Class: This class will guide participants on an exploration of the flavor and function of two key baking ingredients– chocolate + (stone-ground) flour. Co-led by Dan Rattigan of French Broad Chocolate, and pastry chef, Jessica Spivey of Oyster Club and Port of Call in Mystic, CT, Dan and Jess will speak to the various characteristics of these ingredients as well as to the pairing of a selection of single origin chocolates with a selection of flavor-forward flours, specifically in shortbread application. This workshop will engage the senses, as there will be samples to taste for flavor and texture. Dan will also weave into the narrative the story of French Broad Chocolate, and what it means to be a B-Corporation. 

When/where: Saturday, April 22nd // 2:30 - 4:00 pm // French Broad Chocolate Factory, 821 Riverside Dr, #199, Asheville, NC 28801

Instructor(s): Dan Rattigan co-founded French Broad Chocolate with his wife, Jael Skeffington. Their passion for chocolate was ignited during a trip to the cacao-rich tropics of Costa Rica in 2003 when they drove a veggie oil-powered bus and opened a restaurant named Bread & Chocolate. In 2006, they relocated to Asheville to establish French Broad Chocolate, which has since expanded to include the Chocolate Lounge, a much-loved dessert destination in the heart of downtown, and the Chocolate Factory & Cafe. At the factory, they directly source cacao and expertly transform it into premium chocolate.
Jessica Spivey is the pastry chef at Oyster Club and Port of Call in Mystic, CT. Working alongside the James Beard Award nominated chef, Renee Touponce, she creates desserts with a focus on local and seasonal ingredients. Her culinary awakening began by cooking alongside her mother first in Florida, then later in France. She is deeply influenced by the desserts she ate growing up and by the European food markets her family visited weekly. She endeavors to pay homage to her upbringing and flavors of her youth by using sustainable New England ingredients from local farms.