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:
…

…

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.
…

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.)
…

…
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:
…

…
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!
…

…
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!)
…

…
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!

THE GIVEAWAY WINNER WAS HOLLY, THIS GIVEAWAY IS NOW CLOSED.

Caputo’s Market is absolute heaven to me.  I can sit and talk about specialty cheese, Italian meats, balsamic vinegars and fine chocolates all day long.   I had never been to a Caputo’s Cooking Class and was ecstatic that a few of the Sassies (along with their husbands) were invited to attend a course about cheeses and fine chocolate.

Since my husband and I stood in awe as Matt Caupto explained in detail his cheese cave (and I do mean AWE- mouths dropped open and maybe a bit of drooling),Tyler and I (Vanessa) are going to sing praises about the cheese of Caputo’s Market.  On Friday, you can check back for more detail on their chocolate class with Emily and Nathan.

First off, were you aware that at Caputo’s, you actually end up paying up to 40 % less on specialty cheeses than you do at a supermarket? Also, Matt dropped his average cheese price by 20% a few weeks ago. He has been working on a joint project to import and distribute cheese with an old friend of his. The new partnership led to an expansion of their wholesale program which ended up permanently and dramatically lowering their costs. That means the prices have been lowered on over half of their cheeses.

So don’t get caught in the trap of thinking that buying high quality cheeses will ruin your budget.  It won’t.

Now back to this cheese cave.   Caputo’s state of the art cheese cave is one of only a handful in the country. Many complex systems are set in place to replicate the perfect environment for aging cheeses.  This allows Caputo’s to offer over 200 perfectly fresh farmstead cheeses.

Perfectly FRESH farmstead cheeses at a great price? What more could you ask for?

We sampled one cheese called Lagrein which is a cheese produced with the pure mountain milk from the High Venosta Valley. It is still made according to the traditional methods handed down through generations. It is so interesting to hear the process, pride and system these cheese makers have in creating the different cheeses. Just fascinating!  Taking this cheese class is a must for anyone you know who loves cheese, fine foods or learning more about the culinary world.

But what I loved the most? The passion Matt and the employees have for all of their products and their company. Caputo’s Market is really the go-to place in every way.  Customer service is excellent, the food is high quality, you’ll find great prices, and it’s a really fun place to go with your family.

To learn more about the cooking classes Caupto’s Market offers, check them out here. You can also follow Caputo’s on Twitter and become a fan on Facebook.