the ultimate marriage...

there are some geniuses in this world....this i know to be true.

there is the genius who invented the clorox wipe....the one who came up with the brilliant idea for ikea...., and, of course, every member of the team that realized the world needed Rockstar: INXS.

my most recent genius discovery is less about one person and more about a burgeouning society of people...those who have discovered the glory of the Earth's most decadent pairing and made a movement of it--of course, i'm talking about chocolate and wine. While I'm certain this clan of epicurians is neither new nor revolutionary, i've come, in past weeks, to be surrounded by them--and i love it.

I begin with two fellow brooklyners, Alisha Lumea and Avril Pendergast-Fischer, these women decided to make their passion for decadence a business and create Coco Vino, an online chocolate shop that produces bonbons to die for--that happen to be socially conscious.

Dedicated to celebrating the everyday beauty of life, Cocoa Vino couples two of life’s most sensual pleasures—chocolate and wine. The robust character of many wines and liqueurs makes them ideal flavorings for filled chocolates, and they feature in many classic European recipes. Using traditional European production methods and a New York sense of style and innovation, Cocoa Vino pushes the classic into the modern by exploring new flavor harmonies and unexpected pairings....All our ingredients respect the environment, the physical and economic well-being of workers and your health.

Organic, sustainable, and made with products obtained through fair trade, Cocoa Vino's bonbons range from dark chocolate and malbec to dark chocolate, espresso, and sambuca. Yum. Not in the mood to order online? Hire these geniuses to create the favors for your wedding or to throw a wine and chocolate party at your home.

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staying with brooklyn (I'm slowly learning I'll never have to leave the borough again), I have to plug the best new bar in park slope...cocoa bar.

during the evening, cocoa bar transforms into a dessert and wine bar/lounge. our wine and beer menu has been carefully selected to be perfectly paired with our chocolate pastries, truffles and pralines.

complete with a storefront shop and takeout drink bar to a interior lounge space with table service to a huge backyard patio space...this is the place to order a bottle of cabernet and a decadent dessert and while away the evening hours.

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while at cocoa bar, i discovered perhaps the most amazing spa products i've ever seen...a line of chocolate and wine face scrubs, soaps, and body washes from aqua dessa...all organic (some even vegan), aqua dessa has been offered millions to sell out to big business cosmetics...

Since our products are made with fruits, beries, honey, seaweeds, herbs, and botanicals, these natural ingredients haven't been testen on animals. After being exposed to the manufacturing practices of cosmetics...we walked away from all the millions of dollars and glamour and made a commitment to make it our life's mission to create the purest products in the world...

hey...if you can't eat chocolate every day...at least you can bathe in it.

what a marvelous idea.

fix your jones for chocolate and wine together @ www.cocoavino.com, www.cocoabarnyc.com, and www.aquadessa.com

Posted by sarah t. at 11:40 AM