#WCW: Inspiring Women Through Chocolate with Brooke Feldman

Any sane woman will tell you that the way to their heart is through chocolate, not diamonds. 

Brooke Feldman, Communications Director of Chuao Chocolatier, agrees. The San Diego native works with the Venezuelan heritage company, which dishes out countless artisinal chocolate flavors across the country. But aside from Chuao’s sweet treats, Feldman, in particular, has made waves in the company on behalf of all women – by creating an inspiring, female-driven chocolate line.

We spoke to Feldman about the product and having a voice for women through food. Read on to see why she’s this week’s #WomanCrushWednesday! [pagebreak]

Tell us how you first became involved with Chuao.

I met a lot of wonderful people from different brands while I worked in marketing at Whole Foods. Years later, one of those “food friends” joined the team at Chuao Chocolatier and tried to recruit me. I was working for myself and wasn’t interested in a commute. So she, very smartly, invited me to tour the chocolate factory the next day. What gal would say no to that? I met Chef Michael, indulged in a cup of their rich Spicy Maya drinking chocolate and tasted my way through the decadent bonbons and truffles. Let’s just say I got a little chocolate wasted! And so I agreed to help them out, but “only for two weeks”. I started the next morning–that was 9 years ago. The rest is sweet history.

What first inspired you to create a product that speaks directly to women?

As women we are bombarded with messages from society that we are either too much or not enough. It affects our self-talk, the stories we tell ourselves about who we are. Several years ago, I had a late night email exchange with our founder, Chef Michael Antonorsi, that resulted in this question: What if we could create a chocolate bar that could somehow remind women that we’re enough just as we are? A tall order for sure. We’ve always created incredible chocolate, but we don’t really consider ourselves a chocolate company. We’re a joy company that sells chocolate. Our intention is to share joy with the world and I can’t think of a better way to do that with women than to speak truth into their lives. A couple of years ago that idea resurfaced and the Enamored Collection was born. 

Tell us about the packaging and the message on the back of each Enamored bar.

The bars are wrapped in an empowering message and we have another little love note on the chocolate itself. And to further that message, $1 for every 7 Enamored Collection bars sold will benefit Girls Inc., inspiring all girls to be strong, smart and bold ™. Enamored is such a beautiful team effort. The gorgeous flow wrap was designed in house (like all of our products) with a feminine flair for these elegant 60 gram chocolate bars that Chef Michael meticulously created. My part was the copy and it’s really a love letter to my mom, my sister, my best friend and me. Each bar has a unique message that I think many women need to hear. 

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The Enamored line simply proves that it’s not “just chocolate”. What do you think the end result of the line is? Did creating it meet your expectations? 

Enamored is a love letter. It’s soul food. It’s your taste buds doing a happy dance with your heart. Honestly, if it makes at least one person smile, turns their day around and brings a little joy to them in that moment, it meets my expectation. Now, if it sparks conversation among us and helps us to embrace self-love, we would be absolutely elated. 

Do you think Chef Michael and your other male colleagues understood the message behind Enamored?

Chef Michael was on board from the moment we brainstormed. He is surrounded by women – from his lovely wife to 3 daughters to all female pets. He has been such a champion for this line and he put so much work into crafting incredibly scrumptious, yet feminine flavor profiles that we all went gaga for.

What are your favorite chocolate and drink pairings with Chuao?

I’m from San Diego – a beer town through and through. I love visiting breweries with my friends and bringing along a stash of Potato Chip and Honeycomb chocolate bars, but sometimes I just want something different. Cider is a delicious gluten free option and I’ve recently discovered how wonderfully it pairs with our chocolate. One of my favorite fall pairings is Julian Hard Cider’s Apple Pie paired with our Caramel Apple Crush bar. The chocolate’s caramel and tartness really resonates with the apple cider notes, bringing more weight to the experience. Without the chocolate you have the apple in your noise, but with it you have the apple on your palate. This pairing feels like the chocolate bar and cider are playing “footsie” under the Thanksgiving table. It’s so fun – just like caramel apple pie!