Simply put, chocolate is one of the most important substances in the known universe. To say that I love chocolate is an understatement, and I know I’m not alone. You know you love chocolate. And everyone you know loves chocolate too. Or at a minimum, they don’t hate it. But what do you actually know about chocolate? And what do you actually know about the way that fine chocolates are made by a chocolatier—or actually, it’s chocolatier, if we’re to believe Melissa Crandley.

I stopped into Mecha Chocolate, one of Melissa’s stores, and went a bit buck-wild with what I saw and purchased. Raspberry almond praline ganaches, Japanese matcha ganaches, smoked habanero sea salt caramels, lavender vanilla caramels, and a dozen more delights beyond those.

But aside from a hefty bag full of chocolates… I also walked away with an exquisite curiosity. How are these little, finely decorated squares of power-packed flavor actually made? And how much fun is it to come up with the ideas for them? So I drove out to Melissa’s sparkling clean south Jersey production facility and we talked: about how’s it’s actually pronounced Mecha and not Mecha, what hand-dipping is, how to balance a raspberry ganache, banana flavoring, the horribleness of Circus Peanuts, and a whole lot more.

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Produced by Studio D Podcast Production.

If you’d like to support Fever4Flavor, please leave a review on Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts. Your input helps us make the podcast even better, points us to topics that are relevant to you, and helps us reach new listeners. All you have to do is open up the Podcast App on your phone, look for Fever4Flavor, scroll down until you see ‘Write a Review’ and tell us what you think. Join me next week as we continue to explore the infinite world of food and flavors here on Fever4Flavor.

There’s something to be said for that feeling when you’ve unearthed a kickass tucked-away neighborhood bar. Where you can belly up to the rail with your friends, get a beer, watch a game, and grab a bite to eat. There’s something even more unique about that same neighborhood joint when it doubles as a hidden gem of a restaurant and has a regularly changing dinner menu driven by complex flavors.

That’s what I found when I visited Bad Brother, a converted 3-story corner restaurant in the Fairmount section of the city. So I sat down with chef and co-owner Justin Koenig. While the wooden floorboards of the second floor creaked as his staff prepped for dinner, surrounded by an an interesting collection of framed pop culture art that secretly appealed to my inner Popeye-loving nerd, Justin and I chatted.

We talked about his approach to the dishes and menu at Bad Brother… and it gave me a staggering look into the mind of a dedicated and detailed craftsman—along with a discussion about the surprising intricacies of a caesar dressing, how to really do zucchini without making it into mush, and one of the most gripping, eloquent, and thoughtful 3 minutes you’ll ever hear about a Philly neighborhood chef’s template for a perfect burger.

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If you want more content:

fever4flavor.com

podcast@fever4flavor.com

Instagram | @fever4flavor

Produced by Studio D Podcast Production.

If you’d like to support Fever4Flavor, please leave a review on Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts. Your input helps us make the podcast even better, points us to topics that are relevant to you, and helps us reach new listeners. All you have to do is open up the Podcast App on your phone, look for Fever4Flavor, scroll down until you see ‘Write a Review’ and tell us what you think. Join me next week as we continue to explore the infinite world of food and flavors here on Fever4Flavor.

There are five basic tastes. You've probably heard of them: Sweet, Salty, Sour, Bitter, and Umami.

But there's an incredibly vast world of food and flavors. So what exactly is flavor? And can I, just a regular guy, really figure out how to understand and enjoy food even more than I do? So I talked to some experts and it turns out that I can, and so can you. But you have to start somewhere. I'm Evan Young, and this is Fever for Flavor.

Season Premiere on 10/8!