If 2015 is going to be anything like 2014, I’m going to be excited about a lot of things going on at Caputo’s. Our chocolate selection drastically increased, our cheese cases abounded with new pastes and rinds, we found some amazing new meat and charcuterie choices, and, most importantly, CHEESE CAVE NUMBER TWO! See how excitable I can become?

We’ve been trying to corral our excitement for all these delicious things that have graced our palates, but we just can’t. Please join us on a monthly food voyage where we discover food in a new light with a special emphasis on individual products, origins and tastes. Become more familiarized and get to know your food better.

In the months ahead, look for a consistent dose of credible food knowledge with our monthly cravings. We’ll introduce you, or reintroduce in some cases, to the cheese, chocolate, sweet, and savory ingredients that we just can’t get enough of.

What’s more, we’ll include recipes, drink pairings, serving suggestions, and those little tidbits of information for you to share with your friends that will lead them to believe you are the almighty foodie friend. Each selection will get its very own time to shine whether it’s a new blog post, Facebook blast, or artistically styled Instagram photo. With food this good, we can’t help but share.

So, without further ado, meet our very first cravings of 2015:

CHEESE: Harbison

It’s love in cheese form, and this little guy already has his first love note from Evan!

This is the perfect blend of centuries-old French cheese making and American artisan passion. Like Evan says, don’t over-think this one. It’s perfect as is. Spread on baguette or scoop with spoon from a wheel to your mouth. We’re not kidding here about how fantastic this is on its own.

Really, this is an American gem. What’s more, it is perfect right now. Be sure to get your fill before someone else does!

CHOCOLATE: Mulate Tahini

From the makers of Chocolate Naïve comes Mulate,

the funky fresh younger brother to the sophisticated Naïve line. Bold, breathtaking chocolate meets salty Tahini for a combination meant only for the most wonderful people in the world, you! Think classic peanut butter and chocolate, but instead with really, really good dark milk chocolate and elevated by the flavor of classic sesame paste.

Once you open a bar and have a few nibbles, it’s pretty impossible to stop nibbling until it’s gone or your spouse rips it from your clenched fists. I’m hoping someday to get past this so I can start to experiment with a few baking and ice cream applications. Until then, it might be best to enjoy alone or with people who love you enough to see pass your chocolate obsession.

SWEET: Turron

If there was ever a treat made for royalty, it was turron. This delicate combination of almonds, honey, and egg whites is the stuff dreams are made of. Traditionally eaten around Christmas, this treat has transcended the holiday lineup to a year-round treat for us. It’s dreamy, I tell you. So dreamy in fact, I’m dreaming of financiers made with torrone beneath sticky honey roasted fruit. What could make that even better? More torrone, this time, in blondie form!

SAVORY: Bariani Early Harvest EVOO

As the harvest of late fall/early winter comes and goes, the newest and freshest extra virgin olive oils are released to the masses. Our very favorite domestic olive oil is worthy of international awards, and I can’t wait to get my hands on a new bottle. The Bariani family has historical roots in Lombardia, but now call California their home and playground helping to create truly beautiful olive oil. The possibilities here are endless. So endless, that there should just be a bottle placed in the kitchen and another on the dinner table. It’s perfect for drizzling over roasted meats and veggies, tossing with pasta and a few other choice additions (read: cheese), or as the ulitmate condiment to be drizzled over every single thing that touches your table. See? Easy.

That’s it, friends, our latest and greatest stuff of the month. January has been so good to us already, these four treats are only going to make it better and more delicious. Stay tuned for more blog posts, recipes, pictures, and musings. We can’t wait to share!

It has been a long time since I have personally written a blog post. I wish I had more time, but with our recent growth I have been too buried to justify time to write. However, few things send jolt me to attention like two new chocolate bars from Chocolate Naïve — made in a little town on the Eastern side of Lithuania.

Here’s how it happened.

I was sitting down with another unrelated chocolate maker tasting through a bunch of new bars while being filmed for a chocolate documentary. Throughout the tasting we were enjoying or not enjoying things as much or as little as might be expected. However, shortly after we popped our first bite of Naïve’s Chuao and Porcini bars, I gasped in ecstasy then involuntarily made guttural exclamations of awe and disbelief.

At the exact same time the other chocolate maker expressed his first compliments of the day. I knew instantly something incredibly great was sitting before me. Although Chuao is more commonly accompanied by a balancing amount of vanilla, Naïve’s rendition has none. I appreciated this rare opportunity to delve into the aromas intrinsic to raw Chuao beans that always remind me of horse blanket. Other aromas like, fine cigars, campfire, perfumed woods, toasted marshmallow, black currants and molasses are harder to pinpoint if you’re not really trying, but certainly make for one profound flavor journey either way.

Sure the Chuao bar has a far from silky texture, but one should not look a gift Chuao in the mouth. Instead, a jaded connoisseur should appreciate this visceral glimpse into the soul of this prized jewel of the rain forest.

The Porcini bar is even more of a surprise given I did not expect to like it. Porcini is not the most hip ingredient and it seems that inclusion bars (bars with non-cacao ingredients) these days have to have super trendy flavors added to them to get attention. Also, inclusion bars with mushrooms normally highlight the mushroom and the chocolate is an afterthought. Not the case here. The origin is completely clear and the Porcini add depth and nuance to an extent that truly is still freaking me out.

I have a lot more to say about the ethos surrounding Chocolate Naïve, but that will have to wait for another time. Until then, make sure you get them quickly “Limited Edition” means limited edition with Naïve and both of these bars will be gone soon.