The most immediate way to connect with the culinary possibilities that line the shelves of La Cantina Sociale is to simply come in with a dinner dilemma. In my case, it was to put on a meal that would resemble something Mama Veneziano might have set in front of me in Motta San Anastasia – in under 20 minutes! Under Giuseppe’s guidance, my shopping basket was full in a matter of minutes, and I had my marching orders.

The Chocolat Bar’s mission can best be described has bringing the true experience of chocolate to its grateful customers. “Chocolate makes people happy, and when you have a high quality chocolate, you enjoy the experience even more. We use 100 percent chocolate with high cocoa content and all the cocoa butter that should be there to create a quality experience,” says owner Chris Preston.

Anyone who has ever had a good Mexican mole should know that chocolate has a complexity that goes far beyond satisfying our sweet tooth. But even this realization seems to fly in the face of the conventional wisdom that chocolate is dessert, not entree. Donya Marie Schweizer, founder and Chief Technology Officer for Donya Maries Beyond Chocolate wants to change this perception…one palate at a time.