The Passion Of Making Chocolates With Love

Angel of Chocolates bring you the finest handcrafted chocolates, since 2008. We prepare our chocolates not only with passion, but with love, dedication, honesty & precision. We deliver not just chocolates but also values. Yes, values – a unique combination of chocolates and blessings in the form of handwritten words – with the intention of giving not just a personal feel but also powerful positive energy.

To begin with, the very first variant of chocolates that rolled out from our kitchen was the plain chocolates – yes, we talk of compounds here – dark chocolate, milk chocolate & white chocolates, designed in different shapes, sizes and designs. Yes, this was the experimental stage. Over the years, this became more and more perfect. The cocoa percentage in these ranges from 16 – 18%.

                Pure chocolates – courvertures – are also available, on special request by our patrons. From 35% upto 70% cocoa concentrations are available only in dark chocolate. Milk and white courverture is unavailable at least temporarily. But those who enjoy the courvertures, will never look back at compounds – both in handling and tasting. Yes, it takes time to develop the “taste” for pure chocolates but it is enjoyable! We have a niche clientele for pure chocos. Courvertures are mostly demanded by premium clients like the directors, CEOs, managers of corporate and a few of our loyal clients – mostly diabetics, elderly people and even the young ones.

                Apart from courvertures, sugar-free chocolates are also available, again on client demand. We have developed these, keeping in mind diabetic people, those who cant forgo their love for chocolates. The sugar replacer is maltitol – a non sweetner, commonly used in confectionery, sweets, bakery and chocolate industry. It is GRAS (Generally Regarded As Safe) category sweetner and its quality is assured by the company – Aalst Chocolates Pte. Ltd. Usually, in sugar free and courvertures, people love to eat it plain, i.e. without nuts or fillings, but we are open to experiment.

Then comes the nutty chocolates variety. There are two in this category – namely, moulded and non-moulded ones. The moulded ones are of course those that have a definite shape, size & design. These have roasted, spiced healthy nuts in them, either whole, or chopped. Normally, we use the most popular nuts: cashew, almonds, pistachios, raisins (a few variety of raisins), walnuts, coconut, dates, butterscotch nuts, rice crispies, hazelnuts etc. (this can be customised as per client requirement; some nuts are also seasonal). There are certain dried-fruits also used: mango, apricot, blueberries, craisins, pineapple, pineapple-coconut combo, anjeer, kiwi, etc. and some seasonal fruits. In the moulded-nuts also there are a few varieties: flavoured nuts (orange or mocha), spiced nuts, roasted-fat coated nuts, mocha-nuts. These are those that are wrapped in the aluminium foil. Our nutty chocolates are loved by children, youngsters, elderly alike. Mostly, people demand nutty chocolates during Raksha Bandhan and Diwali.

The non-moulded nutty chocolates are normally described as “chocolate coated roasted nuts”. These are not designed but look like “tiny rocks” and are also popularly known in the market as “choco rocks”. These are served / presented in small paper cups. An interesting variant that we have is (and this has become extremely popular) “mocha-nuts”. The chocolate covering can either be dark compound, milk compound or white chocolate. “Rocks” are mostly loved by a certain category of people – we have observed. Those who want to experiment with something apart from what is always available, or those who love their nuts. Yes, the “nutty” people!! [My personal favourite is orange flavoured dark chocolate almond rocks & white pista rocks & mocha nuts]. We also love to experiment, so off late there is this craze for the “date-surprise” category which is nothing but small pieces of nuts concealed within de-seeded dates and coated with chocolates. These are becoming increasingly popular during festivals and amongst children. It really is yummy!! “crazy-nuts”.

“RASA” in telugu means “juice” or anything “juicy”. These chocolates got their name when i tasted one of my soft filled chocolates and the “juice” inside the chocolate filled my mouth. It was an “orange filled dark chocolate”. I was lost in heaven! Soft-filled chocolates were born a few months ago when i was introduced to a wide range of fillings, i was quite intrigued but was a bit sceptical to experiment with it cause of the logistics involved. Well, the rest is history! Since Celebrations has introduced RASA, there is no looking back on any other variety thence. I personally love the soft filled chocolates. And these go best with dark chocolate shell and white shell. Well, some things to be noted here: Blueberry filling goes best in white shell; orange goes best with dark chocolate; ganache goes with dark again; coffee with both white and dark; blueberries-ganache goes best in white but with dark also the taste is heavenly! Caramel Rasa goes best in white; strawberry and choco-cream goes in white shell! Apart from these, there are a few seasonal fillings also and we are constantly experimenting trying to get more RASAs on the menu! So watch out!

