Chocolate Lover
I know a lot of people claim to to be a “chocoholic” but in my case, I think I really have a serious problem. You see, just like anybody else, I have a routine each evening before going to bed. However, before I wash my face or brush my teeth, I have to have something chocolate. A cookie, a brownie, a piece of candy, cake, whatever; as long as it’s chocolate, I will sit down and have a snack a couple hours before going to bed, just to finish out the day with something sweet. The thing that makes me think I have a problem? Well, if I skip having chocolate, and do everything else, and then go to bed, I will lie in bed worrying that if I die in my sleep, I will have missed my last opportunity to have chocolate. Yes, you read that right. That worry is so consuming, not only will it keep me from falling asleep, but it will almost always cause me to get up out of bed, go to the kitchen, have a piece of chocolate, and then brush my teeth all over again before returning to bed. I’m not telling you this to make you think I am crazy, I just want to be clear, that when I say I am a chocoholic, I mean it in the most serious way.
In May of 2010, my love of chocolate lead me to begin working as a tour guide with Boston Chocolate Tours. After initially training as an assistant, I have gone on to be promoted to Lead Tour Guide of the company, regularly leading the Back Bay and South End tours. Additionally, I have also been entrusted with representing the company at conventions, such as the Boston Globe Travel Show, Worcester Wine and Food Show, Shecky’s Girls Night Out, Newton’s Annual Death by Chocolate event, NARAL’S Annual Chocolate Madness event, and the Boston Concierge Convention. I frequently consult on new ideas for the company, helping to redesign tour routes when necessary, as well as improve customer and vendor relations and brainstorm marketing ideas. I also assist with social media and write pieces for the company newsletter, including a piece for the New England Meeting Planner’s Newsletter. I have spoken on behalf of the company on-camera for Back Bay Patch, Alleyoop, the Emerson College news channel, the Boston Neighborhood Network, and the reality show “Don’t Tell The Bride!” on the OWN network.
My adventures in the chocolate world have lead me to create blog, Cocoa Beantown, which details reviews, recipes, tales of travel and adventure, insights and interviews, anecdotes, and heartwarming stories–all with a chocolate center.
My time as a chocolate tour guide has likewise allowed me to build relationships with local chocolatiers, occasionally serving as a trusted taste-tester for new products, or being entrusted with researching new flavors. On a trip to Europe in the fall of 2011, I compiled notes for use by Boston Chocolate Tours and Lee Napoli, of Chocolee in the South End, tasting chocolates in each of the four countries I visited, and talking to chocolatiers in Germany, Switzerland, and France. In some cases, I was even asked to taste test new products by the local chocolatiers to give “the American perspective.”
As a tour guide, I am consistently rated highly by my tour guests, who use words like “enthusiastic and entertaining,” “informative and friendly,” “amazing,” “fun, upbeat and informative,” “funny,” “very interactive,” “charming,” “awesome,” “exceptional in her knowledge of chocolate,” and “full of enthusiasm and spirit” in their reviews of my tours on Yelp, TripAdvisor, Goldstar, and the company’s website and Facebook page.
In addition to my job as a tour guide, I have written for Hotel Chocolat’s corporate newsletter, and as a corporate blogger for Lindt Chocolates.