Black Mountain Chocolate

In-laws can be tricky. (A brief pause for you to laugh at my over simplification on the matter).

Thankfully, my best friend was born to my mother two years before I came along. This is enough luck to be satisfied with. Yet the the sister-in-law gods have also smiled upon me. Out of all the prospective women swimming around on the planet, my brother and brother-in-law happened to find two of the finest among them.

My western dwelling sister-in-law has influenced these pages before with her savory corn pudding (now a household staple recipe). And my local inherited sibling is not only inventive in the kitchen, but knows how to bring a gal the perfect treat right when she could use it most. Within her town of Black Mountain, special things are taking place, namely: artisan chocolatiering. Thanks to her I was recently introduced to Black Mountain Chocolate and their perfectly executed dark chocolate bars (made with ancient tradition in mind, bean roasting and all) dusted with local Celtic sea salt. This is as good of a marriage as those which additionally brought such special women into my life.

I couldn't photograph the lovely bar in its entirety due to a chocolate-eating thief who quietly crept into my home and devoured most of it before I could snap a shot. I swear it wasn't me. But it's not the image on the bar I'm impressed with. Reading more about how the company was founded couldn't have been more of a surprise. Visit their homepage to learn how a private golf club manager from Charleston became master of the chocolate making trade.

In the meantime, do yourself a favor and gift some local chocolate to the fabulous women in your life. I guarantee such offerings to be well received.