If you’ve read Vanessa’s post on Monday then you already know Tony Caputo’s Market & Deli has a real life cheese cave and over 230 varieties of cheeses. (Did I mention they have a cheese cave?) That creamy, garlicky Lagrein is calling my name and the Manchego isn’t far behind. Take a cracker, top it with a thin slice of Lagrein and finish it off with some of Caputo’s roasted tomatoes and you’re pretty much set for life.
Along with cheeses they have lots of other gourmet delicacies. They even have those elusive black truffles that you pretty much have to sell your child to buy:
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But I digress. This follow-up post is supposed to focus on the chocolate class (one of many classes offered) we attended after being introduced to the intricate process that is cheese making. “Intro to Fine Chocolate,” taught by Matt Caputo, aims to help non-connoisseurs understand “the most misunderstood category in food.” What’s not to understand? Chocolate + my tastebuds = YUM.
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But apparently chocolate as we—and most of the world—know it does not even taste like cacao, the plant from which it comes. What you know as that silky, smooth chocolaty taste is actually __________ . (Nice try! I’m not giving away any of the little surprises you’ll learn in this class.)
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We did learn some pretty nifty things like:
- There are three types of cacao beans
- What you think of as chocolate (i.e. Hershey’s) is made from the crappiest of them all
- Gourmet chocolate from the best of the cacao beans can have undertones of things like berries, flowers, leather…even those super stinky large poster markers
- Darker isn’t always better
- Cubes of homemade white bread make a great chaser between samplings
We of course learned lots of other nifty things but that’s for us to know and you to find out! And find out you will. Matt really—and I mean REALLY—knows his chocolate and isn’t afraid to dispel whatever myths and preconceptions you may have about it:
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I may never look at a Dove chocolate the same way again. Of course it won’t stop me from eating crappy chocolate—I do love a good Twix!
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We Sassies had a wonderful time attending the class with our spouses. I think a little dinner at Caputo’s followed by one of their cooking classes makes for a wonderful date night. If you’re not interested in the cacao bean you can always try one of their other “Focused Tasting” classes like Intro to Fine Cheeses or Olive Oil & Artisan Vinegars. And if you’re up to trying your hand at a little cooking, Caputo’s also offers a couple cooking classes. Quick & Healthy Mediterranean Meals, anyone? (Me! Oh, pick me! I’ll even be your stand-in videographer!)
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By the way, if you’re married to someone who loves learning as much as he can about whatever he can, he’ll really enjoy the Intro to Fine Chocolate class. Just be prepared to repeat the class over and over again as he talks about it to everyone he meets.
Tony Caputo’s Market & Deli is giving away two (2) pairs of tickets to their “Intro to Fine Chocolate” class (February or March) to two (2) lucky SassyScoops.com reader!
PLUS
Each customer who mentions SassyScoops when they visit Caputo’s through Feb 14th receives a
free Valrhona Chocolate Baton.
To enter this giveaway simply leave a comment on this post telling us which cooking class you’d like to attend.
For additional entries you can do any or all of the following. Please leave a comment telling us which of these you’ve done:
- For 1 extra entry follow @CaputosMarket on Twitter
- For 5 extra entries tweet about this giveaway and leave a comment with the URL of your tweet
- For 10 extra entries Facebook about this giveaway
- For 15 extra entries blog about this giveaway and leave a comment with the link to your URL
Good luck! This giveaway ends Friday, January 22nd, at midnight!
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50 Comments
Cooking Class: Pasta: Traditional Recipes from Rome! Yummy!
olive oil class! still haven’t been to caputo’s but dying to go
ok…so this is how you got my attention. Chocolate. and then wine and Chocolate. o.m.g.
Clever Sassy Girls! This is serious…
I followed Caputo’s on Twitter.
I tweeted it out: http://twitter.com/kimdoesblogs/status/7812068332
On Facebook – Kimberly Foster Moore & it will be my status :)
And I blogged about it: http://www.kimdoesblogs.com/
THANKS!
Chocolate and Wine??? Feb 9 – actually you could turn me in a circle and I could point at ANY of them – they sound DIVINE!
Thanks Sassy Scoop!
I won’t lie, I would love to take the Soft Ripened Cheese and wine pairing class. Mmmmm…. cheese!
Tweeted!
RT @sassyscoops Follow-up Friday & Giveaway: So you think you know cacao – SassyScoops.com http://tinyurl.com/y9wvz7k
Facebooked… blog to come next.
