From the tree to the taste buds
Savina Darzes is dedicated to education.
As a former park interpreter and currently a Scientist in Residence with the West Linn/Wilsonville School District, she loves to show and tell, especially when she can do it outside.
She also likes good food. So when she went on a culinary walk through Portland several years ago, she got the idea for her perfect career: giving chocolate walks. Today, she escorts groups of 10 through some of the Portland area’s most walkable neighborhoods: The Pearl; Downtown Portland; and Lake Oswego, highlighting chocolate treats and the fascinating folks who come up with these creations.
Savina’s business, Chocolate Tasting And More, focuses on tastings, tours and education. On Friday and Saturday, Sept. 4 and 5, she’ll be preparing to celebrate International Chocolate Day with demonstrations and information about chocolate at Ten Thousand Villages, 938 NW Everett in the Pearl District. Her talks cover topics “from tree to taste buds.” Stop by the store from 1 to 5 p.m. when you’re on your way to or from Art in the Pearl.
“Portland is an amazing walking town,” Savina said, which makes her chocolate tours easy and accessible. She considers her walking tours as “a neighborhood search for all things chocolate.”
One of the highlights of a tour for Savina is introducing her customers to the bakers and cooks, as well as the business owners, behind the chocolate products. “I love to come away with a personal connection.”
She particularly likes surprising local residents with a new view of their familiar neighborhoods. “ I just love showing them something they haven’t seen before,” whether it’s a bakery they didn’t know about or a confection that takes chocolate to new delights (and caloric content).
Some highlights of the Portland chocolate scene? There are too many great ones to name. Savina’s tours often stop at Bernard Callebaut Chocolates on 5th Ave. in Lake Oswego; Verdun Chocolates in The Pearl (“it’s like walking into a jewelry store,”) and Pazzoria in downtown Portland.
For more information about tastings and tours, contact Savina through her Web site.
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