|
Post by theslowmeltkatie on Jan 27, 2017 17:14:15 GMT -5
Today is the launch of The Slow Melt, the first podcast to cover the continuum of chocolate. Please listen to the debut episode below and find us on iTunes, Stitcher, SoundCloud and many other podcast apps. theslowmelt.com/portfolio/chocolate-is-multiple/Chocolate is a substance that’s stable at room temperature and starts to transform—melt—on human contact. That melt is a relationship, one reflected from cacao seed and cocoa bean to the final product, that holds a variety of meanings. That diversity of connection is the inspiration behind The Slow Melt, the first podcast dedicated to a deep exploration of chocolate. The Slow Melt uses chocolate as the thick, delicious lens through which to explore the world—from flavor and physiology to chemistry and conservation, from global markets and gender to climate change, social justice and beyond—highlighting the people, places and processes behind this $100 billion industry. By better understanding chocolate, we can better appreciate it, more easily identify what we love, and support the makers and producers that create those kinds of bars. Guests include farmers, conservationists, manufacturers, tasting experts, scientists, social justice advocates, chocolate purveyors and, of course, award-winning chocolate makers. The 23-minute program launched on January 27, 2017, and will be distributed biweekly through traditional podcast channels, as well as through the Public Radio Exchange. The program is written and hosted by Simran Sethi, a journalist, former visiting scholar at the University of West Indies’ Cocoa Research Centre, and the author of Bread, Wine, Chocolate: The Slow Loss of Foods We Love, named one of the best food books of 2016 by Smithsonian. The show is produced by Jason Slote and Shawn Corey Campbell, with additional support from media manager Katie Ranke.
|
|
|
Post by theslowmeltkatie on Feb 24, 2017 18:52:09 GMT -5
Just a quick update that we have 2 episodes up since I last posted here. Please take a listen and share if so moved! Ep. 2: Be Still My Heart theslowmelt.com/portfolio/be-still-my-heart/Chocolate: food of the gods, balm of our hearts, and, at one point in time, a symbol of sacrifice and stand-in for human blood. In this episode, we explore what makes chocolate sexy and how to decipher labels on the nearly $400 million of chocolate sold in the days leading up to Valentine’s Day. Guests include: Gillian Goddard, farmer, educator and founder of Sun Eaters Organics, on how chocolate forges intimacy and what it means to empower farmers in the places where cacao is grown. Aubrey Lindley, co-founder of Portland’s Cacao, one of the oldest specialty chocolate shops in the United States, on what to look for when assessing a chocolate bar. Thierry Muret, global executive chef at Godiva, on what makes chocolate sexy. Ep. 3: We Eat The Seeds theslowmelt.com/portfolio/we-eat-the-seeds/Many of us have been eating chocolate since childhood, but few can recognize it in nature. In this episode, we start at the farm with the pod-shaped fruit and its bitter seeds. Those seeds start off bitter, but ultimately become sweet, gooey chocolate. In this show, we’ll explore what gives chocolate its flavor and how one of the top craft chocolate makers in the U.S. transformed that love of flavor into a career. Guests include: Emily Stone, CEO of specialty cacao supplier Uncommon Cacao, on the factors that create and enhance flavors in chocolate. Todd Masonis, founder of San Francisco’s Dandelion Chocolate, on selling his tech company for over $150 million and using the money to open a chocolate factory. Vicente Norero, farm manager and supplier at Camino Verde, based in Guayaquil, Ecuador, on what he wishes chocolate lovers understood about farming cacao. We welcome any feedback from this great chocolate community! Thank you, katie@theslowmelt.com
|
|
|
Post by theslowmeltkatie on Mar 10, 2017 17:40:05 GMT -5
Hi again! Back with the latest episode of The Slow Melt. The majority of chocolate we know and love - 70 percent - comes from West Africa, and in the last few weeks, the price these farmers receive for their cocoa has plummeted to historic lows. We decided to wedge this program into our podcast schedule to make clear this is NO cause for celebration - and to help everyone who loves chocolate understand the economics behind what they are buying and how their decisions can help farmers who are earning less than $1 a day. Guests include: Laurent Pipitone, director of the economics and statistics division at the International Cocoa Organization, on the impacts of historically low cocoa prices on subsistence cocoa farmers in West Africa. Antonie Fountain, managing director of the VOICE (Voice of Organisations in Cocoa in Europe) Network, on how the money consumers pay for chocolate is allocated. Sako Warren, global executive secretary of the World Cocoa Farmers Organization, on what farmer empowerment in cocoa really means. Please listen and share if so moved. audioboom.com/posts/5692388-episode-4-the-high-price-of-cheap-chocolate
|
|
|
Post by isobel on Mar 11, 2017 4:13:36 GMT -5
Love listening to the podcast when I'm working!
