Loving the Chocolate Garden

Many people think that travel is about places but I think it is about people. Everyone has a wonderful story to tell and I love hearing about their life’s journey. Such was the case when John and I were in Michigan.

Tina Buck, the Chief Chocolate Officer and owner of The Chocolate Garden, was wrapped up in the big-city corporate life. One of her escapes and joys was making luscious, creamy truffles as holiday gifts for her clients and colleagues. Her gifts received rave reviews and friends encouraged her to make them to sell, but she was too entangled in her profession. However, she always dreamed of becoming an entrepreneur.

Then a life-altering moment occurred. “I was watching Oprah while I was on the treadmill,” she told me. “The show was about following one’s dream. So I did! The Chocolate Garden is my dream come true.” She moved to Michigan where she found a charming old Italinate farmhouse with plenty of room for gardens and a commercial kitchen. When I asked about the name, Tina explained, “I named my company The Chocolate Garden because I wanted to create heaven on earth and that struck me as a fanciful, whimsical name for such a place. Gardening is one of my passions and when I was working in larger cities like Chicago, I could only grow things in pots on my balcony.”

Using the same labor-intensive methods and high quality ingredients, Tina continues to make truffles—and only truffles—with the same dedication she did when she was making them for her friends. Her truffles are luscious and unique. Each creamy handmade truffle is rolled in coarse chocolate. There is no hard, waxy, outer shell to bite through. Oh, so decadent!

Tina likes to experiment with unique flavors. It was the first time I had a Black Liquorice Truffle. The milk chocolate truffle was laced with pure anise oil. Yummy! And, I got a real kick out of the Cayenne Kick. “Be careful,” warned Tina. My first impression was that there wasn’t much of a kick and then it kicked.

Each box has a chocolate note affixed with a raffia tie. I loved the notes and learned more about chocolate. I learned chocolate is loaded with phenylethylamine, a bliss-producing substance and in 1753, Carl von Linne, a Swedish naturalist, named the cacao tree (the chocolate tree) Theobroma Cocao which means “food of the gods.” I knew that the Aztecs believed that chocolate was the gift of the god, Quetzacoatl. Another chocolate note, “Count Your Blessings,” said that we should not take chocolate for granted because the cocoa tree only grows in a narrow band around the equator, and it takes 400 cocoa beans to make one pound of chocolate.

I had always wondered about the connection between chocolate truffles and the fungus called truffles. Now I know… chocolate truffles were named after the fungus due to their unparalleled delicacy, high price tag, and unassuming appearance. Eating chocolate and reading the chocolate notes makes one more intelligent!

I wasn’t surprised to learn that The Chocolate Garden has been featured on The Food Network. It is unlikely we will have another opportunity to visit Tina’s retail store at 2691 Friday Road, Coloma, Michigan but we can buy truffles from their Web site www.chocolategarden.com.

Sandra Scott is a frequent contributor to travel publications and to Creators Syndicate
and has co-authored two books on local history. She lives in Mexico, NY.

Photos by J. J. Scott.

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