American craft chocolate and wine tasting experience
Thursday 26 October 2017 7 - 9pm
The Sir Hugh Casson Room for Friends, The Keeper's House, Royal Academy of Arts, Piccadilly
£40. Includes ten chocolates and five wine tastings. Friends and Academicians' Room members only.
Friends of the RA book first
Jasper Johns: ‘Something Resembling Truth’
To coincide with our celebration of the great American artist Jasper Johns, we take you on an exploration of the evolving world of American craft chocolate, pairing each choice with carefully selected wines.
When Cocoa Runners launched in 2013, there were only 20-30 craft chocolate makers in the US. Today, there are close to 300 independent artisans creating chocolate from "bean to bar".
From Washington to Woodstock, to Utah and Illinois, these new makers are transforming how we see and experience chocolate. For them and their followers, chocolate is not simply a sweet treat, but the pure expression of the cocoa bean. As they roast conche, winnow and temper their bars, they are coaxing out and revealing the flavours they want from the bean.
In this tasting, you’ll try bars from new makers all over the US. Cocoa Runners take you through every step of how chocolate is created, starting with how the beans are grown and harvested right to the wrapping of the bars. Tasting as we go, we’ll also look at maker’s innovations in technologies that are further revolutionising the craft chocolate scene.
Once you’ve tasted this chocolate, there is no going back. The chocolate is a testimony to their innovation, creativity and skill as they transform this fruit into a creative and gastronomic expression of cacao.
The Royal Academy is an independent charity that relies on the generosity of its Friends. Thank you for supporting the RA by participating in Friends events.
This event is also open to Academicians' Room members. To book, please call the Box Office on 020 7300 8090.
Cocoa Runners, founded by Simon Palethorpe and Spencer Hyman, is the purveyor of the finest chocolate in the world, scouting out top-notch producers from around the globe and bringing its customers an edit of the very best selection.
Spencer had his first taste of real chocolate when he was introduced to Valhrona – the must-have chocolate of top chefs – in the 1990s. In 2012 when travelling in the States, Spencer was overwhelmed when he discovered a burgeoning chocolate revolution: a wave of new, artisan chocolate makers had arrived. Spencer began to widen his search in the hope of finding other special chocolate creators in the world. In his search for the finest chocolate, he has sampled over 5000 different bars from around the world and continues to seek out new makers all the time. Cocoa Runners now works with artisan chocolate creators such as Marou in Vietnam, Onmon in Iceland, Fruition in the USA and Menakao in Madagascar along with several more. They deliver the very best chocolate to your doorstep – as a gift, or as part of their chocolate subscription service.
We’re transforming the Royal Academy in time for our 250th birthday in 2018.
Alongside an expanded programme of world-class exhibitions, our building redevelopment will reveal the elements that make the RA unique - our historic Collection, the work of the artists and architects who run the RA, and the art school at the heart of our campus. The development will ensure we can continue to meet our founding principles: to present a broad range of art to the widest possible audience; to stimulate artistic debate, understanding and creation; and offer free education to the next generation of leading artists.
Please join us in making this ambitious project possible through a range of unique experiences and support opportunities from the Royal Academy.