ellecoco

Take me (back) to Nica, for pinolillo, lapchickens, and a volcano in a lake!

It’s March 2018 and we’re leaving the deceptively challenging surf breaks of El Salvador and the flamboyant, overly inquisitive macaws of Honduras behind us, and continued on our merry way south. For the next couple of weeks we would base ourselves in Nicaragua; a country that had stolen my heart back in 2016, when I not only visited my first ever cacao farm, but made lifelong friends in the process. This time round there would be more (pinolillo) a scattering of unusual islands (including one with absolutely no motorised forms of transport, and a volcanic one in the middle of a lake), a few old haunts, and a country on the cusp of something none of us saw coming.

York Cocoa Works – Sophie’s Quest to Revive York’s Chocolate Industry

York, a city in the north of England is a bucket list stop for many people, but has a special place in my heart due to my strong family connection here. Every time I come home I would make the trip to York to visit two people: my nan, and Sophie Jewett. Not necessarily in that order, although my nan would have insisted otherwise. York is my second home; my mum is from here, and my nan continued to live here until very recently, passing away at 97. So whenever I’m back in the UK I always feel a strong pull back to the city. The ancient walls, the winding snickelways, the Minster looming above it all, the memories, and on certain days, if the wind is right, the faint, unmistakable scent of chocolate drifting through the streets. York has been a chocolate city for centuries. It’s in the stones, quite possibly in the walls too. And Sophie Jewett, one of the most inspiring women in the modern British chocolate industry, understands that deeply.

From Bordeaux to the Bay – Coromandel Chocolate

It’s December and summertime in New Zealand, supposedly. We’re battling torrential rain as we take the winding road from Waihi to Whangamatā on the northeastern coast of the North Island, the kind of road where every corner and turn you take results in a new vista with the rain so torrential you hope your wipers can keep up. Whangamatā is a cute coastal town on the edge of the Coromandel Peninsula – surfing territory, holiday territory, the kind of place where the quintessential Kiwi bach outnumbers mansions and the sound of the ocean is never far away. Not the first place you’d expect to find a French-trained bean to bar chocolate maker, perhaps, but to Thomas Capdevielle, a keen surfer with a potent mix of salt and cacao in his blood, it couldn’t be more perfect.

‘Chocolate is Magic’ – Baron Hasselhoff

The smell hits you before the door has even closed behind you. Rich, deep, intoxicating, that unmistakable aroma of cacao being ground into something truly magical. It’s a grey Wellington morning on Adelaide Road in Berhampore, and there is a distinct bite and sprinkling of rain in the air. A typical spring day. But I’m not phased, I’ve just stepped inside Baron Hasselhoff’s, what one might describe as a mini chocolate emporium, and Clayton McErlane – Chief Chocolate Disciple, as he officially goes by – is behind the counter, melangeurs whirring and rumbling away in the background. Erin Todd, Clayton’s partner in chocolate and officially Chief Everything Else Officer is mid-conversation with their final customer of the day, but waves us in with a smile that says sit down, we’ll be with you in a sec.

New Zealand shines on the global chocolate map, scooping up awards across the board at the Academy of Chocolate 2025.

Having spent an inspiring few weeks last October judging for the UK’s Academy of Chocolate, I eagerly scrolled through the email in December announcing the winners. I knew New Zealand was in a strong position, but when the results came through I was blown away. Thirty medals, from just five makers in a country of barely 5.2 million people.

New Zealand may frequently get missed off world maps for all sorts of things, but our place was now even more firmly solidified on the world chocolate map!

Welcome to Wonderland

It was a bright yet blustery day in Wellington, the sun was shining but there was a distinct nip in the air, typical for late winter when the early hints of spring are just beginning to make themselves known. I was heading to Lyall Bay. Not to surf, although conditions were good. No, I was off to meet Kate Necklen, the creative mastermind behind the magic that is Wonderland Chocolate.

It was a real treat to catch up with Kate Necklen and hear the Wonderland story

Peace and Chocolate in Pimalum

Having spent the first few days of our Vanuatu adventure on the island of Efate relaxing and catching up with Oli at Gaston Chocolat, it was time to head to Malekula. As the plane arced around and began it’s final decent, the azure blue water stretched out below us, lapping at the white corral sand beaches that rimmed the lush emerald green of the island. I felt little rushes of excitement for what chocolatey adventures lay ahead.

‘You want to make a good chocolate, you have to make a good cacao’

After seven years living in New Zealand it was high time I visited some of the beautiful neighbouring Pacific island nations, famous for snorkelling and diving, surfing, relaxation, and more recently, cacao. Being early August it was still technically the middle of winter for New Zealand, so what better way to shake off the winter blues than head to Vanuatu for two weeks? On this beautiful Pacific archipelago we were lucky enough to meet up with a good friend of mine, Olivier Fernandez of Gaston Chocolate. He greets us with open arms at Port Vila airport, his cheeky grin and sparkling blue eyes a welcome sight after a surprisingly long trip from New Zealand.

Happy 101st Birthday Zozobra! Old Man Gloom, and the Fire Spirit of Santa Fe

[NOTE: This is a re-share of a 2007 post on Zozobra.

Many readers will be well aware of Burning Man, its location, the challenging terrain, and all that it stands for. But how many of you know much about its inspiration and origin? Read on to discover one of those lesser-known festivals directly credited with it’s inspiration.]

New Mexico really is a one-of-a-kind state. There aren’t any other states where you get quite such a potent mix of Mexican, Native American, Afro American and Old World American culture, all in one stunning state. Zozobra is one of those fine examples of historical and cultural superstition mixed in with the American avant-garde arts scene. Think Burning Man, just on a much smaller scale.

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But Why Vegan? But Why Not?

It was a cold start in late July, leaving a wintery Wellington to head to an even more wintery Christchurch, having to scrape thick ice off the hire car on our arrival. But I was on a mission to interview New Zealand’s Outstanding Food Producer Awards winner Nel Vincencio, the mastermind behind Mind Your Temper, and no amount of ice or snow was going to stop me!