France to go

Most of the interviews I do for the articles I’m writing are over the phone, so it’s a real treat to get to meet the person I’m writing about face to face. Over the last few weeks, I did not one, but two interviews — for two publications, Spoiled in LA and Hitched magazine — with Hasty Torres at her Beverly Hills chocolate boutique Madame Chocolat. I also took plenty of pictures.

Now, hanging out in a chocolate shop — and getting to indulge in some of the sweets — is never something I’d turn down. I even have a tag devoted to chocolate on the blog. And Hasty’s shop didn’t disappoint. We chatted over lattes mixed with chocolate spoons, and I checked out the incredible holiday chocolates and got a tour of all the goodies in the store, from truffles and bonbons to chocolate covered cheerios. I must say, my favorite chocolate so far was the white chocolate citron, a pretty and creamy bonbon made with lime juice and decorated with delicate teal branches and leaves (second chocolates back on the right in the picture below). The caramel hearts were also delicious, as were the rich and enormous chocolate chip cookies. (OK, I promise to stop drooling now.)

I also learned that you can have a chocolate party at Madame Chocolat, for kids or adults, where you can make chocolates of your own. Ahem — anyone planning a party?

The Spoiled in LA reviews aren’t online yet, but the Hitched Candid 7 article where I talk to Hasty about her relationship with her husband, celebrity chef Jacques Torres is up now. The interview was fantastic, but of course I couldn’t use it all. Here’s my favorite outtake, about how Hasty and Jacques make their relationship work when they both have their own chocolate shops on opposite sides of the country — and how they hope to work together one day:

It works because of our love of chocolate and the love of what we do. It’s so helpful to have a partner who understands what you do and works in your industry. Jacques is still my mentor, and he’s still my chef. There are so many people who say they could never work with their spouse, but since that’s how we met, we really do well together. We’re like yin and yang in the kitchen—we can anticipate each other’s needs, and we know how to help each other out.

Check out the Hitched article to learn how Jacques proposed in the chocolate shop, what their favorite chocolates are, and how being on “The Girls Next Door” has brought in a flood of new requests for “body parts” chocolates.

It’s been a while since I’ve done a weekly reading post since I haven’t had too much of my work published lately (don’t worry, I’ve still been working, but I’ve had more print assignments than usual, so they won’t come out until January or February). In any case, I’ve had two articles published recently:

Candid 7 with Alimi Ballard: I interviewed the Numb3rs star about his growing family, doing his own stunts and balancing work and family time. Alimi was a great interview — very friendly and warm, and lots of fun to talk to.

Engaging Customers With Microsoft Surface: I take a look at the coolest new multitouch computer and what it means for business. By the way, I want one of these. And seeing it on CNN’s election coverage only makes me want it more.

We’re coming to the end of our last full day in London, and it’s been action-packed right up until the end. Evan’s been busy finishing up Hellboy II — go see it in the U.S. July 11 and in the UK August 20 (or July 13 at Somerset House) — and I’ve been busy redesigning the Write-Communications site (with help from a great Revolution theme and lots of Wordpress plugins), doing work for Workology and still trying to get a bit of writing done.

The weekly list:

• Entrepreneur.com - Printing 2.0: Started on slick and colorful calling cards for the social networking circuit, Moo has quickly become an international stationery brand.
• Entrepreneur magazine - The PlayHousing Market: There’s no slump here: Barbara Butler’s company thrives by donating its fanciful houses.
• Londonist - Met Officers Brag About On-the-Job Collisions

On our trip we should be making occasional updates to Twitter (me/Evan), Facebook, this blog and Evan’s photo site, so stay tuned. Now off to do some more packing — we head to Egypt tomorrow!

Only one more week to go until vacation and I’m feeling much more prepared than last week. I have my clothes, my shoes, my backpack and yet another guidebook. There are still a few little odds and ends that need to be sorted out (and of course packing up the apartment), but I’m feeling good and prepared about the trip.

Of course, there’s still much work to be done here, and I once again have a rather flimsy reading list, but the two Londonist posts I managed are at least pretty funny.

• Concern Over Gay ‘Wedding,’ but the Flowers Were Amazing: The “rubustly heterosexual” vicar who presided over two priests’ commitment ceremony waxes poetic about the “amazing flowers” and “fabulous music.”
• Amy Winehouse Coughing Up Blood (Ew!): It looks like Amy might have the consumption — just like in Moulin Rouge!