Geoseph Domenichiello is passionate about expanding peopleB次元官网网址檚 palates and minds with fine chocolate.

For 15 years, Domenichiello has been focused on the world of fine chocolate. He is a professional chocolate sommelier, chocolate maker (someone who makes chocolate from scratch) and a master chocolatier (artisans who source chocolate for their own creations). He recently began sharing his experience and knowledge in Salmon Arm through educational chocolate tastings, private and public, from a commercial space at 204-271 Ross St. (above Pharmasave).

Domenichiello explained a chocolate sommelier is similar to a wine or cheese sommelier, someone who is well versed in that niche and able to educate people about it.

B次元官网网址淭hey have a passion for it,B次元官网网址� said Domenichiello. B次元官网网址淣ot only do they understand the qualities and how to discern them, theyB次元官网网址檙e good at teaching peopleB次元官网网址� Wine, cheese, coffee all have those similar components of understanding the regional differences, the ingredient differences, the process and how that influences the flavour, and also how to understand the flavourB次元官网网址� they all parallel.B次元官网网址�

Through his tastings, Domenichiello attempts to expose people to the complexities of fine chocolate, and how different it is from what many people know as chocolate.

B次元官网网址淲e grew up with basically a few companies in the worldB次元官网网址� pumping out chocolate, and they sort of dictated what chocolate should taste like,B次元官网网址� said Domenichiello. B次元官网网址淣ow we have what I call bean-to-bar chocolate makers, fine chocolate makersB次元官网网址� TheyB次元官网网址檙e not just grinding up the same cacao as Nestle and HersheyB次元官网网址�, theyB次元官网网址檙e finding rare, very rare types of cacao out there, and when I say rare, I mean less than one per cent of the worldB次元官网网址檚 cacaoB次元官网网址�

B次元官网网址淢ost of the cacao that goes into chocolate in the world is a very narrow spectrum of cacao, so it all tastes the same. But itB次元官网网址檚 kind of like heirloom vegetables, there are many different kinds of cacao, and people have just never experienced that before and thatB次元官网网址檚 sort of what the fine chocolate world focuses on.B次元官网网址�

DomenichielloB次元官网网址檚 chocolate tastings also focus on geography, history and flavour. He encourages participants to share what it is their palate is picking up, and compare that to the flavours suggested by the chocolate maker.

B次元官网网址淚 try to tell them how that parallels, where youB次元官网网址檙e coming from, why theyB次元官网网址檙e picking up those notes B次元官网网址� people donB次元官网网址檛 really think about food in this way, so as they do, it just becomes more satisfying to them. They donB次元官网网址檛 realize food or chocolate can be so interesting.

B次元官网网址淲e have a misconception of flavour B次元官网网址� a lot of things people enjoy are usually the basic tastes B次元官网网址� like sour, salty, sugar, and the flavour is just kind of sprinkled in a little bit. People think flavour is in the food, that we pick it up in our mouth. No, flavour is a perception in the brain.

B次元官网网址淭hink of anything you do; if you go travelling or if you listen to music or read a book your brain is being stimulated. ThatB次元官网网址檚 whatB次元官网网址檚 so satisfying. When you focus on food that wayB次元官网网址� then you begin to find more satisfaction in something.B次元官网网址�

Domenichiello hails from Woodbridge, Ont. Growing up, his passions in life were animals, art and food. After high school, he went to university where he focused on sciences, biology and fine arts. With no specific career in mind, he decided to get into a pastry arts program.

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B次元官网网址淚 went to pastry school and saw a job ad for chocolate sommelier,B次元官网网址� said Domenichiello. B次元官网网址淚 thought that was very interesting. I researched it and ended up getting the jobB次元官网网址� and started growing my passion from there.B次元官网网址�

To become a chocolate sommelier, Domenichiello explained there was no formal education program at the time. So he learned from the person who hired him and fell back on his training in the sciences to do his own research.

B次元官网网址淚 just delved into research, articles and books, and talked to other researchers and experiencing and so I basically built my own curriculum and thatB次元官网网址檚 what I teach others,B次元官网网址� said Domenichiello.

In addition to the tastings, Domenichiello also founded . Described as The Ultimate Fine Chocolate Portal, the website offers educational material, contacts for tasting events, and a shop with a wide range of bean-to-bar chocolates.

B次元官网网址淚 think when it comes to chocolate, I donB次元官网网址檛 try to make people feel bad if they like a Cadbury bar or a Lindt bar,B次元官网网址� said Domenichiello. B次元官网网址淚 just want them to understand truly what bean-to-bar chocolate is, what fine chocolate is, I want them to understand the differenceB次元官网网址�

B次元官网网址淚tB次元官网网址檚 about questioning flavour, questioning your food, questioning how we view food and how we view flavourB次元官网网址� I want people to think and ponder and explore. Because when youB次元官网网址檙e eating, you donB次元官网网址檛 analyze what does an orange taste like, or how do you explain the flavour of an orange to someone who never tried it. So thatB次元官网网址檚 the sort of avenues I try to get people thinking about.B次元官网网址�

For more information and to book a tasting, visit geoseph.com.

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