Doreen Pendgracs is on a quest in search of the best chocolate and chocolate travel experiences around the world. That quest has evolved into the Chocolatour project and brand.
Chocolatour Mission Statement:
The mission of Chocolatour is to educate, entertain, and inspire chocolate lovers to gain greater knowledge of the world of chocolate through travel.
exploring the world of chocolate travel with Chocolatour
Chocolatour began as the name of a chocolate travel book researched, photographed, and penned by author Doreen Pendgracs in 2013. Since then, volume I of Chocolatour: A Quest for the World’s Best Chocolate has been awarded several accolades–including a 2014 Readers’ Favorite Award–encouraging Doreen to continue her research and publish subsequent volumes of Chocolatour.
You can purchase a hardcopy or e-copy of Chocolatour right here on this site and Doreen will personally autograph and mail it to you. You can also find it at selected retailers around the world, although at present, printed copies of volume I are in very short supply.
curating chocolate experiences around the world
Chocolatour has evolved into a personalized brand of hosted chocolate dinners, chocolate and wine pairing events, chocolate tours, and chocolate chats with Doreen as your host. Doreen can introduce you to passionate and innovative people around the world who are creating chocolate masterpieces for all to enjoy. And she can take you on a mind-blowing journey as you explore the world of chocolate travel through carefully curated events and excursions.
But just who is Doreen Pendgracs?
Doreen Pendgracs has been a freelance writer and author since 1993. She has written dozens of articles that have appeared in numerous periodicals and websites including National Geographic Traveler, Westjet magazine, CAA magazine, Groups Today and THOR Travel Advantage. Doreen has co-authored two books: the 1st edition of Frommer’s Newfoundland & Labrador (published by Wiley in 2004) and the Manitoba Book of Everything (a Canadian bestseller published by MacIntyre Purcell in 2008.)
In 2010, Doreen released her first solo effort: “Before You Say Yes …” a guide for anyone volunteering on a non-profit board or committee (published by Dundurn Press of Toronto, Canada.) Chocolatour (volume I) is Doreen’s fourth book project.
Doreen is a member of numerous professional associations including Toastmasters International, The Writers Union of Canada, a Past President of the Professional Writers Association of Canada (now the Canadian Freelance Guild), the International Food, Wine & Travel Writers Association, and the North American Travel Journalists Association.
Doreen has been a professional freelance journalist since 1993 and takes great pride in her work. Doreen’s writing is objective, thorough, but deliberately not too technical. Here is a testimonial from a long-time reader:
Chocolatour is open to partnering with companies who appreciate the concept of chocolate travel and would like to be affiliated with Doreen as she continues to encourage chocolate lovers to refine their palates and appreciate all the world of fine chocolate has to offer. Contact Doreen if you would like more information about becoming a sponsor or partner of Chocolatour or if you would like to invite Doreen to your chocolate event or destination. On occasion, Doreen will accept complimentary stays at hotel and resort properties, or travel on various carriers or to various destinations to assist with her ability to continue her research.
But please know: Doreen’s integrity as an objective independent travel journalist will never be compromised as a result of sponsored travel, partnerships, or affiliations. You can be assured that any discussion on this blog and in all of Doreen’s writing is always her own personal opinion offering honest review and reflection–regardless of circumstances.
This is really great Doreen! Informative and fun!!!
I find this idea of yours incredible! I’ve never seen anything like this. Too bad I don’t like chocolate ahah
Hi Marta: It is indeed to bad you don’t like chocolate! But then … what kind have you tried? The purpose of my book and my blog is to get people to explore the world of chocolate, and believe me … I can assure you. I will indeed help you find some that you will like. 🙂
Hello Doren, I am Candy Morales from Peru, I met you 3 years ago in Tarapoto-Perú in Orquidea Factory. I read your the note that you post in your web page about Orquidea Company; I would like to Know if you could share the photo when I smell the cocoa during the fermentation process by dropbox. I need that in high resolution.
Sincerely
Candy Morales
Hola, Candy. Yes, it was great meeting you and touring the Orquidea factory. I will e-mail the photo to you.
Hi Doreen,
I stumbled upon your fabulous blog while doing some research on visiting a chocolate farm in Peru! Any advice or contacts you can share for planning a journey to the San Martin region? I am a food blogger and a TV reporter in Houston, Texas, and I would love to share this experience with my followers. I love your site… it is so exciting to read about your experiences!
Many thanks,
Katherine Whaley
Thx for your comment, Katherine, and for finding my blog! I will respond to you by e-mail today. Cheers and happy travels. In the meantime, please subscribe to the blog and have a look around! There are many posts on Peru and other regions as well.
Hi there Doreen! 🙂
I am writing to you as a fellow Canadian travel blogger with a passion for social justice. My name is Jenna Davis, I am 22 and my goal in life is to reach for my dreams and help make a difference in northern Canada.
I have combined my love for travel and my passion for social justice into a company called Give for Granted. I blog about my travels across the globe [www.giveforgranted.com] while I promote my travel apparel and accessories line online [www.giveforgranted.ca]. I share photos of community members who I have been able to support thus far, but I am really looking to help make a larger impact – more than just 5 – 10 people.
