Nothing takes the edge off a workday better than a bite of gourmet
chocolate, so W’s editors were more than happy when a package
filled with samples arrived from San Francisco chocolatier TCHO.
Co-founded by a former NASA software developer and helmed by a founder
of Wired magazine, TCHO has a definite techie vibe—the company
boasts a “flavor lab” where employees track the origin and taste of the
cacao it uses, and production is monitored via iPhone—but it’s the
intensely rich flavors and sustainably-sourced ingredients that have
foodies (and us) buzzing. TCHO’s fans on the West Coast include Los
Angeles chef and locavore guru Akasha Richmond, and its chocolates are
used in the deserts and coffee drinks at Chez Panisse. The goodies have
been carried by Whole Foods since last year, but sweettooths on the East
Coast will be seeing more of TCHO in the months ahead: the company plans
to launch its first milk chocolate at June’s Fancy Food Show in New York.
