Holiday Gift Guide: Chuao Chocolate For the Chocoholics In Your Life

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It’s that time of year, everyone! The Holiday shopping season is upon us! (At least it is if you’re like me and get an early start to avoid the mad rush of frazzled, last-minute shoppers in December!) 

For the 2014 Holiday season, I will be featuring tons of great gift ideas for babies, kids, men, women, pets, and even for the person who has everything. We all have some of those on our gift lists, don’t we? There will even be loads and loads of chances to win many of the gifts I am featuring. How cool is that?! You can check out my 2014 Holiday Gift Guide at any time from now till Christmas. Make sure to check often, as it will be growing by the day! 

Right now, I want to talk chocolate. While I don’t really eat candy myself very often, I live with a bona-fide chocoholic. My husband, Dan, is addicted to it, and eats it on a daily basis, sometimes in rather large quantities. I know I will never, ever get him to slow down on his chocolate consumption. Ever. I accept that. Chocolate should be his middle name. 

But what I can do is get him to switch out his chemical-laden, gas-station candy bars for something that’s all-natural and absolutely delicious. We first discovered the amazing gourmet chocolate from Chuao Chocolatier when we were shopping at World Market. Dan immediately stopped in his tracks when he saw a label that read “Maple Bacon”. Come on. We all know that bacon makes everything better, so why not add it to a chocolate bar, right? 

Anyway, if you’re not familiar with Chuao Chocolatier, I would love to introduce you. Here’s a bit about this company that’s taking the world of chocolate by storm:

Chuao Chocolatier (pronounced chew-WOW) is the first Venezuelan Chocolatier based in the United States and Southern California’s premier artisan chocolatier.

Founded in 2002 by Master Chef Michael Antonorsi and his brother Richard Antonorsi – the company’s Chairman of the Board; Chuao Chocolatier is pioneering “fusion chocolate” through a commitment to creating unusual, unexpected and delicious flavors using their secret blend of premium chocolate and fresh natural ingredients.

The Venezuelan born brothers, now San Diego residents, named the company Chuao Chocolatier after the legendary cacao-producing region of Chuao (pronounced chew-WOW) located in central Venezuela. The Antonorsi’s decision was a reflection of their commitment to both high quality and their Venezuelan family heritage. Chocolate is part of their roots, as their ancestors once ran a small family farm that was an important part of the criollo cacao plantation industry.

Initially, the company started with a single boutique in Encinitas, CA featuring a one-of-a-kind confectionary menu of chocolate bars,bonbons, truffles and hot chocolate. Their signature flavor was Spicy Maya, a modern twist on the Mayan’s ancient hot chocolate recipe made with pasilla chile and cayenne pepper. The Spicy Maya flavor has since extended into a chocolate bar, ChocoPod, and a bonbon, as well as decadent hot chocolate, brownies, and gelato.

Unusual flavor combinations are at the heart of Chuao Chocolatier’s unique experienceincluding: Firecracker, a chipotle caramel fudge truffle with popping candy,a hint of salt, and dark chocolate and Pan Con Chocolate, a dark chocolate bonbon filled with roasted Panko bread crumbs and olive oil ganache with a touch of sea salt.

The generous folks over at Chuao Chocolatier sent us a nice assortment of their delectable chocolates to try for ourselves. We received plenty of full sized bars, as well as their mini chocolate bars, also known as ChocoPods. 

As soon as these treats arrived, my husband started behaving like a ravenous vulture. You see, when packages arrive here, they get put off to the side until I am ready to photograph them. He had to wait a couple of weeks, and he was sooooo sad about that. He kept eyeing them, and even begged me to open them, more than a few times. 

So when it was finally time to eat these gourmet chocolates, he was literally like a kid in a candy store. With flavors like “Oh My S’Mores”, “Ravishing Rocky Road”, “Pretzel Toffee Twirl”, and “Potato Chip”, I couldn’t blame him for being excited! 

Of course, just as I expected, every single bar was absolutely fabulous. While I am not huge on chocolate like the rest of my family, I did try a small bit of each flavor. To write about them, I kind of need to know how they taste, after all! My personal favorites were the Maple Bacon and the Potato Chip. This doesn’t come as much of a surprise, since I generally prefer savory treats. The combination of both the potato chips and the bacon with the sweetness and creaminess of the all-natural milk chocolate was to die for! 

As far as the hubby and kids? Well, they liked them all, too. Of course they preferred the sweeter varieties like the “Oh My S’Mores” and “Ravishing Rocky Road.” I was actually surprised that Dan shared with the kids at all, knowing how much he had been craving these chocolate bars!

Overall, we’re definitely very impressed with our Chuao Chocolatier experience. These all-natural treats are sinfully delicious, and are made from only the best ingredients Mother Nature has to offer. Definitely check them out for Halloween, or for the chocolate lover on your Holiday shopping lists this season! I promise you won’t be disappointed. This stuff is GOOD! 

You can check out the awesomeness that is Chuao Chocolatier on their website.

Tou can discover Chuao Chocolatier chocolate confections around the United States at fine specialty retailers including Whole Foods Market, World Market, Dean and Deluca, and Crate & Barrel, as well as fine restaurants & hotels including Omni Hotels nationwide, La Costa Resort & Spa, Coupa Cafe, and Hard Rock Hotel.

You can also connect with them on Facebook, on Pinterest and on twitter to stay on top of their latest products and promotions!