Cacao Barry creates dinner series for chefs

Photography by Jeffrey Chan courtesy of Cacao Barry.

TORONTO — Cacao Barry is turning the tables with its Flavour Dinners, inviting chefs out of their kitchens for a chocolate-inspired meal.

“Cacao Barry's founder, Charles Barry started its quest for extraordinary chocolate flavours over 170 years ago. We are exited to continue this journey with chefs from Toronto,” said Julia Fasciglione, marketing manager Canada at Barry Callebaut Group.

On Dec. 5, a number of prominent Toronto chefs gathered at Colette Grand Café for a meal prepared by executive chef Jennifer Dewasha and pastry chef Annegret Henninger. Both Dewasha and Henniger joined the Colette team earlier this year under Chase Hospitality Group’s culinary director Tyler Shedden. 

The culinary team created a five-course menu incorporating Cacao Barry chocolate in every dish along with another ingredient of the chef’s choice, licorice.

The meal started with venison tartare with puffed grains, dried cranberries tarragon and shavings of Tanzanie dark chocolate (75 per cent).

Clay baked salmon was served with a puree of parsnip and Zépher White Chocolate, braised fennel and sauce meurette. Incorporating star anise, a wild hare civet was prepared with cavatelli, wild mushroom and Extra Brute Cacao Powder.

For dessert, Henniger designed a licorice root cake with milk chocolate mouse and apple cremeux. Her licorice mint cassettes used Haiti Origin (65 per cent) to create a chocolate cream and were served with cucumber aloe vera jel.

“It is for us a pleasure to explore together with chefs all pairing combinations you can reach with chocolate in desserts, but also in savory dishes,” said Fasciglione.

“Challenging a team of chefs to pick a flavour and pair it with chocolate to offer an experimental five-course menu to twenty of their peers is a great opportunity to share experiences, discover exclusive menus and be inspired.”

Previous Flavour dinners took place in Toronto and Ottawa earlier this year and a fourth one is slated to take place in the New Year at La Banane with chef Brandon Olsen.