By Gabrielle Pantera

Dove chocolate candy, a delicious home business

HOLLYWOOD, CA (Gosh!TV) 2/14/2010 – Mars, one of the largest candy companies in the world, has a secret. They can put you in the chocolate business with Dove Chocolate Discoveries, a venture that intends to make direct-selling a sweet experience. Hosts of the chocolate parties are “chocolatiers” who serve Dove chocolate or make it into special treats.

“The biggest financial advantage of becoming a chocolatier has been being able to pay a few of our monthly bills myself and having the ability to travel and see my friends and fellow chocolatiers,” says Dove chocolatier Ruth Miller. “Whether it’s a girls’ night out, a couples’ wine and chocolate evening, a moms’ play group breakfast or a child’s birthday, we have the entertaining idea to fit. No cooking experience necessary. But if you are able, you can experiment with new recipes until your heart is content.”

“With minimal startup costs, it’s the only direct-selling chocolate company and is perfect for stay-at-home moms or dads looking to make some extra money,” says Overcoming Underearning author Barbara Stanny. “In a time of such financial uncertainty for so many, I am truly blessed to be able to have a means to an end, for my family,” says chocolatier Sally Valenti.

Dove chocolate brownies

“I’ve been a chocolatier just over one year,” says Valenti. “I enjoy sharing my passion and love for chocolate and food with new people. A friend of mine attending a business conference and happened to sit next to a chocolatier. When my girlfriend found out that Shelly did chocolate parties, my friend called me immediately, because she knew how much I loved chocolate.”

“I’ve always been adventuresome,” says chocolatier Lisa Pagano. “I traveled around the world for a mail order catalog, was a retail buyer for a major department store and now I’m a chocolatier with Dove Chocolate Discoveries. “When I exceeded my sales goals in the first month, I thought, ‘This is my best job yet. If I make a mistake I just eat the evidence!’”

“My best party yet has to be my Le Cirque tasting party,” says Pagano. “I dipped inflated balloons into tempered chocolate to create delicate individual bowls, then filled each one with mousse and topped it off with raspberries. My neighbors are still talking about it.”

Not every party is perfect. “I remember one party where I popped out a tray of chocolate candies and none of them had the transfer designs,” says Pagano. She’d put the transfer sheet on backwards. “I showed the guests what the chocolate should have looked like and told them to eat the mistakes quickly since we needed to hide the evidence. My experience goes to show that anyone can be a chocolatier.”

Chocolatier Kim Sprague tries to have at least four chocolate parties each month and is building a team of chocolatiers. “I’ve recruited 21 chocolatiers since I got started,” says Sprague. When not hosting chocolate parties of her own, Sprague is busy leading training parties for new team members. “I really didn’t think it would be possible to find a job that was enjoyable and would bring in extra money while still allowing me to be a great mom.” Sprague says the business has had a significant impact on my family. The money has helped pay the medical bills for her son who has recovered from an aggressive form of cancer.

Chocolatiers make a base commission of 25% of sales, with additional commissions up to 40% based on monthly sales. They also get bonuses and commissions on the sales of the chocolatiers they recruit to their team. Holding two tasting parties every week with average guest sales of $375 earns about $1,000 in a month.

There are some start-up costs. The basic Dove starter kit contains Dove’s signature heart fondue set for delectable dipping and the most popular quick desserts that are easy and impressive to demonstrate. It has what’s needed to hold four to six tasting parties including chocolate covered almonds, the popular Truffle Fudge Brownies, and chocolate martinis at a cost of $149.

The deluxe master chocolatier kit includes the basics and everything necessary to demonstrate candy making. Participants create homemade chocolate gifts. The kit includes twice as much chocolate and mousse, and crowd pleasing easy-to-make desserts and drink mixes and ready-to-eat items. Cost $449.

Perhaps the most important detail of all, how does the chocolate taste? We sampled the chocolate gingerbread cake, dark chocolate-covered almonds, cinnamon chocolate-covered almonds, chocolate martini chocolatini mix mudslide, and the merlot fudge sauce.

The chocolate is phenomenal. The chocolate gingerbread cake is moist and chocolaty with hints of ginger, so it’s not overpowering. Cinnamon, chocolate and almonds are a great combination. The chocolate merlot sauce is great melted over vanilla ice cream, offering just a hint of merlot flavor. It would also be great over peaches. For the mudslide I would suggest using less vodka than recommended. However, the mudslide mix is so sweet it must be cut with alcohol. It’s not for chocolate milk.