What I wanted to ask from you is if you would so kindly share my site with your social media followers. I selected a few Canadian bloggers to contact who I believe would be passionate about the same topic and who would help make a significant difference in northern Canada.
I selected you because I was in the midst of creating my TOP 10 FAVORITE CANADIAN TRAVEL BLOGGERS blog post for all my followers to read!.. and then quickly realized I should contact you to see if you would like to help share my story and help these Canadians as well.
I sincerely do hope that you take the time to read through this and I look forward to hearing back from you!
Best,
Jenna Davis
Thanks very much for your comment, Jenna, and for reaching out. I will be happy to share your site with my followers, and will take some time to look over your site as soon as I have a moment. All the best to you, and I hope you achieve your dreams.
Thank you SO much! You are so sweet! 🙂
Great to see some recognition for the years of dedication Doreen!
Thanks so much, Chris. I really love traveling, and I really love artisanal chocolate, so marrying the two into the Chocolatour project is a natural. I hope you’ll take the time to explore some of the past posts. Lots of tasty travel!
Came across your site while researching travel blogs, what a thrill to find two of my favorite words combined. Travel & Chocolate! I noticed you haven’t mentioned Maine in any of your posts. Might I suggest Chocolate Travel Heaven – Sailing the Maine coast on a Windjammer & Black Dinah Chocolates. Thought you might like to check out one of our Wine, Dine & Chocolate trips! We have an amazing chocolatier on Isle au Haut, Black Dinah chocolates. Kate Shaffer will be teaching a chocolate making class on one of our trips.
http://www.downeast.com/penobscot-bay-food-cruise/
Thought you and your readers might find this of interest.
Best
Nancy
Thanks for your comment, Nancy, and for the invitation.
I’d love to come to Maine and investigate chocolate. Will try and make if there later this year as I investigate Volume II of Chocolatour.
Hello!
We’re pleased to let you know you’ve been added to our directory.
Sincerely,
Web Team
Chocolate Lovers Web Guide
http://www.chocolateloverswebguide.com
That’s awesome! Thanks very much! Perhaps, in addition to the Chocolate Travel category, you can also add me to the Chocolate Books (mine is not a cookbook) category. You’ll find information about “Chocolatour: A Quest for the World’s Best Chocolate” at https://chocolatour.net/about.
Great to find another Canadian blogger who loves chocolate as much as I do!
Thanks very much for finding me, Mallory. I indeed love chocolate, as you can see from the multitude of posts on this blog.
Where exactly are you located? Would love to hear who you think makes the best chocolate in your neck of the woods. Cheers!
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Hello . I’m Nick.
I would like to publish a sponsored post (with one link) on your great blog – diversionswithdoreen.com. Could you please give me the price for the placement of it?
Thank you and I look forward to your reply.
Have a nice day.
Thank you for your note, Nicolai. I’m glad you are enjoying the blog. I will be accepting ads at http://chocolatour.net for chocolate and travel related products and services. I would like to keep DiversionsWithDoreen.com free of ads. If you would like to discuss further options, please e-mail me at pendor@mts.net.
Hi Doreen,
Great post on Chocolate Travel! Please e-mail me at natdecants@nataliemaclean.com. It’s about wine of course 🙂
Cheers,
Natalie
Will, Natalie! Thanks for dropping by the blog.
Hi Doreen, I would like to invite you to an upcoming culinary event in Winnipeg. Could you please send your email to gillian@tourismwinnipeg.com? Thank you!
What a fabulous idea for a book and project. I think your book makes a great gift item. Just the thought of it makes my mouth water…
Thanks, Michele. I’m sure hoping the book will be a hit. I’ve poured my heart and soul into it. Not that it wasn’t fun doing it, but it sure was a lot of work!
All the best with your chocolate quest and new book
Thanks, Tracey. 🙂
Hi Doreen!
You weren’t kidding this blog is all about chocolate and the the pleasures of food – love it! Should I ever have any questions about chocolate, I now know just who to ask 😉
Hi Jessica, and thanks for dropping into the blog. I hope you’ll subscribe so you don’t miss a taste! Yes, I like to think of myself as an expert on chocolate. After more than 3 years of researching, tasting, and travelling the world in search of the best chocolate, I certainly have a few bars under my belt!
Hi Doreen,
Glad to find out your blog and find it interesting too. Wish if we could write something togather on Pakistan & Midle-East markets, highly potential , chocolate & confectionery loving and consuming countries.
rgds
Saif Dewan
saif_dewan@hotmail.com
http://www.saifdewan.wordpress.com
Hello Saif and welcome to the blog! I believe it is your first visit.
I will be covering the Middle East in the 3rd edition of my book. I’ve already taken in the UAE and have enjoyed the camel’s milk chocolate. I’ve tried some delicious chocolate from Vietnam, and hope to get there and other parts of Asia in 2015.
If there are artisanal chocolate makers in your region that you would like to recommend, please send me their names and I will attempt to make contact. My process always begins with tasting, and then trips are planned to visit regions where they are making extraordinary chocolate.
