Nothing ushers in summertime like a big bowl of sweet-tart cherries! Continue reading Cherries Jubilee!

On June 15, the Sylvania Farmers Market welcomed Elizabeth and Matt Gentry of Harvest Chocolate to its artisan food lineup. The bean to bar craft chocolate business from Adrian, Mich. offers chocolate bars and snacking chocolate made from cocoa beans from around the world.
Harvest Chocolate’s products, except for one, are vegan. Two dark chocolate bars are offered, Cocoa Coffee Crunch and Raspberry Beet. Their white chocolate varieties include Cinnamon Custard, Strawberry Crème Brulee and Milk and Honey.
Both Elizabeth and Matt have backgrounds in hospitality management and culinary degrees. “I’m the one who creates most of the chocolate,” said Elizabeth Gentry. “Matt supports me and is my number one taste tester.”
Elizabeth, a pastry chef, and Matt, a chef before transitioning to sales, have worked in fine dining restaurants in Chicago, New York and San Francisco, and together helped open a restaurant in Napa California. In 2014 the couple moved to Adrian, where Elizabeth is from, to be closer to family. She most recently worked as a pastry chef at Element 112 on Main Street in Sylvania for a couple of years.
A February 2020 trip to Ecuador gave the Gentrys the idea to create Harvest Chocolate. While there, they visited cocoa bean farms and learned how they are grown and harvested. “Much like grapes, cocoa beans from different countries have different tasting notes,” said Gentry. “For example, cocoa beans from Guatemala are known for being very fruity. They taste like luscious raspberries. Beans from Africa are known for being rich and have a luxurious taste. Our snacking chocolate highlights those tastes,” she explained.
Currently, the Gentrys purchase their cocoa beans from the Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Ghana, Uganda, Haiti and Guatemala. “We work with a company that works with farmers all over the world. They can tell us a lot about the farmers and how the beans are grown. It’s a partnership that’s really valuable to us,” Gentry said.
Once the beans are delivered, the chocolate making process begins. “We start with the whole cocoa bean. First the beans are put through a grinder that gently blows the outer shells away and just leaves the insides of the beans, called the nibs. That’s what you make the chocolate with,” said Gentry. The beans are then stone ground for about 48 hours until they reach a smooth velvety consistency. “It’s similar to a mortar and pestle but a more advanced method,” she added.
Harvest Chocolate products are sold exclusively at the Sylvania Farmers Market, held on Tuesdays from 4 to 7 pm at Harroun Community Park. “Our plan is to have a full launch next spring with an online store. The next phase will be to have a solid location and expand our offerings,” Gentry explained.
“We had a great response for our first market,” said Gentry. “I don’t think people were expecting to see chocolate and were very interested. We felt really grateful.”
Thank you to the Gentrys for sharing recipes for some of their favorite
chocolatey treats. Continue reading SIZZLE SIMMER SAUTÉ–Harvest Chocolate makes its debut at the farmers market

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