Again, Rasas are loved by our premium clientele – they are gaining popularity with corporate clients, wedding clients, valentines-clients [those who wish to express their love, to their loved ones, order for “sweetheart” chocolates – ie RASA in the shape of a heart. So, a heart - filled with soft sweet surprises inside. It melts away in the mouth but it also melts one’s heart! What better way than to melt away an anger or a sulking heart!] Rasas are still to make their way into children’s hearts though, but we’re sure it will do so, pretty soon! 

ART 

 Art is truly involved at every step in the chocolate making – right from handling the chocolate, to melting it, whipping, tempering, moulding, de-moulding the finished pieces, handling those, wrapping them in foils, arranging them neatly for a display, piping out the prepared fillings, decorating them, arranging them, preparing the toppings, preparing the boxes, packing them, well – this could go on endlessly. And the not to miss – the art of eating chocolates too! Well, even that is an art!! Yes of course! Chocolate tasting – is unarguably an art too!

A very significant part of chocolate making is its hygiene! Since i am a food technologist, hygiene and quality can be assured of. I have observed people who handle chocolates at home – not following hygiene practices at all, unaware of its importance in health. This is an area where we take a lot of care. Hygiene and passion are the main ingredients for us.

PACKING & PRESENTATION

Packaging, presentation & wrapping are customised to suit the occasion, mood, requirement, the flavour & the filling. It can also suit all budget ranges. From the simplest thin paper boxes – cheap in budget, just for carrying your chocolates. We also have high range boxes, rich looking, delicate, hard board decent looking boxes for high end occasions, events, functions, gifting and any other purpose.

Indulge!

We also have a scheme especially designed to suit our loyal customers – which says, “Pick your flavour, pack your chocos” & “Lick it to like it, pick it and pack it”. This allows our clients to taste various flavours, pick what they like the best, and also choose their own packing according to budget and liking. One can make their own pack of chocolates. It also gives the freedom of choosing an assortment of various flavours and enjoy surprising oneself with the different pleasures that each of the assortment has to offer!! So, indulge! Make it special for you!

Made with heart not with machine

Yes, we make our chocolates with all our dedication, love and passion, not with machine! There is a lot of positive energy around when the preparation part in going on. Even while wrapping, packing arranging the chocolates, we have enthusiasm in our hearts. And so, our chocolates are taken and consumed with equal love and energy! It transfers from the mind of the maker to the mind of the eater – via food!

We procure our chocolates (the raw material) all the way from Singapore, Belgium & Malaysia. They use the finest ingredients procured from the rich plantations of South Africa where all the cocoa in the world is produced. Even the fillings are of the best quality available and there is constant improvisation. We do not limit ourselves and always welcome honest feedback from our patrons. We love to experiment.

Prices are mentioned in a separate document and will be shared upon enquiry. For any outstation delivery, handling + logistics will be charged in addition to the chocolate pricing and this will be communicated clearly to the client making the enquiry. There will have to be a minimum order quantity placed for outstation deliveries. For within Bombay limits, there can be a purchase for one kg or more, for deliveries; or more than five boxes of higher range and more than 20 boxes of lower range. Our products are economically priced and are competitive; although we do not believe in comparison with market.

GREEN POLICY

We believe in going green, so we avoid paper work as much as possible, we use paper packing for shipping and re-use the same with cooperation from our clients who most willingly agree with our green policy. We hope the same from our new clients also.

* The “blessing cards” are complimentary with every purchase, but if required in bulk, can be purchased separately.*

Expressing Gratitude To ‘Service’ Providers Rather Than Using The Services Mindlessly

-          An act of mindfulness. Making a difference.

