What are your earliest memories of chocolate?
The first morsel of chocolate I ever tasted was a Hershey's Kiss. I must have been about two. A visiting relative brought them to the house and watched as I struggled to get the foil wrapper off. It was well worth the struggle and I have had a passion for chocolate ever since.

How did you begin your career as the President of Perspectives/The
Consulting Group, Inc.? What is your specialty?
Perspectives started as a restaurant operating company. My first restaurant was the Warehouse in Marina del Rey, California. It was the talk of Los Angeles and Hollywood and everyone who was anyone waited in line for two hours to get in. Everyone wanted to know how we came up with the idea of the first themed casual dining restaurant in the Untied States. I started helping clients with their restaurant concept ideas and designs. We developed a back log of clients in all restaurant categories including McDonalds and Pizza Hut along with higher end restaurants. Since food is the most important part of the equation we built a million dollar test kitchen to help our clients with their menu and recipe formulations.

Perspectives/The Consulting Group, Inc. specializes in:

• Concept Creation
• Strategic Planning
• Brand Development
• Menu & Product Development
• Market Research
• Operations Analysis
• Facilities & Kitchen Design
• Market Planning & Site Analysis
• Food Safety & Sanitation Programs
• Consumer & Corporate Communications Programs

I have been called a "Food Architect" because I tend to design food and chocolate like a well designed building. My personal specialty is creating great flavor thrills.


What inspires the flavors and artistic designs behind Choclatique?
The flavors and designs are all about an Authentically American dessert experience. While most European chocolate is geared towards European tastes, we wanted to build an American premium chocolate company that would satisfy the tastes of people living in the Untied States. My previous experience as a motion picture art director helped me create great tasting and beautiful chocolates. We didn't want to create flavors that people would try once and never come back to, so we focused on flavors that Americans love such as, Root Beer Float; Chocolate, Chocolate Brownie; All American Apple Pie, Chocolate Midnight Malt, Vanilla Cola and much more. Now we have over 150 flavors both serious and whimsical.

Who/what has shaped your cooking the most over the years?
Joan Vieweger, my partner of 25 years has given substance to the dreamer and structure in me to achieve the final result that was my original vision. Working with Walt Disney taught me to never leave a detail unattended. Richard Frank from the Lawry's organization gave me my first "real" job and taught me to never settle for less than perfection when dealing with food. Gary Guittard taught me how to really evaluate chocolate and come up with the best chocolate flavor combinations. I have traveled to over 130 countries and that has shaped my tastes and understanding of food, confections and chocolate.

What are your favorite kitchen tools?
Kitchen Aid Mixer, Cuisinart Food Processor and Selmi Chocolate tempering machine(s).

What/who inspired you to write your cookbooks?
A lot of our customers have been asking me to create a cookbook that makes working with chocolate easy and fun. Also, my partner who doesn't want me to die with my secrets.

What is unique about your cookbooks?
"Chocolate Out of the Box," teaches how to make over 350 professional tasting chocolate concoctions with five basic chocolate ganaches that taste delicious.

If you were not a chocolatier, what would you be?
Back in the restaurant business running another collection of restaurants.

What is your most favorite food? Why?
Ahhh, Chocolate… do you think? Next would be Sushi… in fact one of the recipes in the new book is for Chocolate Sushi. It is to die for.

What is your least favorite food? Why?
Cottage Cheese and Bananas. My mother tried to make me eat them when I was a child and I refused, to this day I will not eat either one.

What is your favorite type of chocolate?
Dark… I love our Private Reserve 64%; our Elephant Chocolate 76%--Seriously Strong Chocolate, and Q91--our 91% cacao chocolate (that is great as a mood elevator and energy boost at anytime in the day).

What are some recent chocolate trends you have observed?
Chocolate is now being compared and sold like fine wines with an array of single origin, estate grown cacao highlighting vintage years.

What are the health or medicinal benefits associated with chocolate?
One of the most pleasant effects of eating chocolate is the "euphoric feeling" that many people experience after indulging. Chocolate contains more than 300 known beneficial compounds. Scientists can explain some of the pleasurable effects of consuming chocolate.

Recent medical research has linked the antioxidants found in cacao--the fruit from which chocolate is made--to decreases blood pressure and reduce "bad" cholesterol levels. Chocolate is a known stimulant and is also thought to be an aphrodisiac.

Eating one or two pieces every day allows you to enjoy the suggested health benefits of the flavanols and antioxidants.

The small amount of caffeine found in chocolate (1.4 oz of chocolate = 1 cup of decaf coffee) combined with Theobromine, a weak stimulant also present in chocolate, provides the "lift" that chocolate eaters experience. Phenyethylamine is reputed, although no conclusive proof exists yet, to be a mood elevator and an anti-depressant. Say good-bye to your Prozac.

Scientists are still developing their opinions on the health benefits of dark chocolate. It is probably not a good idea to replace your daily fruits and vegetables with a 6-layer frosted chocolate cake--whether dark or milk chocolate, but the research has certainly reduced the stigma of a moderate daily chocolate consumption.