About Us
Our professional chocolatier, Amber Bird, loves chocolate, but more importantly, loves being creative with chocolate! You can taste many of her delicious creations in our store, located inside of The Vintage on the Decatur Square. Tasty combinations, beautifully decorated and made with the finest chocolates in the industry (Ghirardelli and Mercken's), these will soon become your favorites!
This badge represents not only my passion for fine chocolate craftsmanship but also my successful completion of a formal education in professional chocolate arts.
It celebrates the high level of knowledge and skills I obtained while starting my career as a chocolatier. These became the foundation for a career in chocolate.
My use of the badge certifies that:
I am familiar with cacao cultivation and processing practices on the farm. This knowledge gives me an understanding and appreciation for the unique flavor of each chocolate I use in my recipes and production. I understand that survival of cacao bio-diversity and value provides economic, social, and environmental benefits to farmers and their communities.
I value my partnership with fine chocolate makers and chocolate manufacturers. I use my knowledge of chocolate to evaluate their chocolates for my preferred flavor profile, such as a lingering finish, bitter to sweet balance and viscosity. I require the tracebility of all my ingredients and look for suppliers who are working toward a more sustainable future across the cocoa value chain.
I understand the chemistry of chocolate and how its chemical properties determine a chocolate's performance when used in different techniques. I may use a specific chocolate for fillings, another for enrobing and yet another for molding.
I know how important it is to perfect my chocolate recipe development process, as pre-planning and testing is key to the success of the final product. I also develop recipes for chocolate products tailored to a variety of eithical and dietary choices. Good recipe formulation and production best practices allow me to produce a perfect product efficiently, safely and consistently, time after time.
I have experience in professional chocolate making skills and techniques including tempering, enrobing, decorating and molding. I am knowledgeable about the equipment used to support fine artisan craftsmanship. I love to experiment with modern decorating techniques that allow me to create even more beautiful chocolates.
I respect my customers and their intelligence by being open about where my ingredients are from, how they are processed and how I make my chocolate products. I keep my product labels, promotional materials and marketing messages accurate and don't make claims that I cannot support.
It celebrates the high level of knowledge and skills I obtained while starting my career as a chocolatier. These became the foundation for a career in chocolate.
My use of the badge certifies that:
I am familiar with cacao cultivation and processing practices on the farm. This knowledge gives me an understanding and appreciation for the unique flavor of each chocolate I use in my recipes and production. I understand that survival of cacao bio-diversity and value provides economic, social, and environmental benefits to farmers and their communities.
I value my partnership with fine chocolate makers and chocolate manufacturers. I use my knowledge of chocolate to evaluate their chocolates for my preferred flavor profile, such as a lingering finish, bitter to sweet balance and viscosity. I require the tracebility of all my ingredients and look for suppliers who are working toward a more sustainable future across the cocoa value chain.
I understand the chemistry of chocolate and how its chemical properties determine a chocolate's performance when used in different techniques. I may use a specific chocolate for fillings, another for enrobing and yet another for molding.
I know how important it is to perfect my chocolate recipe development process, as pre-planning and testing is key to the success of the final product. I also develop recipes for chocolate products tailored to a variety of eithical and dietary choices. Good recipe formulation and production best practices allow me to produce a perfect product efficiently, safely and consistently, time after time.
I have experience in professional chocolate making skills and techniques including tempering, enrobing, decorating and molding. I am knowledgeable about the equipment used to support fine artisan craftsmanship. I love to experiment with modern decorating techniques that allow me to create even more beautiful chocolates.
I respect my customers and their intelligence by being open about where my ingredients are from, how they are processed and how I make my chocolate products. I keep my product labels, promotional materials and marketing messages accurate and don't make claims that I cannot support.