[prompted to write inspired by the video documentary about how amazon and google cares for its sales boys, delivery boys by gifting them customized bike-helmets and head gears]

            What if one of us [service users or consumers] swapped positions with one of those people who provide services to us – like the guy at petrol re-fill station or the parcel delivery boy or mail delivery boy or your maid or the one who just did your facial or your cab driver or the air hostess or the usher in a cinema hall or your daily newspaper delivery boy or your apartment security guard or the cashier at the supermarket? Would we remain un-complained if our acts of services went unnoticed or un-credited? Would we not frown our faces if none of the people who take services from us never even bothered to look at us in our eyes and say a simple sweet word: ‘thank you’; ‘God bless you’? So what? Does it really matter? We are getting paid anyways aren’t we?

            We have got into a habit of almost ‘ignoring’ these people who selflessly [well, they are paid…] provide different services to us without a complain. We always ‘seem’ to be in such a hurry to finish our mundane tasks, we completely forget to even utter a single word of thanks to these people, failing to realize they make such a difference to our lives. It takes a fraction of a second. Or even a small expression on our face – which will perhaps express our gratitude to them without making the effort to say anything. It will make a difference to them. May be some of them may even ignore or ‘duh’ it away, but for many, a simple thanks will make a big difference. These are serving us, perhaps cause they have no choice. Perhaps they need the money they earn from the few hours of efforts they put in to give us the best services. Some are trained, some are beginners. Perhaps they are not as financially stable as us; perhaps they do not have even basic facilities in their homes like we do. Perhaps they do not have so many choices. But they are forced to work like this.

            I personally feel, it is wrong to ‘assume’ that once they have provided us with their part of the service, for which their recruiter is supposed to train them [and we expecting their perfection] and we have ‘paid’ them with money, its done. The interaction ends there – no it doesn’t. it makes no harm to ask the post mail boy if he needs to have a sip of water, or to ask your driver if everything is okay in his family. Or to check with the pizza delivery boy if he found it too difficult to find your address. Perhaps, it will take away some of their tiredness or pain that they have taken to ensure you get your service as per your demand.

            We may sometimes regret not having expressed our gratitude to those young children who provide us service only after we hear about an unfortunate incident happening to them. But its too late to say thanks. Once we come across an opportunity to thank them, in whatever way, we must not miss it. Some day we may want to be thanked for something we have done for someone [even if with a selfless intent]. It will be an act of goodness on our behalf and bring a smile to their heart if not to their face. It could make a difference to their world. How about this: how happy will they feel, apart from being content, when they collect a thousand thank yous and God bless yous at the end of the day…

            I have made a difference [to my approach]. Have you?

fromthechokl8diaries.blogspot.in

            

The Rapidly Diminishing Office Etiquettes Of The Self-Proclaimed Corporate Professionals

Seriously man! Where the heck do all the manners, etiquettes disappear once a person is recruited in a corporate firm? Do we simply take things for granted? Like our behaviour, manners, values or morals?

Now then, just because there is always a wide gap between the "millennials" and the not-so-millennium conscious folks, doesn't imply that the gap could be expanded to behaviour and integrity too!

No, no one does really care how you behave, think or act; whether or not you are integral, outspoken, confused, sufferer, fickle minded, victim of circumstances, or a winner, so long as you are annoying others with your stupidity, you will be [either secretly or openly] rebuked and looked down upon.

Just to get over with annoyance and teach them a (well, virtual) lesson (or should I say virtually reprimand) let's list down all those annoying stuff young professionals - purposely - do when in office environment.

