Episode 2124 - Irresistible New Chocolate Bark Flavors - Ash Said It® Show

Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:01):
What is what a dost o the world? It is
your girl, the one and only Ash Brown, and this
is the Ash Said It show. Over twenty one hundred
episode since twenty fourteen, half a million streams around the world.
None of this is possible without you, guys, So I
thank you so so very much. Today we have a

(00:25):
return guest who we got a little mis connected. You know,
COVID was happening and everything was going on. But I've
got one of my favorite people in the Hole White Universe,
Chef Andrea, Sweet Vegan, nyc Hey, Chef.

Speaker 2 (00:44):
Kang. So nice to be with you again.

Speaker 1 (00:47):
Yes, thank you so much. And I mean, you know,
there's so much stuff going on, Chef, you know, you
know we're being pulled here and there. Thank you for
talking on me and letting me know that Sweet Vegan
still has some really amazing things in the works.

Speaker 2 (01:03):
Loving absolutely, and.

Speaker 1 (01:07):
So we're talking all today about Sweet Vegan. We're talking
about all the seasonal things that are coming about. So
Chef Andrea, I want to talk about these new flavors.
And I have to say thank you for sending me
my care package. I felt so special and so good
because I'm always out doing a little bit of everything.

(01:31):
So that made me feel super special. Thank you so much.
Everything was tasty.

Speaker 2 (01:36):
You are so welcoming. You deserve the.

Speaker 1 (01:38):
Best, only the best, only the best. I love it.
Oh my goodness. Okay, so we're going to go into
the new flavors now. Your new Cranberry Passion Bark and
Expresso Blueberry Bark are sensational. I love them like I
love it when you put any kind of fruit, namely

(02:00):
cranberries and oranges and stuff, put that in some good chocolate.
I'm salt. I'm already sold. Put me out there. So
I want to talk about the inspiration behind these specific
flavor combinations. Where did that come from?

Speaker 2 (02:18):
Well, I wanted to create a flavor combination that felt
totally new and unexpected. I think paring cranberry for the holidays,
and our signature the night Passion chocolate as these are
so rich. And then blueberries, Oh my gosh, I love
fresh blueberries. So we take our blueberries, we dry them ourselves,

(02:39):
and we wanted to mix them with one of our
existing flavors, which is our energizing espresso. So a gift
gives you a bold experience and the result is very
unique taste experience that's crunchy, rich in the chocolate and
all the antioxidants, and then bursting with vibrant fruit flat

(03:00):
it's a little bit of a surprise and every bite.

Speaker 1 (03:04):
Yes, oh my gosh. And that's what I love is
that they're so fresh. It's like if I was actually
out there just eating like a real cranberry or a
real blueberry. Like that's how it tastes so good and
so flavorful. I love it, absolutely.

Speaker 2 (03:21):
Love, thank you, thank you so much.

Speaker 1 (03:26):
Now you've built your brand on a foundation of healthy,
guilt free foods and snacks. So how does this new Bark,
these New Barks and their unique ingredients continue to embody
that core philosophy while also delivering a memorable taste.

Speaker 2 (03:48):
Well, every single day when we make chocolate, our goal
is always to make the chocolate that feels good and
every way, so we're always allergen free, but we don't
want to skimp on any taste and flavor, so our
just groundwork is always delicious, clean and guilt free. So
our new barts, the Cranberry Passion and the Espresso Blueberry,

(04:13):
really have that same sort of energy and they just
are an easy grab and go product. And you can
share them and just break it in particles and enjoy
a bit and teas here and there. But they always
have the same values of everything that we do, which
is health and guilt free. So it's basically our philosophy,

(04:33):
but a step further, we're off in a more accessible,
shareable treat that everyone can enjoy. And it always it's
indulgence without compromise, which is what we stand for.

Speaker 1 (04:45):
And I just love the fact that you all are
just so conscious in making the chocolate because you know,
we know about these factory chocolates that have been around
for years and years, but they put such crazy ingredients
in the chocolate. It's like, I don't feel safe. I
don't buy from the store anymore because nowadays you really

(05:06):
don't know what's in them. So I tip my hat
to you and your team for just keeping things fresh,
keeping a consumer in mind, and making sure that it's
still a memorable experience.

Speaker 2 (05:21):
I like, it's so important because chocolate is an experience.
So we love that philosophy of enjoying each bite which
takes you on a little mini trip, a little escape
from the moment, and that you can just get some
pleasure from it.

