I usually don’t pay attention to Groupon unless there’s a deal on Starbucks gift cards. But when a couple friends found a chocolate-making workshop on the site, I signed up to attend with them.
You know I love ordering custom cupcakes, but I haven’t done any real baking myself in a long time unless Pillsbury cookies count. It’s actually quite fun to decorate and customize treats without paying extra for someone else to do it.
Inside The Mad Bean cafe on Eglinton Ave West, we sat together and learned about the history of chocolate. For example, I discovered that the Mayans were the first to discover chocolate and for a long time, only the wealthy enjoyed it. (They didn’t have Walmart or convenience stores back then!) Spanish princess Marie-Therese was one of the most influential public figures who introduced chocolate to others, such as at her wedding.
Then we got to sample chocolates with cinnamon, ginger and cayenne. They were all so good!