|
|
|
Post by theslowmeltkatie on Mar 24, 2017 14:21:29 GMT -5
Thanks isobel! We love to hear feedback from listeners. Our latest episode is a fun one for all chocophiles. Here are the details: Episode 5: Eat With Your Ears (and More) Most of our experience of chocolate comes from smell and taste but also touch, sight and sound. In this episode, we’ll explore the sense people think of most when it comes to eating chocolate—and the one they think of the least. This show was previewed on Los Angeles NPR affiliate KCRW. Guests include: Lisa Schroeder, sensory technologist and professional chocolate taster at Mars, on what it means to be the taster for iconic confections such as M&M’s, Snickers and Twix. Russell Jones, the co-founder of Condiment Junkie, a creative agency based in London, on the surprising ways our senses influence flavor. Felipe Carvalho, Brazilian sound designer and experimental psychologist, on how sound impacts our experience of the texture of chocolate. Listen to the show (and try tasting chocolate while listening to soundtracks from Felipe Carvalho) at theslowmelt.com/portfolio/eat-with-your-ears/
|
|
|
Post by theslowmeltkatie on May 12, 2017 16:06:19 GMT -5
Update: Please visit our website, or find us on iTunes and your favorite podcast apps, to listen to more episodes, including: Episode 8: The Deep Origin: Latin America The cocoa and chocolate we know and love was born in the upper Amazon and domesticated (turned into chocolate) in Mesoamerica. In this episode, we will explore the history of the food of the gods and, as the leading producer of fine and flavor cocoa, the role Latin America plays in chocolate today. Guests include: Maricel Presilla, chef, culinary historian, author of The New Taste of Chocolate and coordinator of the International Chocolate Awards, on the history of cacao and cocoa. Cristian Melo, professor at Universidad Tecnológica Equinoccial, on the development of prized indigenous cacao and one of the world’s most prolific hybrids in the country that leads in fine and flavor production. Chloé Doutre-Roussel, consultant and author of The Chocolate Connoisseur, on how the economic crisis in Venezuela impacts cocoa farmers and the industry at large. Episode 7: The Craft of ChocolateThe specialty chocolate industry has grown exponentially but is still in the process of defining itself. We will explore this evolving industry and some of the leaders who are helping shape it. Visit our website to read a transcript of Simran’s interviews with the six experts below. Guests include: Clay Gordon, author of Discover Chocolate, and creator and moderator of TheChocolateLife.com. Karen Bryant, executive director of the Fine Chocolate Industry Association. Greg D’Alesandre, chocolate sourcerer at Dandelion Chocolate in San Francisco, CA. Sunita de Tourreil, founder of The Chocolate Garage. Carla Martin, founder and executive director of the Fine Cacao and Chocolate Institute. Art Pollard, founder and head chocolate maker at Amano Artisan Chocolate in Orem, UT. Episode 6: Save by SavoringDisease, climate change and low wages are just a few of the reasons we are losing some of the most diverse, delicious varieties of cocoa. In this episode, we will explore some of the efforts to save the crop we love. (Hint: This includes eating even more chocolate.) Guests include: Sam Maruta, chocolate maker and co-founder of Marou, Faiseurs de Chocolat, in Vietnam. Pathmanathan Umaharan, director of The University of the West Indies Cocoa Research Centre and International Cocoa Genebank, Trinidad (ICG,T) Charles Kerchner, co-founder of Reserva Zorzal in the Dominican Republic. Happy listening! Katie
|
|