In this episode we talk with Nicole Hewat, founder of World Tree Chocolate. World Tree offers curated chocolate boxes based on flavor preferences, but Nicole is also an artist, and she has used cacao in various forms for watercolor paintings as well as illustrations for a book about the cacao-growing and chocolate-making process. During our conversation we talked about flavor and the tasting experience, her process for creating her paintings, and the way flavor can interact with our emotions and the art we take in during the tasting process.
The driving theme of Bean to Barstool is the interaction of flavor with our memories, emotions, and imaginations. When I first saw the Nicole Hewat’s paintings at World Tree Chocolate using chocolate by-products as paint, I was intrigued by this extension of that idea. Here were the very ingredients that create the flavors of chocolate being used in another sensory medium, conveying color and shape and place. It was no surprise when Nicole and I spoke recently that she sees so much overlap and influence between our senses, with everything from music to weather to visual art influencing her flavor perception. Listen in as we discuss these interactions and take a deep dive into her artistic process.
Chocolate makers mentioned in this episode include Solkiki, Askinosie, Qantu, Baiani, and Soma.
You can purchase find out more about World Tree Chocolate here.
You can purchase tickets for the Beer Chocolate Virtual Tasting mentioned in the episode here.
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The music for this episode is by my dear friend, indie folk musician Anna ps. You can find out more about Anna’s music in the show notes or at her website annapsmusic.com, where you can also get in touch to book her to play at your brewery or other establishment.
Nicole Hewat is the founder of World Tree Chocolate based in Ontario, Canada. She focuses on selling curated flavour adventures from a carefully selected collection of craft chocolate bars from around the world. As a professional artist, she integrates cocoa husks, powder, and butter into her painting practice. Connection of cocoa painting materials to the locations where they were grown is the theme of her paintings. Her book ‘Cacao to Chocolate’ is fully illustrated with cocoa butter on glass paintings.
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