The Flatlander Fund Auction happens on December 9th, where the remaining bars of chocolate that Dan made will be auctioned off, along with many fabulous items donated by local (and not-so-local) businesses.  Read all about the items up for bid on the Flatlander Fund site.  I’m going to be in charge of putting together trays of passed appetizers that evening made with some food generously donated by excellent local businesses, including Prairie Fruits Farm, Sweet Indulgence, and World Harvest. They probably won’t last all night, so come early and bid often!

On a more personal note, I’ve grown the courage to embark on a journey of exploration, innovation, and much degustation.  You’ve read (many times by now) of my fondness for Dan’s chocolate, and how inspiring he was to me.  I want to take that inspiration and focus it on re-starting bean-to-bar chocolate making in Central Illinois.

I’m planning on taking the same first steps that Dan did, starting with small equipment, building my own skills as my portfolio of creations grows.  I plan on offering “beta test” chocolate through various venues, and I hope to make my way up the ranks to being a part of the Farmers’ Market by next summer.

Since I really owe so much of this to Dan, and because it’s a cause I believe in, I plan on donating a portion of all profits to the Flatlander Fund, and I’m thinking about offering a special “Dan” bar or “Flatlander” bar where much more goes to the Fund.

I don’t quite have a name picked out (suggestions welcome!), and I’m still in the process of finding what equipment I’m going to be starting out with, but I am really excited to start this journey.

If you want to be among the first to hear about this as it develops, and/or want an opportunity to become a beta tester, fill out this Google Docs form.  Thanks!

The humble site you are reading, Clever Food Blog, has only been around about a year.  I appreciate all the emails and comments I’ve received from my readers.  If you’ve shared a link to the site with others, thank you for spreading the word.

Furthermore, I want to make sure that the next year goes even better.  Help me improve the site, help shape it into something you love.  Share a story and your opinions on a bunch of things.  Please fill out my survey, created through Google Forms.

In about a month, after the New Year, I’ll choose a respondent at random to receive 2 (new, unopened) packages of Taza Mexican Chocolate (see the picture… you get 2 disks in each package).  You can read all about these delicious disks in my last post.  I’ll try to figure out something else special to give the lucky winner, and maybe a runner-up as well.  If you’re local, I’d be happy to hand-deliver the prize.  Otherwise, I’m happy to box it up and send it to you wherever you are.

To have a chance at the give-away, you need to fill out my survey.  I love filling out surveys, but what I hate is having to answer questions.  In that light, I made most of the survey questions optional, however the more questions you answer, the better your chances of winning will be (respondents will be weighted based on how many questions they answer).

So go take the survey!