Chocolatier Eric Gilbert pairs chocolates and wines at Grimal Grove.
Cacao trees, a tree that produces the pods which hold the seeds to chocolate, are usually only found 20 degrees north and south of the equator. So the discovery of a flowering and fruiting tree on Big Pine Key at Grimal Grove, 24.5 degrees north of the equator, is an exciting find. (It may be one of just a handful in the continental United States.) The recently rehabilitated hosted a seminar on choosing healthy and sustainable chocolate since “eating chocolate sets off the same mental feeling as being in love and being happy.” Spoiler alert: confections with 70 percent dark chocolate or more is the best for health reasons, and white chocolate has no health benefits because it doesn’t use the cacao bean.
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