The Chocolate Professor is an online “homeroom” to learn about all things chocolate – type, pairing, history, trends, along with travel tips, book reviews, recipes and videos. We strive to present content that sets us apart from other food blogs with an informed, yet friendly voice that speaks to chocolatiers, chocolate producers and those in the industry, as well as chocolate enthusiasts — without overwhelming readers who are just dipping their toes into the scene. A roster of experienced professors with a variety of talents and backgrounds delve deep into their subjects and are happy to answer your questions. Welcome to the class you’ve always wanted to take!
Meet the Dean: Adam Levy
Adam Levy is the Chocolate Professor and Alcohol Professor, along with being the founder of the International Beverage Competitions — an annual wine, beer, and spirits competition series taking place in New York City, Berlin, Melbourne, and Asia. It's Adam’s passion for good drink and food paired with a savvy journalistic observation that propelled him to create an unparalleled, authentic contest series within the beverage industry. Adam was inspired to develop his liquor competitions when reading an article in Malt Advocate many years ago. The piece revealed that in reality, some of the most well known International Competitions present medals to over 84% of the spirits that enter their contests. As a journalist and a consumer himself, Adam wanted to assemble a more evenhanded and honest competition – not a “medal factory” where the cost of entry ensures high odds of winning. As a native New Yorker, he was compelled to develop an impartial New York-based competition where real trade buyers serve as the voice to pronounce the winners by category and by actual price, so he founded the NY International Wine Competition, the NY International Spirits Competition, and the NY International Beer Competition. Since that first year, the success of the New York competitions has allowed him to expand the series to include the Berlin International Spirits Competition, the Berlin International Wine Competition, the Melbourne International Wine Competition, the Melbourne International Spirits Competition, and the Melbourne International Beer Competition. Today these competitions have become some of the most respected in the beverage industry by those in the trade, consumers, and journalists alike.
Before delving into the drink world, Adam earned a BA in Political Science and EMBA in Business Strategy. He began his career in the tech field, working with ATT/Lucent, Radware and other tech companies. Throughout it all, he pursued his personal passion for the world of liquor and began writing for multiple print and online sources. Adam is also a Co-Founder of a technology solutions company providing secure network solutions to some of the top companies in the New York Metro Area. He has also been known to provide special tastings events for his clients and through his tasting company “All Spirits Events.” Adam takes his role being the Cheese Professor and Alcohol Professor seriously and is a strong believer in the “knowledge transfer” experience. As a recognized expert in the beverage industry, he is often asked what to drink, where to eat, where to visit, and more. This blog was built to answer all of the questions that anyone might have about Cheese and pairings and everything else in the wonderful world of Cheese. Adam lives in New York with his rescue dog George T Stagg, so when he is not running a tasting, visiting a distillery, winery or brewery, or heading up a competition, he makes sure to schedule his events around Rutgers Sports. He is continually praying to the College Football Gods to give Rutgers a Winning Football Season!
Meet the Principal: AMY sherman
Chocolate Professor Editor In Chief Amy Sherman is a San Francisco-based freelance writer, editor and cookbook author. She learned to cook and bake from her parents and grew up eating eggs from her family’s backyard chickens, salmon her father caught, and fruit and vegetables from her mother’s organic garden. While just a teenager, Amy developed an even deeper appreciation for sharing stories about food while working in a gourmet retail shop. She learned about cheese during a year abroad, living and studying in Italy, and on trips to France, Greece, Spain, Switzerland, Sweden (ask her about coffee cheese!), as well as Wisconsin and Northern California.
She launched her writing career with the blog Cooking with Amy in 2003, and since then she has contributed to food, travel and lifestyle publications including Afar, Architectural Digest, Caviar Affair, Culture, Food Network, Gastronomica, Martha Stewart, TimeOut, VinePair, Where Traveller and Wine Enthusiast. She is the author of Williams-Sonoma New Flavors for Appetizers, A Microwave, A Mug, A Meal and WinePassport: Portugal. She has a BA in Politics from UC Santa Cruz and an Italian language certificate from Instituto di Lingua e Cultura Michelangelo in Florence, Italy. She has been a speaker at many professional culinary, writing and blogging conferences, is a past board member of the San Francisco Professional Food Society and is currently on the board of Bay Area Travel Writers. In addition to writing and editing, she has a background in brand strategy and naming, and was recently chosen to be a local food expert for Trafalgar Tours.