You may already know about Thanksgiving Point for its family-friendly venues like the Dinosaur Museum, Gardens or Barnyard Farm. What sometimes goes unnoticed is the section of Thanksgiving Point that is perfect for MOM!

Thanksgiving Point’s Emporiumis a boutique that offers one-of-a-kind furniture, clothing and accessories for the woman who appreciates style. Most everything is local and hand-selected by the design professionals of the Emporium. The Sassies were invited to take a tour of the storefront as well as the basement where all the magic is stored!

Not only are the Emporium employees experts in the decor business, they also know a thing or two about horticulture and culinary crafts. Always wanted to learn how to make sushi? Chinese food? Italian food? How about winter comfort foods? All are available as scheduled classes in the Emporium’s gourmet industrial kitchen.

Have you wondered when is the best season to bury those bulbs? How to grow plants in a greenhouse? Learn all of these and more in horticulture classes scheduled every month. And if you’re wondering how well these instructors know their gardening tips, let me refer you back to the Thanksgiving Point Gardens. Gorgeous, right?

For more information:

Thanksgiving Point Emporium blog
Thanksgiving Point Emporium Facebook page
Thanksgiving Point on Twitter

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!

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

So what did our Sassies and their husbands think of the cooking classes offered by Tony Caputo’s Market & Deli? Is the cheese cave really as cool as it sounds? Read on to find out!
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QUESTION

What was your first impression?
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THE SCOOP

Emily: How did I not know about this place before? I mean, I knew about it but had never been inside. Someone pinch me–I think I’ve died and gone to cheese, chocolate and gourmet-food heaven! My other first impression? (Yes, I had two first impressions…) That Mark Caputo seriously knows cheese and chocolate! Holy crap!
Nathan: It is like a toy store for your taste buds. The place is lined with various candies, spicy meats, cheeses, and breads. At first I was a bit intimidated by it all. I had no idea what I would like. In short I was out of my depth.
Quinn: Wow. My first impression was: wow. I loved the atmosphere and was slightly intimidated, but very excited to take it all in (there’s sooo much to see and experience).
Randy: Very nice looking place!
Vanessa: Home. I love this place, I roam around this place for way too long and want everything inside. The cooking classes were very down to business and educational.
Tyler: Impressed. Matt Caputo did an extraordinary job teaching us about the history, ins and outs and many interesting facts with the cheeses and chocolates.
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QUESTION

What did you like the most?

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THE SCOOP

Emily: The cheese cave was pretty darn cool, though the height of some of the crazy growth on some of those cheese rounds was enough to put me off cheese forever. Okay, not really, but it was crazy! My favorite cheese was the Lagrein (thank heavens for wine-soaked cheese with a hint of garlic) and my favorite part about the chocolate class was the taste testing of course. Oh, and hearing the word “cacao” (pronounced “kuh-kah-oh”) was life changing. Who knew?
Nathan: I liked learning about chocolate. Its history. How it is grown, processed, roasted, and refined.
Quinn: I thought the whole night was really interesting, honestly. I don’t know if that’s a cheating answer, but I really loved the cheese instruction and tasting (I’m chicken about cheese flavors, but these were sooo yummy!) and the chocolate class blew my mind. No more cheap chocolate for me. ;)
Randy: The cheese instruction and tasting.
Vanessa: Learning the history behind certain things, seeing the passion and enjoyment the owner and his employees get out of where they work and the products.
Tyler: Finding my new favorite cheese, Lagrein. {Tyler, that can’t be your favorite; it’s mine…all mine!}

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QUESTION

What didn’t you like?

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THE SCOOP

Emily: What I didn’t like was more my fault—I was thinking the chocolate class was sort of a cooking class so I was a little disappointed there was no hands-on activities, though sampling the cheese and chocolate was pretty hands on…and tasty! The other issue I have with Caputo’s is that it isn’t just down the street so I can visit as often as I’d like.
Nathan: I would liked to have eaten (and sampled) more!
Quinn: Why can’t Caputos be in my neighborhood?! I’d go there every day. Also, I’ve been regretting ever since that I didn’t buy myself a few Amano chocolate bars to stock me up until I make it back out there to buy more.
Randy: I don’t know; can’t think of anything I didn’t like.
Vanessa: Wish there was more “warmth” to the cooking classes, a bit more casual would have suited my taste.
Tyler: Wish they had a location closer to where I lived, though I do stop in when I have clients in that area.
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QUESTION

Would you visit again?

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THE SCOOP

Emily: That’s a resounding “YES!” I’m actually plotting the next time I can visit, but my next trip will be for lunch AND a bit of shopping.
Nathan: Absolutely. Everyone there was very approachable and helpful. You don’t have to pretend to be all-knowing with these people but you do have to pretend to like food. They all seem to love the food and are quite knowledgeable about everything they offer.
Quinn: Definitely!!! I want to stop in whenever I’m downtown now; been thinking about my next trip to Caputo’s nearly every day since we went there.
Randy: Yes!
Vanessa: Yes! We want to attend the vinegars and another cheese class. We learned so much and were so impressed with Matt’s expertise and passion for what he does.
Tyler: Have been already, really great place.
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QUESTION

If you could only send out one tweet about the business, what would you say?

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THE SCOOP

Emily: Love chocolate? Love all things gourmet? You MUST visit @CaputosMarket in SLC #utah! Fab classes & fine food from all over. YUM!
Nathan: {He’s still not on Twitter…perhaps never will be.}
Quinn: Have you been to any of the @caputosmarket classes yet? They’re a must for any #slc #foodie! Go register RIGHT NOW.
Randy: Check out @CaputosMarket for really cool cheese classes and tastings! Their prices are unbeatable and their quality is unmatched.
Vanessa: Are you a Foodie? You NEED to go to a @CaputosMarket cooking class. You will learn so much and love the food culture even more.
Tyler: @CaputosMarket has products above and beyond in quality compared to any other place in Utah. At surprisingly great prices as well.

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CHECK OUT THEM SCOOPS!

Here is the official SassyScoops.com rating for Tony Caputo’s Market & Deli, classes and all. (Not all the ratings are in so this may change slightly.) Nathan missed the whole “scale of 1 to 5″ thing and gave us a comment for each category instead. We couldn’t resist including them below our scoops ratings.

If you’ve visited before, tell us what you think and your favorite gourmet goodie you like to buy there!
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Atmosphere	Family friendly	Location
Prices	Quality	Service

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And here’s Nathan’s “official” rating in each category:

Atmosphere: The closest thing Salt Lake has to a French cafe.
Family friendly: Probably not. I imagine my kids running amuck with handfuls of expensive chocolates.
Location: Very convenient for anyone downtown or just off the freeway.
Prices: Reasonable considering the higher quality of the product selection.
Quality: Superior.
Service: Friendly, patient, and knowledgeable.
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Return to SassyScoops.com on Friday for our follow-up post on Tony Caputo’s Market & Deli. We’ll feature Emily and Nathan’s take on the chocolatey side of their fab cooking classes!

AND we’ll have a special GIVEAWAY (cooking class, anyone?) for SassyScoops.com readers.