And I quote:
"Framingham native encourages appreciation through tasting get-togethers
Dana Zemack specializes in temptation. Her lure is chocolate -- lots and lots of chocolate. Come to a party where Zemack is presiding and chances are, you'll develop an appreciation for chocolate that goes far beyond a quick handful of M&Ms...
"It's like the new wine tasting - I do chocolate tasting," said Zemack, 25, a Framingham native who scours specialty shops for imported or unusual gourmet chocolate to share at her signature chocolate tastings.
Like a wine tasting, there's a ritual to a chocolate tasting - you don't just cram your mouth full and swallow. Zemack prepares bite-size portions of various bars and instructs participants to inhale the chocolate's aroma before placing it in the mouth to consume it leisurely, the better to identify its unique notes.
Good news, chocoholics: Unlike at a wine tasting, chocolate tastings do not require you to spit.
Zemack's life is mostly chocolate covered, and she wouldn't have it any other way. She hosts chocolate tastings at company gatherings and as fundraisers.
"I've always loved to cook. I love to make dessert," Zemack said. "When I was in college, I finally had a kitchen and I lived with five boys who were always hungry. There's just something about dessert - I just love putting people and dessert, in this case, chocolate, together. I like sharing it, showing people something unexpected."
At a large chocolate tasting, Zemack may have as many as 20 different types of chocolate, randing from an almost bitter dark to common milk chocolate. She'll share information about each chocolate as she goes along, talking about cocoa content (the high the cocoa, the darker the chocolate), cocoa butter and the chocolate's origin.
A favorite variety is Valrhona's Le Noir Amer, a French brand containing 71% cocoa. An exceptionally dark chocolate, it has almost a nutty aftertaste. She puts that in contrast to a Scharffen Berger, containing 70% cocoa with a fruity feel.
"Every chocolate maker has their own blend of beans," Zemack said. "It's just like wine. The taste can vary depending on where it was cultivated, if it was a rainy season, and on how it's processed."
Zemack isn't shy about try the chocolate herself at her tastings. The wonder is, she's still incredibly thin.
"Really, when you're tasting, it's not like eating a Snickers bar. You're eating just a little bit of chocolate, slowly, really appreciating it."
