rice syrup, or maple syrup. I experiment and use superfoods a lot, and regularly invent chocolates using them.
I only know of a few people in the world who make honey sweetened chocolate by hand, so I guess we are a rare breed! I tune in with the chocolate, and sing tones to it, while tempering. I feel this changes the taste and experience of the end result.
Is there a characteristic or quality that you feel is essential to success?
Unique and joyful creative heart force makes for high vibration deliciousness!
Pricing:
- A small heart shaped chocolate is $2.50
- A large heart shaped chocolate is $5.00
Contact Info:
- Website: facebook.com/chocologie
- Phone: Tel: 3109138244
- Email: chocologielove@gmail.com
- Instagram: instagram – musicalray
- Facebook: facebook.com/rachelmarikimber
- Twitter: facebook.com/chocologie
- Yelp: www.rachelmarikimber.com
Image Credit:
Cacao ceremony photo courtesy of Syvonne Kozuch
All other chocolate photos taken by Rachel Mari Kimber
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