by Ellen Lucas

I recently returned to Endicott College, Beverly MA for my reunion.  Four dear friends and I shared a "pod" and experienced life at Endicott once again.  One of the highlights of our visit was a Wine and Chocolate tasting led by Brendan Cronin of the College's School of Hospitality Management.  Born in Ireland, he has worked for major international hotel companies in Ireland, Switzerland, Africa, Thailand, Macao, Malaysia and Singapore. He taught at the Swiss Hotel Association School, Les Roches in Switzerland before joining Endicott College in 1995. During his stay at Les Roches, he obtained his Swiss Master Chef qualification, the highest culinary achievement recognized worldwide.  Needless to say, he was a font of information and entirely charming.

Mr. Cronin began the chocolate tasting with three bars of Ghiradelli's Intense Dark chocolates, 60%, 72% and 86% cacao.  As we savored the bits of chocolate we sipped a 2005 Manzanita Canyon California Cabernet Sauvignon.  The combination of the chocolate and the wine created a superb tasting event.  A Lindt Excellence Intense Orange bar was offered next, a unique combination of dark chocolate with delicate orange pieces and almond slivers.  Mr. Cronin engaged the audience the entire tasting with information about each chocolate, history, differences, and trivia.  A Cadbury milk chocolate was offered as a contrast to the dark chocolates.  Cadbury is known for "a glass and a half of milk in each bar".  During our time together we also tasted a Lindt White Chocolate, a white chocolate mousse with a hint of coconut, and a Belgian chocolate mousse with orange.    

We sipped a Spanish wine, Alvear Pedro Ximenez 1927, from Montilla-Moriles as we enjoyed a a dark chocolate cake with a ganache topping and raspberry layer. The wine is referred to as the solera system, so 1927 refers not to the sole vintage, but to the oldest in the bottle. However, my two favorites chocolate bars were by Lindt, Excellence "A Touch of Sea Salt", the complexity of dark chocolate enhanced by the addition of Fleur de Sel, a premium French sea salt; and the "Chili Bar" combining aromatic dark chocolate with the well balanced spice of premium red chili.  As a person that enjoys the savory more than the sweet, these chocolates were my favorites.  

The entire tasting experience was a treat.  If you would like to enjoy the beautiful setting of the North Shore and experience Endicott's restaurant, visit La Chanterelle.  Set in the fabulous surroundings of Misselwood, an old French-style manor, La Chanterelle provides unrivaled views of the Atlantic Ocean and an excellent service, performed by the students of the School of Hospitality Management.