Oops – here is the correct tweet :)
http://twitter.com/kimdoesblogs/status/7812428008
http://genuinetfadesign.blogspot.com/2010/01/tony-caputos-class-giveaway.html
And heck, might as well go whole hog. Following @Caputosmarket
http://twitter.com/hippiduck
I would take the CHOCOLATE class! So cool!
I would love to take the chocolate class. I already follow @caputosmarket
the chocolate class looks awesome! I KNOW my dh would love the cheese class too. I never knew they had classes! Oh boy, I hope I win!
I would love the chocolate class!
Besides the yummy chocolate classes, I’d love to go to the Quick & Healthy Mediterranean Meals class.
I blogged about this because I’m dying to win and if I don’t then I’m dragging my husband to the chocolate class anyway! ;) The post can be found here: http://mcdonaldfamilyfun.blogspot.com/2010/01/if-you-live-in-utah.html
So hard to choose between the Oil & Vinegar, the chocolate & the Mediterranean cooking class. Hmmmmm probably chocolate to start off with. Hope I win!
I would like to go to the Cooking Class: Quick & Healthy Mediterranean Meals or the private classes!
I’d love to go to the Cooking Class: Pasta: Traditional Recipes from Rome. YUM!
Oooh how I’ve been wanting to go to one of those classes! Mainly the chocolate ones – intro and intermediate! The Pasta: Traditional Recipes from Rome sounds great too, but then so does the introduction to fine cheeses… too hard to choose!
I already follow Caputo’s on Twitter, so hopefully that counts
OK, now I follow Caputo’s for The Hive too :)
I retweeted the link from PheMom on Twitter here http://twitter.com/PheMom/status/7969501939
And…. now I tweeted it for The Hive too :) http://twitter.com/UTHiveFB/status/7969325973
I shared the link on Facebook as well!
Here is my post on PheMOMenon http://phemomenon.blogspot.com/2010/01/you-know-i-looooove-chocolate.html
I went ahead and posted about the giveaway on The Hive too! http://pioneerpalate.blogspot.com/2010/01/hello-lovelies-do-you-love-chocolate.html
Well, you did have me at “Chocolate”. I’d love the Intro to Fine Chocolate Class!
Follow on twitter @jonbonjovious
I tweeted! http://twitter.com/jonbonjovious/status/7971227976
Intro to Fine Chocolates
Uh, Chocolate – duh! =)
The chocolate class would be my first choice, and then the Quick and Healthy Med. Cooking. Sounds great. Wish I lived closer. I’ve never been to the store, but might have to make a trip up to see all this in person and buy some great food!
The intro to fine chocolate sounds great!
OMG!!! I would love the Intro to Fine Chocolate or Matt’s Intro to Fine Cheese. How fun!!!
I would love to take the fine cheese and the chocolate classes! YUMM! I posted a link to this giveaway on my FB status- Barbra Stocker Stanger
Oh oh oh!!! I so love chocolate!!! i ewould love love love this class and also the mediterranian meals class. Cooking is something I am growing to love more every day and good food is so much more fun to make!
I posted on facebook about this!
OH Tradition Rome cooking class FOR SURE!!!
I just love Caputos so much
New follower of @CaputosMarket
After the chocolate one the Olive Oil and Balsalmic class would be amazing!
Intro to Fine Chocolates, Sounds like a great date night, dinner and then class.
I just posted this on Facebook.
I would love to attend this class,Pasta: Traditional Recipes from Rome
I would love to attend intro to fine chocolates. Chocolate is pretty much my favorite food and yes my husband does “love learning as much as he can about whatever he can” and I wouldn’t be surprised if he started started spending a large chunk of our grocery budget on fine chocolate for baking and cooking after attending (he already makes all kinds of cheesecake and puts fine dark chocolate in his chili).
Would love to take the Intro to Fine Chocolate class! I’d like to think that I am a chocolate snob but now I want proof! :)
And I put this contest as my status on Facebook! (Kristina P. can verify it!)
Would LOVE to take any of the classes, but am especially hoping to win the chocolate class tickets!!!
All of their classes look fantastic, but I would love to go to the chocolate classes the most.
I would love to take any of these classes! I took culinary in High School and we did a chocolate class.. I haven’t done anything with chocolate since then (besides eat it) :) Thanks so much in advance if you pick me!
I would like the traditional pastas of Rome or the Mediteranian meals…. both would be so fun to take with my hubby!