Mr. Truffle

I just came home from a wonderful wonderful chocolate experience. Just off Smith street. A quaint neighborhood in Fitzroy where the ambiance is a little hip, very casual and laid back.

“Monsieur Truffe.” when you walk past the clinking bead curtain, you will be greeted with the aroma of warm chocolate. A shop with a very rustic and homey atmosphere. The flooring is plain unpolished cement. The walls painted with a blush of moss green. Shelves of rustic old dark wood fixed on the walls. Chocolate creations lined up for your selection. Further up you will see a guy wearing a green cap, casual shirt on with jeans and an apron right up front the counter. He is the Chef, the artist behind it all. He will give you greetings and welcome you with a warm smile. Look to your right and you will see an array of hand made chocolates on the glass display. You can try some samples of his new truffle creations before finally deciding. Take your pick from among the selection of Venezuelan, Ecuador or Bolivian chocolates. Each one when tasted carefully has its own flavor and aroma. Pair it with a good cup of coffee. Flat white, cappuccino or espresso perhaps? Or for real chocoholics, there's always a cup of warm bittersweet hot chocolate waiting for your call.

Take a seat on one of his wooden tables then he would come over to serve you , chat with you for a while and share a few things about his passion. A very inspiring chef, and one who did it impressively well.

The Art of Unlearning.

From our very first step in school at right about the age of 5 up to the first day of classes in a University as froshies, to perhaps for others the first time we put on a chef's jacket in culinary school, we learn everything for the very first time. We start off by not knowing anything then we absorb information, techniques and styles. just like a dry fresh sponge, soaked in a bucket of water. We simply absorb everything. It is easy. As years go by, we get used to habits and to certain techniques that worked for us. May or may not be the best way to do things, but it did work for a while. Then we reach a point when everything seems to be on a plateau. Everything seems to be fine.... just fine. Everything seems to be okey... simply okey. Somehow, there's a voice inside yearning for something more, Something.... great.

Then we start looking for new frontiers. A little bit more challenge perhaps? The search goes on until opportunities knock on our doors. Do we go for it or not? Do we leave behind what we have so painstakingly built and start fresh? We just have to decide...just make a choice. Then, we push ourselves a little bit harder until we reach a new world.

Then it all starts... Learning the second time around. Just like the sponge that has been soaked in water, the old liquid must be squeezed out, squeezed out a little harder to be able to grasp on fresh juices. Old habits that may or may not be the best taken out of our system for a while, to try on new techniques, that may be even better then before. An open mind and a willingness to learn coupled with a humble heart to accept mistakes, make it up and learn. Its not easy. At this point most have already taken on roots and built habits. Most have built confidence as well. A part of it will however have to be broken down, but yes it will be refurbished. Soon a brand new person will come, even a better one than before.