• Talking loudly on the phone [oh yeah, we got no other business than to know what dirty linen are you washing right now]
• Talking loudly to a co-employee - really, you wana brag, do one thing, step out, catch hold of a beggar or even a stray dog, and tell your stupid tales to them! Maybe they have got nothing betta to do!
• Leaving food scraps on the lunch table or on the cafeteria floor - when you gossip with that dog, don't forget to also catch some 'munch-manners' too man.
• Leaving toilet soiled! Oh f!@#%#%&^&*k! [Read my other blog posts for this one]
• Burping, farting, belching loudly. Bad idea, unless you are suicidal; no we can oblige for that! [watch your back, someone who's a victim of your gaseous outbursts might wana strangulate you]. Keep all that spicy oily junk food for road side stuffing man; let the environment suffer instead.
• Guys, YouTubing, downloading songs, and stuff - get a wifi for your home yaar! [Blessed are those who don't know how to do these stuff]
• Random gossip starters: Beware again, next thing you know, your mouth might be put to good use if the paper shredder doesn't work!
• Screaming match: again, there are playgrounds and sports stadiums for that. Spare the four-walled-poor office please!
• Leaving used cups, tiffins, spoons, glasses, mugs on the working desk! Calling for some really cool face exercises from your colleagues, as they practise making nasty faces at you. You can expect those "dirty looks" as your 'parting' gift!
• Oogling! Boys, if you are suddenly interested in some facial-make-up obliged by your female colleagues, you should do that - oogle and stare and pop your eyes out at GIRLS!
• Making nasty comments about others; feeling really obliged to answer all possible comments made by others; giving special "tippanis" about others' choices, etc. Yeah! You could be the next 'hated-by-all' gyan-guru!

....gotta go, some more, later! But rant not over yet!

First time experience -pleasant - on an online shopping portal - Jewellery!

Hello people and readers, I am back with some more posts for you guys to leisurely read...

Let me share something interesting; interesting because i never had purchased jewellery ever in my life!

I recently purchased fine gold jewellery from Candere – an online jewellery portal. Initially, I was pretty much apprehensive, two reasons: I never purchased jewellery in my life; I never purchased jewellery online. I had to have one or two conversations with the jewellery consulting head at Candere, and I was assured that I can go ahead. I must have evoked their wrath, thanks to my pestering questions; but they patiently explained. Well, once I received my products, I was ecstatic. On Dhanteras this year, I decided to purchase some gold, of minimum value, thanks to my scepticism. But on receiving, I was not only very happy, but also regretted at making such a small value purchase. I could have, with some more prodding, purchased gold of a higher value. But nonetheless, my experience of first time buying from Candere.com was good enough. As a result, I ended up carting few more gold products that I really liked. What’s best, they have the EMI option, very hassle free and simple to understand, because I don’t like complicated stuff…I wish to have a long consumer relationship with Candere. Thanks a lot.

Recruitment and placement agencies - phew!

It is highly disappointing and disapproving to see that recruitment & placement processes have not changed / revised much since ages. They have not undergone changes or improvements. They remain stagnant and show no signs of improvising for the better. No wonder candidates and job seekers don’t feel the excitement and enthusiasm to answer calls from these agencies anymore. It’s not only disappointing but also an annoying waste on time and energy. Well, having said that, let me put down some grave mistakes that these ‘agencies’ might want to reconsider and work upon:

-       “okay, so tell me something about yourself” [oh really!]

-       “I haven’t really read / gone through your CV” [WHY?]

-       “How much were you drawing in your last job” [well, none of your business, really]

-       “What were you doing in your last job” [well, whatever!]

-       “Why did you leave your last job” / “why have you worked for ___ months only in ___ job” [give them a hard stare]

-       Not bothering to offer correct directions to their office, or offering exact directions only once you have reached there, after some hassle.

-       Not bothering to offer any hospitality

-       Asking you to ‘carry a print of your CV’ [where the hell are the eco savers?]

-       Asking you for your last salary slip [phhh – no way!]

-       “You would be required to wait for longer hours on some days” [is this my office or a party]

-       “You will have to work really hard” [oh yeah, will you pay me harder]

-       “can you work under pressure” [yeah man why not, I am a pressure cooker. And what kind of ‘pressure’ really]

-       …….Phew!! 

I shall soon follow this with another write up sharing the positive traits of the agencies and placement processes. Thanks. 

Shivani Sharma

- Writer

Haalo Haalo - The Visual Treat of Navratri

        

Never seen before – the visual feat of Navratri – the original flavour of Gujarat!

“Haalo Haalo”

It was a worthwhile tour to Gujarat – purposefully made – to celebrate one of the greatest festivals in India; also the longest running festival, not just in terms of number of days involved but also the pomp and enthusiasm with which it is celebrated.

