He inoa kapakapa ko Chocolatier Pete Hoepfner: "ke kanaka lole."Manaʻo kekahi poʻe mea ʻai meaʻai i kēia inoa i kapa ʻia he mea hoʻohiwahiwa.ʻAʻole ʻo Hoepfner.

Ma ke ʻano he mea nona ka Pete's Treats, ʻo ka truffles kokoleka ka mea kūikawā a Hoepfner.E like me ka haʻi poepoe i kapa ʻia ai lākou, makemake ka truffles i ka lōʻihi o ke ʻano.Pono ʻo Hoepfner e kū no 30 mau hola i ka manawa ma luna o kahi mīkini hoʻoheheʻe kokoleka - ka luna a me ka limahana o kahi hale kūʻai hoʻokahi kanaka.

I ke kula puka, ua loaʻa iā Hoepfner ka hana ma nā hale ʻaina.Ua hele ʻo ia ma ke ʻano he loea, e hoʻomohala ana i ka lāʻau make ʻiole no Bell Laboratories, a ma ke ʻano he longliner, huki iʻa a me ka heʻe mai ke Kai Bering.ʻO ka hoʻoikaika o ke kuke, ka pololei o ka ʻepekema a me ke ahonui o ka lawaiʻa: pono nā mea ʻekolu e hoʻohuli i ka kokoleka maka, ka ʻaila a me ka pata i loko o kahi pā truffles.

"Hiki iaʻu ke hoʻomanawanui i kekahi mea ma hope o ka lōʻihi o nā makahiki," wahi a Hoepfner.“Ma ke ʻano he lawaiʻa, ʻaʻole helu kou manawa… ʻO nā mea a pau aʻu e hana ai, pono iaʻu e hāʻawi i kahi iʻa i kekahi a i ʻole e hāʻawi wau i kahi pahu truffles.ʻO ia wale nō ke ala e uku ʻia ai au: pono wau e hāʻawi i kekahi mea i kekahi.

Hoʻomaka kēlā me kēia truffle ma ke ʻano he puʻupuʻu kolepa nui o ka ganache, a i ʻole ke kokoleka maʻemaʻe a i ʻono ʻia me ka mint, jalapeño, Kahlua, champagne, caramel a i ʻole ka berry concentrate.Eia hou, koho ʻo Hoepfner i ke ala wikiwiki loa, ʻo ka ʻimi ʻana i nā hua ʻāhiu e hānai ʻia i loko o kāna mea inu mahu, a me ka hana ʻana i kāna pata mint ponoʻī ma mua o ka hilinaʻi ʻana i nā mea i kūʻai ʻia ma ka hale kūʻai.

I ka lilo ʻana o ka caramel paʻakai i mea ʻono du jour, ua hoʻomaka ʻo Hoepfner e paʻakai i kāna mau truffles, ma mua me ka paʻakai kai maʻemaʻe, a laila me ka lāʻau alder i puhi ʻia i ka paʻakai, e hāʻawi ana i kahi mea i kamaʻāina i ka poʻe i loko o kahi hale puhi.Ua ʻai pū ʻo Hoepfner me ka paʻakai truffle fungus, ʻoiai ʻaʻole i ʻike ʻia nā truffle-flavored truffles ma ka papa kuhikuhi.He nui a palahalaha nā kelika paʻakai, wahi a Hoepfner - nā ʻōpala e heheʻe koke ma mua o ke kau ʻana ma ke alelo.

ʻO ka mea pōʻino no Hoepfner, ʻaʻole i hoʻonui ʻia kona perfectionism i kāna mau hana ʻoihana.ʻO ka wikiwiki e hāʻawi i nā ho'ēmi a hauʻoli i ka loaʻa ʻana o nā IOU, ʻaʻole ʻoluʻolu ʻo Hoepfner e pili ana i ka manaʻo o ka ʻoki kālā mai kāna mau mea kūʻai aku.Ke kūʻai aku nei ʻo Pete's Treats truffles maʻamau no $3.54 pakahi.Ua kapa ʻo Hoepfner iā ia iho "ʻo ke kanaka ʻoihana ʻino loa o ka honua," he hapa hoʻohenehene.

"Ua pau kaʻu mau kumukūʻai," wahi a Hoepfner."ʻO kaʻu manaʻo, ʻehia ka uku āu e uku ai no kēia mau mea weliweli?ʻO ia ka pilikia.ʻAʻole ia e like me kaʻu makemake e loaʻa kālā mai nā Cordovans, akā, ke hele ʻoe i kahi ʻē aʻe, he $10 ka pahu ʻehā, ʻoiai ke uku nei au i $5.

No kāna mau mea ʻono a pau, ʻo Hoepfner kahi mea maʻalahi i ka lumi kuke ʻo Ilanka Community Health Center.ʻO nā mea wale nō e hoʻonāukiuki nui iā ia, ʻo ia ka pretension a i ʻole ke kumukūʻai kūʻai e nā chocolatiers ʻē aʻe.Hoʻokaʻawale kekahi mea hoʻoheheʻe ma Seattle i ke kokoleka i wāwahi ʻia i loko o nā ʻāpana like ʻole: kapa lākou he rustic, kapa ʻia ʻo Hoepfner he palaualelo.

"Ke kūʻai aku nei ke kanaka i nā ʻeke kokoleka, 2.5 auneke no $7," wahi a Hoepfner."ʻO nā mea a pau a kēia kāne e hana nei, ʻo ia ka lawe ʻana i ke kokoleka huhū, ninini i waho a hoʻolei i nā hua i loko!"

Me ke kōkua ʻana o ʻekolu mau mea hana cannery, hana ʻo Hoepfner ma kahi o 9,000 truffles i kēlā me kēia makahiki.Hoʻomaopopo ʻo Hoepfner i ka pono e hoʻonui i kāna mau palena waiwai, a malia paha e wehe i kahi hale kūʻai.Akā, makemake ʻo ia e hoʻopau i kēia mau hoʻoholo, a e nalo i ka leʻaleʻa o ka hana, no kahi manawa lōʻihi.

"Aia ka hiki ma ʻaneʻi," wahi a Hoepfner.“Aia kahi ʻoihana ma ʻaneʻi ma kekahi wahi!A ma ka liʻiliʻi e pale iaʻu mai ka pilikia i kēia manawa. "

suzy@lstchocolatemachine.com

www.lstchocolatemachine.com