Cakes, why I don't make them, and where you should buy your next one.

People often ask me if I make cakes in addition to chocolates. There's a very simple answer to this question...no. I am a pastry chef, and I do occasionally make a cake for friends or family. My passion does not lie with cakes, however. I think they're beautiful, and really one of the most satisfying sweet things to eat. Cakes can become rather finicky things - they can dry out, get soggy, get smudged or just fall apart completely. Chocolate has it's finicky moments, too - but I'm much more familiar with those pitfalls, and happy to deal with them.

Fortunately, my dear friend Jill and her sister Courtney have started Two Cupcakes Bakery to fill the need for fantastic cake. Jill and Courtney and I were in New York City at the same time. They were in the pastry class ahead of mine at the French Culinary Institute. I can personally attest to the exceptional quality of these cakes, and they're as gorgeous as they are delicious.

So if you need a cake - visit Jill and Courtney. If you need chocolate - visit me.

What's in a name?

This is one of those frustrating bits of news. This is the first public sharing of the information, though close friends and associates have already heard the tale...

I won't go into great detail at the moment, because several details are still in limbo. The super condensed version is this: LØVE Chocolate will soon be no more - I'm changing the name to LUCA Chocolate. Don't worry - everything you've come to love about LØVE will still be here. The sea salt caramel isn't going away.

The still abbreviated version is this: there is a similarly sounding company in a state on this coast but more than one state away. They have aggressive and expensive lawyers, who have enough money at their disposal to do silly things, like try to eradicate all other companies with names that sound like theirs. I also have a very qualified lawyer (considerably less cash at my disposal, though), who initially thought this would be an easy enough thing to stop. Unfortunately, silliness overtook reason, and, instead of fighting what might have become a losing battle, I decided to go with the option that left me free to continue doing what I love - making chocolate that makes people happy. Anything else might have taken copious amounts of time and money, not to mention frustration. Many dear friends have been outraged by this chocolate man - who has already made a very successful name for himself and suffers no threat from me. I appreciate that outrage more than they can know - it really does make me feel appreciated. Many have also suggested some form of retaliation - and while I do want to make this story a little more well known, I also want to simply move on and keep building myself up, not tearing others down (no matter how deserving they may be). When I can tell the whole story, I promise I will. In the mean time, I'll continue posting here for a few more weeks, and then I'll be fully transitioned to www.lucachocolate.com and www.lucachocolate.blogspot.com. If you're a subscriber, please do join me at the new blog, it means a lot to me that you've stuck with me so far, and I hope you'll keep it up.

Semi-celebrity

No, you won't find me posted on PerezHilton or TMZ (thank goodness), but a few weeks ago, I was plastered across the front page of the Courier-Tribune. A few weeks before that, reporter Chip Womick and photographer Paul Church visited me one rainy Thursday morning to talk about all things chocolate.

This wasn't my first interview about my business, but it was certainly the most in-depth. I treated them to a demonstration of making vanilla buttercreams, and we talked and took pictures for a good three hours before all the information had been gathered.

The response has been fantastic. I've gotten lots and lots of encouraging comments, and the Arts Guild is having a hard time keeping my chocolate in stock. I'll try to get a good scan of the article and post it here.

Updates, New Retail Location

First of all, apologies for the lapse in news. It's not that nothing's going on, it's that so much has been going on that I haven't had time to collect my thoughts. So, on to the updates!

Over the next few days, I'll get you up to date on all the good and frustrating things that have been going on in the chocolate kitchen.

The first big update is a new retail location! Etc. Boutique is a new high-end shop offering beautiful and hard-to-find clothes, jewelry, and decor. It's run by Julia Griffin, and I'm thrilled to be a part her new venture. She's located at 1003 Sunset Avenue in Asheboro, NC.


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