It is a visual treat to see the gaudy flash of colours and sparkle all around you and so the excitement on the faces. This is what I concluded: people in Gujarat, really take their festival sincerely and celebrate it whole heartedly too. Not one person is at halt when the music is running aggressively. There has to be non-breakable movement of the neck, the shoulders, the head, the arms, the eyes, the torso, the legs…..you just get carried with the flow!

Days are spent in hard core practice and nights are spent in presenting their acquired talent. The excitement is displayed not just by participants or dancers, but also by those who organize Garba at the various venues spread across the city. There is no less excitement amongst the teams of organizers, as they tirelessly sing and beat the drums in tune with the dancing feet. I found myself absorbing the festival zing even as I stood there, dumbfounded, and awestruck.

People in costumes and get up look really cool…. They look so cute and beautiful. Thin, fat, tall, slim, short, stout, young, old, tiny, huge – descriptions of bodies don’t matter at all! Everyone looks the same in their own costumes – handsome and gorgeous!

“Pankheedaaaa tu udi jaa re Pavagadh re……. pankheedaaaa….. ooo Pankheedaaa….”

Appealing to a messenger-bird to carry the message of my devotion to my beloved Goddess Amba Maa. Yes, this is the only chance to get your prayers heard by your favourite Goddess – Maa Amba or Maa Jagadamba! She will fill your heart and fulfill your desires and wishes. She is pleased, she is happy, she is overwhelmed with emotions. We offer her our prayers through our dance, our expressions; we offer her our love, our devotion! What else can the Goddess ask for!

It is impossible – not to get carried away to the beats of the consistent flow of music and rhythm.

“Pavadi laeine hun to Pavagadh gayi thi… Pavagadh Maa ne mane darshan de…Nahi to mari pavadi paachi de…”

This is the time when the entire Bharat worships female deities in various forms or avataars. It is overwhelming to see Goddess Durga, looking at her devotees - seemingly engrossed in devotion and music, a spring in their feet - with love & compassion in her eyes. She stands gracefully and in elegance looking across at the huge display of colour in front of her, colour that is constantly on the move.  

I am content with my decision to make the trip between the two States and enjoy the festival of the nine nights to the fullest, in its original, unadulterated flavour!

“Chalo chalo re garba ramva…chalo….garba ramva jaiye…poonam ni raat che…sakhiyon no saath che…”

Let me share this visual treat with the readers!

Horrible guys working at recruitment agencies! They need to sit at home!

What a horrible job the so-called recruitment are doing – or, are they really doing any ‘job’?

I have been harassed by these persistent and incessant calls from all sorts of fellows who call themselves recruitment agencies…it is indeed harrowing and annoying. Not only it distracts you from your work on hand, it also leads you away from your work….completely breaking the flow of thoughts.

And once you pick up the phone and talk, it is evident that these callers have either no or very little information which is of use. They will not divulge complete details of the job offer or about their ‘client’ to you…for whatever nonsense reason. Their callousness does not end here. Once they fix you up at a place, they will not even provide complete address and phone number related details to you, fail to mention whom to contact making a complete mess. They will also miscommunicate between the candidate and the organization. They will never give correct and complete information about who is coming for interview, what time, fail to give their CV,

Not only this. When you arrive at a place for a job interview, the interviewer has hardly had any time to go through your profile or place a position for you. And here comes the most disgusting part: “Okay tell me about yourself”! [uuugggghhhh]! What a disaster!

What’s worse: “Please carry a copy of your CV” – give me a break! What age are ‘you’ living in my dear recruiter friend? Ufffff!

They are not willing to reveal about their job profile that they are offering, neither discuss their payscale, neither the profile of their company, nothing! They just keep beating the conversation  around the bush and within minutes you are ready to give up and walk straight out the door.

At times, you start to lose your nerves with your interviewer because they are constantly distracted by one of their colleagues poking their head inside, or the buzz of their cell phones, or some silly ‘reminders’ of their work….the last thing they are interested in is – interviewing you! You feel humiliated and want to run away after yelling at your back, ‘I have rejected this job’…

I have done that on more than once occasions….either of the above reasons have pushed me to reject the offer in front of me. Either I say it on their face or I convey to the agency that coordinated with me.