Speaker 1 (05:35):
Yes, yes. Now I want to talk a little bit
of more. For people that are listening that I've never
heard of vegan chocolate, they're like, oh my gosh, vegan
chocolate that sounds like it's healthy. It's actually really tasty.
If you don't know, it's actually really delicious. Now, what
are some of the biggest misconceptions that you've heard about

(05:56):
in regards to vegan chocolate.

Speaker 2 (06:00):
Well, I get this thought process from people sometimes that
vegan chocolate is not going to be creamy, it's going
to be chalky, it's not going to have an indulgence experience.
But I think when people actually taste our quality, that
belief pretty much disappears because we really never compromise on

(06:22):
any of our ingredients. We just use fresh, clean ingredients,
and we make it daily. So when you get our product,
it's so much more than just a vegan chocolate. We
take out everything that we think doesn't need to belong
in chocolate. We make it a very inclusive experience. So
take out the nuts, take out the soy, take out

(06:43):
the gluten, take out anything that's preservative is, and just
make it so clean and inviting and tasty. So I
think we've gotten the reputation as New York City's number
one rated vegan chocolate for a reason. I'm so glad
that you've had a chance to experience it, and hopefully
all your guests will as well.

Speaker 1 (07:04):
Yes, and I want to go into the Fall collection,
that Fall box that I got with all the different flavors.
I have to say, Chef Andrea, I come from a
Caribbean background, and so most times in not pumpkin is
one of those things that was cooked in soup. You know,

(07:24):
we would have soup on Saturdays, and so that was
really the only like I didn't have punkin outside of that,
Like I wasn't a pumpkin pie fan per se. And
like I said, typically it would be pumpkin and soup,
that's it. But that pumpkin puree chocolate that y'all said,
the truffles that y'all sent me were delectable. I love

(07:49):
it now. I'm like, oh my gosh, I think I
love pumpkin and chocolate. I think I love it.

Speaker 2 (07:57):
Well. I love to be that surprise, that moment where
you think, oh my gosh, can ginger and chocolate really
go together? Can pumpkin and chocolate really decompatible? And then
when you taste it, when it's in balance. Like most
things in our lives, we take out the sugar.

Speaker 3 (08:17):
We take out all the things that aren't.

Speaker 2 (08:18):
Necessary, and it's just a travel and taste experience that
exceeds your expectations. Yeah.

Speaker 1 (08:25):
Yeah, it absolutely did. Like it was just perfectly blended.
They were so smooth and I enjoy I was very
because I was like, Okay, I'm gonna try this because
chef and URIs had to try it, and you know
it's good stuff. But I was pleasantly surprised. I was
very impressed with it nice.

Speaker 2 (08:45):
And my favorite in the box is BlackBerry jam. I
just think BlackBerry and chocolate unbelievably tasty and an amazing
flavor combination. Yeah, so we try to mix it up
and make it something just for the fall that people
would really want to have a little bit more knowledge about,

(09:06):
and it's an element of the surprise. And I love
the cinnamon combination cinnamon and chocolate.

Speaker 1 (09:13):
Yes, yes, the cinnamon was also good too. But I
think my second favorite was the ginger because usually, like
I'm a ginger fan, like my mom was eating ginger
when I was in the womb, like literally, and so
like I always love ginger and stuff, but I always
feel like sometimes people when they get ginger, they kind

(09:33):
of don't know what to do with ginger. Ginger's like hmmm,
floating around. You get little hints of ginger here and there.
But in that ginger, that ginger had some pop to it.
That ginger had a little spiciness to it. And I
was like, yes, this is it.

Speaker 2 (09:49):
You nailed it, And that's what we called our spicy
ginger ginger or not. We actually take fresh ginger that
we get from Peru and it's organic, and we grind
it down and we make the essence of that ginger
into a juice and that's what we use as our
base with our chocolate. So we really take the time

(10:11):
and the effort to create every one of these flavors
very pure, and I think that's what sets it apart.
So you really get that amazing aroma just when you
open the box and take a little whiss of each one,
it kind of just transports you immediately.

Speaker 1 (10:26):
It does. It really does, like you forget where you're at.
You're just like, oh my gosh, and you're getting all
of those aromas. You're getting all those scents and it's
just it's beautiful. So I am all on board with that. Now,
for people that are listening that are a little hesitant
to for Andrea to try vegan chocolate, what would you

(10:48):
say to them and which one of your barks would
you recommend for that first introduction?

