Taste: Chocolate at Monticello

“Chocolate. … By getting it good in quality, and cheap in price, the superiority of the article both for health and nourishment will soon give it the same preference over tea and coffee in America…”
Nov. 27, 1785, Thomas Jefferson to John Adams, from Paris

Join us for a day to celebrate the history of chocolate at Monticello! Learn how chocolate was prepared and served at Monticello, enjoy a chocolate-making demonstration and savor several pairings of chocolate and Virginia wines.

Create your own itinerary with your friends, or surprise your significant other for a special Valentine's Day treat. 'Taste' includes a chef demonstration, keepsake recipes to try at home, and a variety of chocolate tastings. Noon - 4 pm. 

Guided House Tour of Monticello are included in the price of Taste: Chocolate at Monticello for the day of the event. Offered from 10:00 am - 12:00 pm on February 2, 2013 Please contact the Reservations Office at 434-984-9880 to schedule your tour.

Schedule
Experience: The History of Chocolate
1 - 1:30 pm
From Thomas Jefferson’s first recorded purchase of chocolate in 1775 to recipes used in the colonial period, learn about the history of chocolate in Jefferson’s time. See an 18th-century method of making chocolate, by grinding roasted cacao beans on a traditional metate, a heated grinding stone, and adding sugar and spices to provide a variety of flavors.

This ‘Bean to Beverage’ demo includes a demonstration of making chocolate from bean to a hot chocolate drink. At the end participants will have the opportunity to try American Heritage Chocolate.

Learn: Chocolate Today
1:45 - 2:15 pm
Take part in a cooking demonstration with local chef Harrison Keevil of Charlottesville's charming Brookville Restaurant.  Keevil, a French Culinary Institute-trained chef will create a modern day dessert for you to sample using American Heritage Chocolate. Take home new recipes to try at your table.

Taste: Chocolate and Wine Pairing
2:30 - 3 pm
Enjoy a pairing of chocolate and wine. Learn about Jefferson’s wine interest, with winemaker and Director of Gardens and Grounds Gabriele Rausse.
 
Taste three specialty chocolates paired with three local Virginia wines and take home an American Heritage Chocolate “chocolate wine” recipe.

The Monticello Museum Shop will have additional tastings and demonstrations from 1- 4 p.m.