Photo Friday: Scharffen Berger Press Event, Part 1

At times, I can be a real kid.  And nothing makes me feel more like a kid in great anticipation than a fun event that is special, or a package that arrives I badly want to open.  One Wednesday a few weeks ago, that was exactly the state of excitement and awe that I experienced.  I’m such an easy mark.  LOL!

Yvo, of the Feisty Foodie, kindly gave my blog name over to Scharffen Berger, makers of a gourmet chocolate line.  I am an admitted chocolate lover.  And I have my favorites both on the cheap side and on the slightly more expensive side.  Sixlets bring bag memories of Halloween fun.  Butterfingers are one of my favorite candy bars.  Marich chocolate covered cherries are a recent, delightful find.  I’m always game for a chocolate covered pretzel.  And every time, I shop at the Mall of Louisiana, I bring $1.50 with me to pay for a chocolate covered cherry cordial from Godiva (I only like their version).

Many of the desserts I love have chocolate involved in some way.  I used to love when mom made chocolate cupcakes with cream cheese icing.  Brownies with pecans are a big hit with my family.  And there is normally some form of chocolate somewhere in my house.

So when I was invited by Scharffen Berger to attend their press event via webcast, I jumped at the chance.  I’m always game for chocolate.  Now, I live in South Louisiana.  Jumping on an airplane to attend a press event in New York City just isn’t in my realm of possibility.  In fact, jumping on a plane just to go to a blogger conference isn’t really in the realm of possibility either.  At least, not right now.  The thing that made this event accessible to a blogger like me is the online component: a real-time webcast of the press event.

I signed up.  I waited anxiously for that Wednesday to roll around for the event.  I worried if my wireless Internet would work (I had to get it all working again).  I worried if the chocolate that was supposed to be sent would melt on its way to me (luckily humid Louisiana had a cool front float through the day the chocolate was delivered).  I wondered if the dogs would leave me alone long enough to enjoy the event (they quietly played outside and lazed on the back porch, within sight, while I participated).  My karma was on an upswing that day.

And I will admit, a fun side benefit of the whole experience was that I knew Yvo was attending.  If it was a webcast, I might see her.  Cool huh?  (Though I will admit to feeling momentarily uneasy in that oddly online way.  Was I being stalkerish?  Nah, I don’t think so).  Anyhow…

On Tuesday, the box of chocolate arrived.  I couldn’t have been more excited.  Though, I didn’t open the box right away.  No, I waited.  I had previously cleared a spot in my kitchen to open it.  I placed it there.  Then, I took care of the afternoon dog routine.  Outside play time.  Inside feeding time.  Outside bathroom time.  Inside after dinner snooze time.  Once they were settled, the camera was checked.  Fresh batteries were put in.  Settings were set.  And then, it was finally time to open the box.

How is it that a grown woman can be so excited about pink peanuts.  But I was.  I truly was.  From the time I opened the box and saw the pink peanuts against the chocolate brown corrugated box, I was entranced.  It brought back yet another good memory: jewelry.  I used to design simple jewelry: necklaces, bracelets, and earrings.  Pink and brown was also such a fun color combo for me.  Opening that box and seeing those two colors immediately made me sigh.  It made me think of pink peruvian opal and chocolate brown smoky topaz.  Stones that always made me sigh and feel relaxed.  Yeah, this was going to be good.

Hidden amongst the pink packing peanuts was the Scharffen Berger box of goodies.  I took it out, set it on the table in my kitchen, and sighed again.  Excitement was definitely building.  I loved the box.  I liked the novelty of it.  Its shape reminded me of a take-out fried chicken box, yet much tastier and more sophisticated.  The colors of the logo and the box itself evoked such an image of chocolate for me, and I hadn’t even gotten to the actual chocolate yet.  “Well done, SB marketing team,” I thought.

It was time to delve into the box.  What would I find?  Extremely dark chocolate the likes of which I’d never tasted before?  Creamy, smooth milk chocolate with some sort of fun addition?  Chocolate in a weird shape or with a fun surprise center?  The possibilities boggled the mind.

But possibilites such as tins of dried chili peppers, black eyed peas, crystallized ginger, and sumac (which I’m still not sure what that is) had never crossed my mind. This is supposed to be a chocolate event!  Hmmm, little did I know what was to come.

As I plumbed the depths of the box, there were more surprises awaiting me.  Two chocolate bars rested below the spice tins of unexpected foodage.  Along with the bars were two bags of semi-sweet chocolate chunks, all of it wrapped together with a bright orange ribbon.  All I can say is that these people have done their research well.  I loved every single color in this box.  I wonder what that says psychologically about me?

One chocolate bar read Milk Chocolate with Sea-Salted Almonds.  WHAT?  Sea salt and chocolate.  That was definitely a combo I couldn’t wait to try out. The other bar was a very dark chocolate, 72% cacao (or that’s very dark to me).   And then 2 bags of baking chunks on the bottom.  Fun stuff!

Next came a big bar of Scharffen Berger 70% bittersweet chocolate.  Now this is what I had dared to hope would arrive!  This is what I had picked up countless times at Sur la Table, at Whole Foods, and at other specialty stores.  Yet, I always put it back, never knowing if I would like it.  YES!  Now, I had my chance.

The bottom of the box held a velvet bag. Inside was a flip-case flash drive containing the PR materials for the press event.  Let me tell you the word that went through my head: classy.  Yeah, it might be a bit extravagent, but cool nonetheless.

But almost cooler than it all were the pictures I found on the flash drive.  I wasn’t intrigued by the snappily written PR or the discovery of what black-eyed peas and sumac had to do with chocolate.  No, I was caught by the photos.  This is what I want to be able to do one day.  I want to be able to take pictures LIKE THIS!  I just need some really great lighting.  And maybe a light tent.  And some food styling experience.  In the meantime, I’m well enough on my way.

I packed everything back up into its little box and placed it on a shelf high up and away from curious canine noses.  Then the wait for Wednesday was on…

(To be continued at 10:30 a.m.)