Speaker 3 (10:56):
Well, I would probably say, aren't with our classic collection,
which is the one that we sell the most of,
and that would be our Midnight Passion experience because it's deep,
dark chocolate, and it's very pure, and it just you know,
melts in your mouth because we're a ganache, which is

(11:16):
a rich, creamy fill, and so you're getting twofold the
outside which is the shell of the pure chocolate, and
the inside, which is the ganache. So in our Classic
box you have our Midnight Passion, and then we also
have our energizing Espresso, which.

Speaker 2 (11:32):
Of course is wildly popular. These New Yorkers that I'm
around love a little pickup from the espresso, but it's
nice because it's not overly expressly with bitterness or anything
like that. And then we also put our spicy ginger in,
which I know is your favorite, which has a nice
little kick to it, and then we do our luscious

(11:54):
Linen which again is all fresh squeeze organic mier lemons,
and it really has a nice aroma between lemon and chocolate.
But you don't find in a lot of you know,
chocolate experiences where you get that freshness in that pop
like you said, So, I would say in our truffles,
that would be a collection that I would definitely highly recommend.

(12:16):
And then for our barks, I would say that our
cranberry bark really knocks it out of the park because
it's got our midnight passion in it. But then it
also has the wonderful organic cranberries that we dry and
put in it, so you're really getting all of that.
And then we do some wonderful puffed millet, so it

(12:36):
has a nice crunch that you can really get your
teeth into and have a little joyous experience with.

Speaker 1 (12:44):
Andrea, I'm so hungry, I want chocolate for dinner.

Speaker 2 (12:51):
Well, I've been known to have a little bite for
my dinner as well. Because our chocolates are really pretty healthy,
we don't overload it with all the things that shouldn't
be in chocolate. Yeah, so you're not getting high sugars,
you're not getting all the you know, calories from the
dairy and the fats, so we're very clean, and I
find they're very satisfying. So I think that's part of

(13:14):
eating a chocolate having that experience that you feel good
and you feel like that moment of enjoyment that you
don't need to feel like you need to eat the
box if you.

Speaker 1 (13:24):
Will, right, Yeah, you get and like you're satisfied, like
you know, like it wasn't like, you know, back in
the day, when you'd get like a box of chocolates,
you're like, oh my gosh, I'm picking out my favorites.
I'm eating everything at once. With these chocolates, I find
that I savor them like I tried them like one
day at a time, like Okay, today, you know what,
I'm going to try the pumpkin. This is really good.

(13:48):
And I really had a chance to really embrace the
experience and really just like digest it and get all
the flavors from it and really feel satisfied. I didn't
feel the need to just eat everything at once, and
I did that with success.

Speaker 2 (14:04):
If you feel that way with the food that you're consuming,
then you're nourishing your body and you're giving yourself an
experience that says it's okay to eat this. I'm feeling good,
and this is taking care of me. It's the nutritional
value that you're getting out.

Speaker 1 (14:20):
Of Seth Andrea. Oh my gosh. We could talk about
chocolate all day, literally, and I would love that. But
let everyone know the best way that they can go
and order their Sweet Vegan chocolate for the holidays, because
you know holidays are coming up. I know you, and

(14:40):
all the little chocolate tears are out there, are out there,
you know, mixing up some really awesome small batches. Let
everyone know the best way to reach you guys and
to order their chocolates.

Speaker 2 (14:52):
Of course, it's so easy. We have a fabulous website,
so just go to Sweet Vegan dot n y C
for New York City, and if you have any questions
or challenges, we're only a phone call away, and the
number to reach us is nine one seven seven excuse me,

(15:15):
three three four three six three six. I repeat that,
nine one seven three three four three six three six,
And we're glad to help and do anything we can
to make your order seamless and your experience fabulous.

Speaker 1 (15:32):
I love it. Chef Andrea, You've got to come back
because I know that you guys have some stuff. I
can already smell the aromas, all right. I'm smelling the
aromas all the way from Georgia and it just smells good.
All right, So you have to come back sooner than
what we've been doing before. Okay, you know we're not
going to fall out of contutely, so we got to

(15:55):
thank you glad to talk about the chocolates and what's
going on. As I know there's going to be some
exciting things going on for the season to come, so
we certainly appreciate that. Thank you so so much for
coming through. And I definitely want to say thank you
to each and every one of you guys. Thank you
so much for your love and support. Keeping in mind.

(16:15):
Anyone to tell you that you can't do what you
want to do, you look them square in the face,
you tell them, don't believe me. Just watch watch what
I do. Watch me make it happen, Watch me make history.
That's what we're doing this for the history books. Social
media is nice, but real life is so much better.
Until next time, you guys,

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Episode 2124 - Irresistible New Chocolate Bark Flavors

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