Chocolate: Catering Made Decadent

By Emily Kerr

Cooking any South or Central American culinary masterpieces any time soon? No? What about that chocolate cake? Any time your catering menu includes a chocolate cake, you're serving up a piece of history and paving the way for a rich business opportunity--an all-chocolate catering service.

The Sweet Past of Chocolate

Chocolate has been with us for at least 2,000 years, a culinary treat in the waiting. The Aztecs and Mayans both produced a chocolate drink, more bitter than what we're used to. Chocolate itself didn't spread into Europe until the Spanish Conquest and it took the Industrial Revolution to make chocolate widely available.

Chocolate's Even Sweeter Present

Chocolate comes from the cacao tree, a small tree that grows in the rainforest. It needs the rainfall and humidity, temperature, sun, shade and protection the rainforest provides.

Today we're discovering the many benefits of chocolate. People have been eating chocolate when they're depressed for years, but only recently was it discovered that chocolate contains enzymes that promote elevated serotonin levels--a natural mood enhancement. Further research shows chocolate, especially dark chocolate, is rich in antioxidants called flavonoids which help protect against heart disease, stroke and cancer.

Chocolate Catering: A Tasty Future

In the field of culinary management there are endless fields of specialization. Imagine being a caterer who specializes in all things chocolate. You'd be in demand to cater everything from bridal to baby showers and maybe even bachelor parties. Your catering business could provide hot chocolate in the winter, chocolate ice cream in the summer, and chocolate cake for every occasion under the sun. A couple cooking classes in pastries and baking should give you a wealth of recipe ideas and courses in culinary management can get you started in your own catering business. The chocolate itself will be a bonus.