ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

From Pam: I first want to acknowledge Jim Eber for his passionate voice in this book. I was looking for a professional writer who didn’t know anything about chocolate—other than that he or she liked it—to work with me on a strange book about the future of fine flavor chocolate: the small segment of the chocolate industry focused on the people making the finest chocolate possible. I wanted this writer to bring a totally impartial point of view to the information we gathered—no preconceived notions about what chocolate is or isn’t, how the industry works or doesn’t. Jim jumped in taste buds first and his journey into chocolate over the years we spent conducting interviews and writing the manuscript, editing each new edition has been a joy to behold. I’m grateful to Lisa Ekus for putting us together, and I think the story has been told much, much better and wiser because of Jim. A big thank you to my colleagues in the fine chocolate industry who willingly shared their thoughts, fears, hopes, and dreams. And a huge hug for Daryl who has always been my biggest fan, even when I came to him over fifteen years ago with this crazy idea of starting a professional chocolate school. I couldn’t have done this without you!

From Jim: The generosity, spirit, and talent of the amazing people who gave their time and in some cases opened their businesses and homes to be interviewed for this book is matched in every way by Pam; thank you for choosing me for this project and trusting me to help you realize your vision. Thank you, Lisa Ekus, for introducing us. Thanks to Chloé Doutre-Roussel for being such a willing victim of my incessant queries and Dan Pearson and Steve De Vries for being the close readers Pam and I needed to keep us honest. Thanks to Michèle Bleuze, who hosted me in Paris and helped me overcome mon mauvais français by accompanying me to interview Patrick Roger. And, as always, thanks to Simon, for eating everything we put in front if him and smiling every time, and Amy, who, while more than thrilled to work for fine chocolate, is not only my guiding light in life but the most patient and best damned reader anyone could ever have look at a manuscript.