After a long afternoon of learning how to make fresh pasta with Pasta Famiglia, I strolled over to the nearby Nymph East - the new location of CocoaNymph which opened this fall. It has all the old goodies but in a new fresh location that has great potential - including a regular offering of chocolate making workshops and a growing full-service cafe menu.

For the Hot Chocolate Festival (January 19 - February 14), CocoaNymph concocted a special limited edition beverage that shows Rachel Sawazky's skill and daring imagination: the Espionage hot chocolate, which is infused with jasmine essence and topped with juniper marshmallows. Like the chocolate bar we created together, it packs a punch, surprises the taste buds and stimulates the imagination.



Personally, I was reminded of the thick "Shokolada" that Maestro Secundus Minutius Hora poured out to Momo when she visited the heart of time. It's the kind of beverage that makes you stop in your track, contemplate, and savour every moment. Which is the key for happy living!

Visit CocoaNymph West (3739 West 10th Avenue & Alma) or East (4 West 7th Avenue & Ontario) to enjoy a cup of this thick elixir; or buy a hot chocolate making kit to brew at home with your own choice of marshmallows and possibly other addictive additions... I am now planning my 4th annual Valentine's Tea Party and am scheming which is dedicated to broken hearts and tragic love stories. If you have any suggestions for a chocolate brew along these lines (or any other crazy hot chocolate and marshmallow combinations) I'll be most grateful! So do leave a comment! I might just send you an Espionage chocolate bar as a thank you, you know...