CHOCOLATE FROM FLORES

If you are interested in really miniscule cocoa plantations, then the Bajawa district of FLORES is the place you should investigate. Where on earth is Flores? Well it is eight degrees below the equator and a one and a half hour flight from Denpasar,Bali.

Flores has a brief moment of fame in 2003 when the remains that closely resembled Hobbits was discovered by paleneoanthropolgists. They lived in these idyllic island up to as recenlty as 11,000 BC.

Flores is one of the 17,000 islands of Indonesia. It is 330km long and about 70km wide at the widest point. Flores has an area of 13,540 square meters. The highest point is 2,370 meters. Close to the capital Ende is Kelimutu a volcano with a lake crater. Fed by volcanic gases the waters of the lake change colours from bright red to green to blue.

The population is almost entirely Catholic and produce more priests per head than any other country in the world.

A CHOCOLATE SCHOOL IN JAKARTA,INDONESIA?

Yeah, yeah I know. It is the last place in the world chocolate enthusiasts expect to launch into a chocolate career by going to a school. The chances are that if you have dreams of becoming a great chocolatier, you would be considering going to school in Belgium or France. Indonesia? You must be mad, they will tell you to even allow such a thought to cross your mind.

The fact is Jakarta is a great place to go to a chocolate school. And its not because I live here. Jakarta has a long history of cocoa. I fact we had plantations here in the 1700s and were exporting cocoa to Europe in the late 18th century. Great plantations exist three to four hours from here. And it well worth a trip to just to go and look at them. They actually exist on the slopes of central mountain range and the drive up there in the morning is delightful. And the breakfast places along the way serve healthy bowls of great Java porridge. But lets get back to talking about chocolate careers and good chocolate schools.

The Chocolate School  is located in Central Jakarta. Just 15 minutes from the main street down town.Here there are a variety of courses offered; A 3-Day Basic Course, Professional and Gourmet Praline Courses and even courses that tell you how to start and market chocolate. The big surprise is  the faculty  is headed by an experienced and professional Belgian Chocolatier. Those who has discovered the school are delighted to have discovered a "secret" where they get, as even the snootiest French visitors admit, a superior chocolate education at incredible fair tuition prices. The School has drawn students not only from all over Indonesia but also from the Philippines and from the parsimonious Singaporeans on the look out for the best bargains.All chocolate used in the courses are premium couvertures.

The school is owned by FreyAbadi, a chocolate ingredients manufacturer; a joint venture between Petra Foods, Singapore and Fuji Oil of Japan. Which are excellent credentials; Petra Foods is the fourth largest manufacturer of chocolate ingredients in the world and Fuji Oil the world's number one producer of edible vegetable fats. For more information on the School you may email me for sensible guidance; mervynpereira00@gmail.com