On Saturday, February 10 from 2-4pm, mentors, mentees and staff from Partners for Youth with Disabilities, as well as the BU PRLab team had the pleasure of attending and participating in PYD’s first Chocolate Workshop. The workshop, taught by Boston’s famous pastry chef, Lee Napoli, was also known as “A Sweet Celebration of Friendships.” The goal of the workshop was to share the chocolate making experience with mentors and mentees and bond these relationships more tightly. A big group of participants, including five mentees, seven mentors, and the PYD team, were guided by Chef Napoli in making and decorating gourmet chocolate truffles. Each participant took home their very own chocolates from their inspiring “chocolate making adventure,” but not before putting in quite a bit of work.
Making the Chocolate Truffles:
- Usually, you would have started by making the ganache, but thanks to the efforts of Chef Napoli, all of that was already made, panned, and waiting for the teams when they arrived.
- Scoop the ganache into balls with a melon baller, roll them until they are round, and put them on a tray where they will wait to get decorated.
- Break and then cut GIANT chocolate blocks so they could be easily melted into liquid.
- Dip the ganache balls in the melted chocolate and make sure that they are completely covered, then slide them onto the tray with a fork and get ready to decorate.
- Now, the chef can either drizzle white chocolate, or drop some sprinkles onto the candy, but make sure it’s done before the chocolate coating dries.
- Once the chocolate balls are dried, package them into little boxes, take them home, and indulge!
Every attendee enjoyed preparing and decorating the chocolates alongside one another, but enjoyed getting some quality time in with their friends and mentors even more. Each mentor and mentee pair collaborated to create their special chocolates.
One mentor who participated, Sandeep, was very pleased with the inaugural Chocolate Workshop, “having mentors and mentees come out for the chocolate workshop is very special. We were making an absolute mess, but we were smiling all the way through. It was a wonderful event, we had a great time, and I don’t think anyone can wait to eat these truffles.”
Chef Napoli was very happy with the event as well. “It was a very special experience for the mentors and the mentees, and it was the first time for the PYD teams to enjoy this kind of gourmet culinary experience.”
Chef Napoli also said, “I teach people all the time; I love to teach. The more challenging, the better”, sharing her experience about the workshop. The chef claimed, “It is a very nice afternoon,” which she said with the same friendly smile that was shared among all who attended the event. It was quite generous of Chef Napoli to have donated her time and chocolate to help us learn. The final chocolate products tasted even better than they looked; a testament to the type of teacher and person she is.
Heartfelt thanks and best wishes to Chef Napoli from PYD, each mentor and mentee pair, and all of the volunteers for participating and truly putting the icing on the truffles and sweetness in mentoring!
John, PYD mentee, and Chef Napoli
This article written with <3 by PYD’s BU PRLab Team of Spring 2018.
With many, many thanks to Chef Napoli of Chocolee Chocolates for her generosity. To host your very own chocolate workshop (including birthday parties & corporate events) contact Chef Napoli at chocoleechocolates@gmail.com.