The chocolate is so good that chocolatiers must be careful not to eat all the inventory.

New chocolatiers are connected with a local chocolatier to act as a mentor. Mentors hold regular team meetings, and the company hosts monthly training conference calls that last about an hour. There’s an annual national sales meeting in the summer and a leadership meeting at the beginning of the year. The online portal Chocolatier Connection provides ongoing support, the latest sales tips and party recipe ideas.

By Gabrielle Pantera

Awaken Savor Gourmet Seasonings, perfect for chilli

HOLLYWOOD,‭ ‬CA‭ (‬Gosh!TV‭) ‬12/18/2009‭ – ‬Day‭ 22 ‬gift idea: Awaken Savor Gourmet Seasonings international spice blends, seasonings, and salad dressing mixes offer phenomenal flavors, yet are salt-free, MSG-free, gluten-free, preservative-free. Product line of 57 spice blends grouped in five categories: Awaken Savor Signature Blends; American Melting Pot Blends, Five-Spice Blends, World Blends, and Salad Dressing Blends. Gift set $27. Individual spices range from $6.50 to $8.50 per 3.5 oz.

http://www.awakensavor.com

In honor of the holidays,‭ ‬a fresh gift idea for that special one who you want to give the perfect gift.‭ ‬Every day we’ll present a featured gift idea and list all the gift ideas to date.‭ ‬These are affordable gifts that show more thought than the mundane tie or scarf.‭ ‬Pick one or the true romantic can give every one,‭ ‬one per day.

Lollibakes, let them eat cake...and lollipops

HOLLYWOOD, CA (Gosh!TV) 11/17/2009 – “I love making Lollibakes,” says Lollibakes dessert baker Diana Sproveri. “They’re like creating little works of art. I have so much fun coming up with new flavors and being creative.”

Lollibakes are gourmet cake pops, the right amount of cake with frosting. The very moist cake bites are covered with a layer of dark chocolate or white chocolate then decorated.

“I find inspiration in everything from the finest menus to something in the snack aisle,” says Sproveri. “No matter what the inspiration, I like to keep the flavor combinations simple. Simple flavors are what I grew up with and what I continue to like to this day.”

“I think I was 2 or 3 when I started helping my mother bake,” says Sproveri. “One of my earliest memories is cutting out Christmas cookies and decorating them at the kitchen table. Every year my mom would make the most delicious peppermint bark. I love it so much that I had to make a Peppermint Bark Lollibake.”

Sproveri, who so far is the only chef at Lollibakes, will arise at 5:30am to bake for a typical dessert party. Something more ambitious may require she set her alarm for 4 or even 3am. “It really depends on how many clients I’ll be seeing that day,” says Sproveri.

Sproveri will bake anything from a few dozen cupcakes to twenty different items on her menu. “Creating a dessert party where I was asked to make everything on my menu is the most work I’ve ever done for one party,” says Sproveri. “Ther’s something really special about seeing years worth of recipes and ideas on one table.”

Lollibakes ships gift boxes across the U.S. for the holidays. Lollibakes can be ordered online through www.lollibakes.com and local delivery is available in Los Angeles. “The website gives all the information on how to order,” says Sproveri. “The flavors

change weekly, so it’s fun to check back and see what’s new.” Currently, the special holiday flavors are Apple Pie, Pumpkin Spice, and Peppermint Bark.

A dozen gift-wrapped Lollibakes cost $35. A 4-piece Lollibakes gift box is $12. The Stocking-Stuffer Gift Box, with 12 individually wrapped Lollibakes with ribbon and gift tag, is $42. The cut-off date for orders for Thanksgiving is November 18th. The cutoff date for custom Christmas or holiday boxes is December 11th. Custom orders must be placed a week in advance.

Sproveri says her biggest excitement outside of baking was hearing my son say “trick or treat” for the first time. Sproveri says he said, “Treat or treat!”.

Sproveri is preparing to open her own retail space next year. And, she’s working on a book. “The title is under wraps for now,” say Sproveri.

Lollibakes are yummy bite-size cake pops you can eat or share with friends. Great for decorating packages, hostess gifts or stocking stuffers. Taste all the flavors. Nobody can stop at just one.

Lollibakes, a great gift