Thanks again for your comment, and your interest in Chocolatour.
Thanks for your comment, Saif. Did you get your subscription to the blog confirmed? I had seen you in the “pending” file for quite sometime. Glad you’ve found the time to visit us again.
Yes, it’s definitely true that the Middle East is a chocolate loving region. Many of the fine chocolatiers I am profiling in my book have sales agents or shops in Dubai.
I am not so sure about Pakistan. So far, my research has not uncovered one artisan chocolate maker or chocolatier in Pakistan. If you know of any, please send their names my way. I will be covering that part of the world in the 3rd edition of my book. The 1st edition is focusing primarily on Europe and the UK, with supplementary chapters on cacao growing regions and chocolate events around the world. The 2nd edition will feature the Americas and the Caribbean, and the 3rd edition (estimated for 2015) will feature the rest of the world.
I’m so looking forward to checking out your site in more depth. But I am afraid that when your book comes out, I am going to want to take out a second mortgage to just travel and eat chocolate!
Great to have you onboard, Luba! And thanks for subscribing to the blog.
I hope that in future, we can do a chocolate tour together. I think it would be awesome!
Hi Doreeen,
Great site! I was hoping to use a photo of yours from Tarapoto to help me launch Motos For Fonos. Its the one with all the mototaxis.
Thanks for any assistance and best of luck on your chocolate search!
Mike
Hi Doreen,
This entire blog is delectable. I almost want to lick the screen. I love your recent post mentioning chocolate and Malbec, two of my favourite things.
Yay, Susan! Thanks for joining us here on the blog, and for subscribing.
I’m glad you’re enjoying the posts. I’m really having fun recounting my chocolate travels, and this week … began writing Chocolatour in earnest, so hopefully, it will be done by the end of the year and printed books by early in 2013. Very exciting, so stay tuned!
If you’re interested, you can visit the launch page for the book at https://chocolatour.net/ and listen to an interview I did about the South American trip. We’ll have to do a Malbec and chocolate tasting session soon.
Hi,
I saw a neat infographic the other day about alternative things to do in Britain – I thought you might be interested since you write about travel and there’s so much attention on the UK this year. I’ve seen it on Twitter and Pinterest a few times as well, so hopefully it could drive some engagement on your site.
http://blog.dealchecker.co.uk/2012/05/29/alternative-british-summer/
Thanks! Interesting site.
Wow I would LOVE to do that! Two of my favourite things – travelling and chocolate! I shall definitely look out for your book 🙂
Yay, Laura! Thanks for your enthusiasm, and for joining us here (and subscribing) to the blog. I really appreciate your support and interest.
Now that you’re in the loop, you be kept up-to-date on my progress with the book. You may also wish to bookmark my sister site, https://chocolatour.net/ where you can listen to an interview about the trip to Ecuador and Peru.
While traveling to Paris last week, I wanted to purchase and taste French chocolate and of course bring some home for my chocolate loving friends and family. I decided that I would rather wander the streets of Paris to discover a specialty store that would be fresh rather than purchase it in a department store as Au Printemps or Layafalette.
While walking through the streets of beautiful Paris, I walked into La Maison Du Chocolat with a couple of friends and the Retailer gave us all samples of chocolate macaroons which were creamy, rich and out of this world. I had purchased a whole box of those delicious treats at another store that my mother in law had insisted I go and bring some back for her. I should have bought some for myself as well but instead picked up some random chocolate at La Maison Du Chocolate.
Chocolate in Paris is astronomical in price and not finer than Belgian or Swiss chocolate. Except for those macarons which I truly do not know how to spell or pronounce, French chocolate was fair to my pallete.
Back in Montreal, I purchased Baking chocolate from France to make some yummy brownies. I will let you know if it lives up to standards of chocolate from Belgium and even Montreal.
Bonnie
Thanks for sharing your thoughts on French chocolate, Bonnie. It really IS about finding the chocolate that is just right for you. That’s what I hope to do in my book, “Chocolatour,” so do stay tuned.
It’s unfortunate you didn’t encounter a Puyricard shop as it really is very fine chocolate.
And yes, the French macaroons are exquisite. So many dreamy flavours. I loved them all!
Hi Doreen! I am loving the blog, and the chocolate!! Must go search the cabin for chocolate!!
Thanks, Lori! It’s great to have you join us! The more Manitobans, the better!
Although the focus of the blog is travel in search of the best chocolate, I’ll always bring it home and highlight something special in our province from time to time.
Hi Doreen, Liked your article on Turin, how about being a guest author on our website in the New Year? (Articles about Italy only) have a look here if you do: http://www.italianreflections.com/2010/01/guest-authors.html
Ciao from a snowy Piemonte,
Adrian
Thanks, Adrian. It would be my pleasure. I’ll contact you by e-mail. Thanks for dropping into the blog, and do come by again soon as we’ll be having several more posts about Italy.
Thanks for dropping into the blog. I hope you’ll enjoy the postings.
Hi, nice to meet you !