My first encounter with Gareth Mark was at Williams-Sonoma across from Pioneer Courthouse Square while doing research for my Downtown Portland Chocolate Walk. Upon meeting him one immediately senses that he is in his element surrounded by all the wonderful culinary products and when he talks about food, especially chocolate, you know that he truly loves his work.

Today I attended one of his free, Sunday technique classes. The topic: All About Ice Cream. Need I say more?! There were about 15 people in attendance on this unusually warm and humid overcast day to get “the scoop on the scoops. “

His Xocoatl Sorbet was truly amazing with its intriguing combination of dark chocolate, cinnamon, vanilla, chiles and sea salt. These ingredients all mingle together in a way that is hard to believe that the resulting creation contains no dairy. Way to go if you’re watching the fat or calorie meters.

The second sample was an even more surprising. Upon receiving my little paper soufflé cup with the light caramel colored ice cream, I immediately caught the wafting aroma of maple syrup. It tasted as good as it smelled. Then the shock came when he told us the ingredients. No maple syrup was mentioned. Did I hear him correctly? Yes, this was Candy Cap Gelato. Candy Cap is the common name of an orange colored fungus that grows in forests of western North America. I soon discovered that Candy Cap was this year’s challenge ingredient for this annual ice cream class. You can find both of these recipes on his blog: www.stumptownsavoury.com

Mark your calendar for next year’s ice cream class (No pun intended, Chef Mark!) to see what the next challenge ingredient will be. If you don’t want to wait until then to attend one of these weekly technique classes, check out the Williams-Sonoma website for upcoming topics at: http://www.williams-sonoma.com/cust/techniqueclass_popup/content.cfm

Just so you know, Gareth is known to offer a chocolate class every once in a while. So be sure to check back often.

Last fall I had an email interview with James from www.Tasting.com, a new website that was being developed in the UK. Unfortunately, for all of us, it seems the website never made it off the ground. You might want to check back periodically and see if it ever gets launched. In the meantime, here’s the interview. Thanks, James, for the opportunity and I wish Tasting.com all the best.

1. What is most revealing to you on your tours?
I’m continually amazed that even long time residents discover new shops and places during our tours.  Isn’t that human nature? We all tend to have our favorite routes and places. And everyone is quite surprised at all the chocolate we find. So it gives me great satisfaction in helping people look at a neighborhood in a slightly different way.

2. Do you pair chocolate with anything else, like wine and whiskey, when people taste during the tour?
Each tour may vary in regards to the different stops we make. We generally have 5 or 6 main stops. We’ve explored chocolate martinis and pairing chocolate with coffee, wine and beer.

3. Do you start with low cocoa and end with high cocoa content during a single session?
I realize that this is the preferred sequence, however, during our walking tours this can be a challenge. It’s also interesting because when I first started giving chocolate tasting programs in the early 80’s it was recommended to start with the higher cocoa content (less sweet) since it was believed back then that sugar would dull your sense of taste.

4. Do you cover chocolate products made with more specific types of chocolate, like single origin?
Some of the chocolate products we sample have contained more specific kinds of chocolate, like single origin. We explore a little of everything on our walks- bars, confections, drinks, desserts- you name it. You can think of our programs as neighborhood searches for ALL things chocolate.

5. A bit about you – how did you get introduced to chocolate or how did it become such a passion?
There is the saying, “First you eat chocolate and then chocolate consumes you!” Well, in some ways that saying could apply to me. I’ve always loved chocolate. I have fond memories of my grandmother baking Sicilian cookies that had wonderful chunks of dark chocolate in them. I also grew up in San Francisco not far from the Ghirardelli Chocolate Factory. As an adult I became an educator, and my main interests have revolved around natural and human history, science, and food, so chocolate was a natural topic for me.

6. What does it cost? Is there a minimum group size? What is the best time of year? How far or how short in distance? Do you do just walking tours? Can walks be made shorter or longer?
The public walking tours are geared for adults, are 3 1/2 hours in length, and cost $37 – 42. The minimum group size is three and maximum is 10. I feel it is important keeping the group size small to make it more personal and so people can ask questions. For me, anytime is a good time for chocolate! However, our programs are held seasonally from March through November. We cover 1-2.5 miles per walk depending on the route.  Private walking tours are also available for groups and are $28 for a minimum of 6 participants.  All of our programs can be tailored to meet a group’s specific needs.

7. What other tours do you do?
We currently have three walking tours in the Portland Metro Area: Downtown Portland, Pearl District and Lake Oswego. Right now all my programs have to do with chocolate.  I also offer a 6 week interdisciplinary, hands-on class called Chocolate Creations for 3rd-5th Graders, Arm Chair Chocolate Tastings, and an Immerse Yourself in Chocolate program that includes drinking and eating chocolate tastings, and making truffles. We’re also in the middle of planning two new routes and our first Mobile Tasting Tour.