Happy New Queers!

2018 holds a lot of promise! I'm still catching my breath from all the excitement from 2017, but 2018 will be extraordinary for Queer Chocolatier!

The bigly-iest thing to come so far leading into the new year? 

The Queer Chocolatier Chocolate House! (And free truffles for life!)

In early spring, we will officially open The Queer Chocolatier Chocolate House in the Village in Muncie, Indiana!

And, for 30 people, we are offering Free Truffles For Life to help us make our dreams (and yours) come true!

The Queer Chocolatier Chocolate House will be a space to experience chocolate in all its versatility. We will offer truffles, of course, but we will specialize in drinking chocolate and coffee, baked goods featuring chocolate, and other classic preparations of chocolate items.

Cheri and I are ecstatic! The same passion and care and obsessive attention to detail we've put into each of our truffles will go into our Chocolate House. Engaging our customers in the love and lessons chocolate and coffee have to offer will be the cornerstone of our service. We will remain as transparent as ever about who we are and each step of our process.

It will be messy, fun, and delicious! I can't wait for the New Year!

Come over to our House!

January's flavor of the month

Queer Chocolatier is proud to present Champagne with Popping Candy Truffles for the New Year! Available in both white and dark chocolate (dark chocolate with fizzing candy is the vegan version because who knew the most widely-known popping candy contains lactose??).

Winter is still here (or has finally arrived properly, depending on who you ask) and White Chocolate Peppermint Truffles still available for the upcoming winter months! Again, dark chocolate is always an option for your chocolatey, minty vegan fix!

Updates!!
clothing swap sponsored by queer chocolatier

THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU!!!

There have been many of you who have indicated interest in helping organize the clothing swap and have already sent items for donation! You are wonderful people and I cannot thank you enough!

As we head into the new year and move toward a potential spring date for a clothing swap, I would like to gather names of folx who would be interested in serving on a Planning Committee. 

If you are interested in meeting once or twice a month at our shop to discuss logistics and have fun (and chocolate), please message me so we can arrange our first meeting in mid-January!

Resolutions? Yeah, I've got 'em, too.

At first, I thought I would be catchy and come up with 18 for 18.

Then I panicked and realized I can barely keep my shoes tied, let alone a resolution for a year.

Or eighteen of them.

But, I have gone through a whole lot of growth in the last half of 2017 and that makes me think that, what with my newfound character that's been built, I could at least muster a couple of resolutions and I'd like to share them with you.

• Imma start a Queer/Trans* Book Club!
  • Once a month, I'll post a book that I'll read and would love to have an in-person and virtual discussion about that book! Anyone interested in reading about queer/trans* culture and society, or reading books by queer and/or trans* authors, keep an eye out for books to come.
  • January's book will be Rednecks, Queers, and Country Music by Nadine Hubbs. (h/t to Nate for the recommendation!)
• Imma get some training!
  • 2018 is the Year of Fit & Sexy, or at least I have some goals to balance out my body, so I'm going to do a fair few training classes on fitness.
  • I'm also going to get official training on becoming a chocolate maker. Chocolate making? you ask. Yes. I am a chocolatier, a person who works with chocolate into a final confection. A chocolate maker, well, makes chocolate! I will be learning how to take cacao beans and work with them to make chocolate that I can then source to myself as a chocolatier and to other chocolatiers who might benefit from locally-made chocolate!
  • Cheri and I are going to attend an intensive barista/coffeeshop training. It'll be the second time we were in school together!!! #awwww
• Imma share more chocolate!
  • We had a phenomenal first-time Guided Chocolate Tasting Event in December and will host them regularly on a monthly basis! Intentionally tasting great chocolate and talking about it with friends was a great time and we are looking forward to the next event! Stay tuned to the Queer Chocolatier Facebook page for more details!
  • I am enhancing QueerChocolatier.com to be more user-friendly, make content more accessible, and tailored to the unique chocolate experiences of customers. How?
    • Classic and Vegan Truffles will be easier to Add to Cart while shopping. Fewer clicks speeds up getting chocolate to your door!
    • Personalized page for those who have subscribed to the Monthly Truffle Box Subscription Plan. 
    • I've updated the Customer Review Page so that it reads cleaner.
    • I've added the most recent blog posts to populate on the home page for quick reads.
  • Oh, and I'm giving away free truffles for life to 30 people.

News Bites:

Cocoa/Queer/Trans*

Tidbits of news, books, blogs, and podcasts featuring current trends, deeper knowledge, and new-to-you conversations!

News Bites: January '18

Chocolate: NPR.com

You gotta love how news travels, especially from scientific studies to media outlets! There were some reports of climate change positively impacting the taste of chocolate but, as clarified in this piece by NPR, there was a miscommunication, misunderstanding, or worse, with those early articles.

From the article: "The researchers focused on how water stress impacts phenolic compounds, natural antioxidants that are also associated with flavor. The amount of these compounds, the researchers found, increased during the dry season. But, Sukha clarifies, the compounds the researchers focused on 'are limited to bitter and astringent flavors. They have none of the positive and ancillary flavors that are more strongly linked to cocoa fermentation and drying that are expressed during roasting.'"

Please understand that cacao is an agricultural product. Climatic, environmental, human and social factors all play roles in how chocolate tastes by the time it is in your hands. Any significant change to any of these or other factors will make an impact on cacao and, ultimately, on the chocolate we love. This isn't a time to celebrate climate change. 

This also isn't a time to take advantage of a broad public scientific illiteracy for the sake of clicks.

Trans*: Crosscut.com

A Washington state Catholic hospital and affiliate are facing a lawsuit by the American Civil Liberties Union of Washington regarding their abrupt cancelation of a surgical procedure for a patient who identifies as a trans man.

Discrimination is abhorrent and in the medical field, it is dangerous and a distinct harm. Folx who identify as LGBTQIA2+ have unique health needs and should be able to receive care without fear of it being withheld or poorly provided. An already-marginalized population that faces stress and stigma needs the best quality of physical, mental, and emotional health care.

Medical health professionals must overcome biases all the time.

It also is helpful to remind those professionals who can't overcome such biases that discrimination is illegal.

Consider finding out more about your local healthcare facilities and medical providers to see what their policies are for treating patients who identify as LGBTQIA2+. Share that information with those who could benefit from knowing where to receive quality care or where they can avoid being harmed and stigmatized.

Queer: NBCNews.com

YAS MISSISSIPPI QUEEN!!!

Professor Jamie Harker has recently opened a tiny LGBTQ bookstore in rural Mississippi.

The main takeaway for me with her opening the bookstore is a reminder of how important LGBTQIA2+ spaces are.

Spaces where we can feel safe, understood, and welcome.

Queer Chocolatier applauds Harker's work and shares the same vision: The Queer Chocolatier Chocolate House will serve the broader Muncie (and beyond) community while also being a warm, safe, welcoming, inviting space for queer and/or trans* folk to simply be. And the more welcoming spaces we can create for each other, the more we can actively resist discrimination and hatred from taking a deeper hold in our communities and nation.

Brb, making her truffles as we speak.