Sweet Treats

Banyan Tree Chocolates

It is clear that the harvest is affected by factors such as climate, soil, and topography, and that each yield produces different characteristics. From one year to the next, from one harvest to another, flavor profiles evolve and nuances develop. This batch has a smoky undertone; this one a back note of vanilla; there’s a sour thread running through this one. There are good vintages and bad ones.

You could be forgiven for thinking that I’m describing wine, or even coffee, but this harvest is cocoa.

Do you ever think about the concept that chocolate essentially grows on trees? I haven’t, not until this moment, in Banyan Tree Chocolate’s airy café in South Sarasota, sitting across from chocolatier Morag Reid as she describes her interest in recipe development based on the flavor profiles of different chocolates.

Morag is originally from Edinburgh, Scotland, a fact that is particularly clear when she’s pronouncing the word cake “keykh.” She met her husband, Andy, in Scotland 32 years ago and they moved to Maryland together the following year. She started out as a graphic designer and illustrator, then spent 20 years as the box office manager at various theaters in DC, Pittsburgh, and Maryland. When they relocated to Sarasota a few years ago Morag found herself at a crossroads until her husband suggested purchasing a chocolate shop.

Morag approaches her career with the intense dedication of a PhD candidate. She’s gone from an introductory class with Norman Love Confections, to online classes with L’Ecole Chocolat, to earning her Master Chocolatier Certification. She takes a different continuing education class every year from chocolate luminaries such as Melissa Coppel in Las Vegas and Richard Tango-Lowy in New Hampshire. These forays into continuing education enhance Morag’s voracious appetite for discovery, exploration, and advancement in the world of chocolate.

Morag looks at home in her new life. Today she’s dressed in a teal chef’s coat and she’s using “Francesca” (the chocolate tempering machine) to layer a thin shell of shiny chocolate into a mold of sea blue and gold edible paint. Next she’ll fill this “Sarasota Sunrise Truffle” with a concoction of white chocolate, orange blossom, star anise, and Cointreau. The Sarasota Sunrise Truffle is a perfect example of Morag’s development as a chocolatier and the benefit of her continuing education: “The filling began as orange, orange zest, and cream.

I’ve done so much pairing and tasting and learning that I decided that star anise would bring out the orange flavor and that Cointreau would add a bitter finish to cut through the sweetness.” The resulting balance of flavors is delicate and decadent.

Morag plans to spread the chocolate love through empowerment, education, and collaboration. She’ll be offering classes and pairing events and exploring partnerships with other local businesses such as Mazzone Olive Oil (chocolate olive oil cake, anyone?). I’ll just be over here crossing my fingers for the next good harvest.

Banyan Tree Chocolate & Cafe: 5170 Palmer Plaza Blvd, Sarasota; 941-923-2462; banyantreechocolate.com