巧克力衍生出的甜蜜职业

周详

克力是风行世界的美食，同时它也养活了无数依靠它谋生的人们。巧克力制作、巧克力品鉴、巧克力雕刻……巧克力的风行让很多人踏上了一条甜蜜的职业道路。

Artisanal Entrepreneur

Many of those who launch artisanal chocolate shops， including Mimi Wheeler， are inspired by a love for chocolate， not business. Wheeler created Grocers Daughter， a shop in Empire， Michigan.

Wheelers shop is open seven days a week， and sales increased 40% last year. She grows herbs there， which show up in the chocolates： lavender， basil， rosemary and mint. Wheeler employs some “very creative chocolatiers”， including some teens who started visiting the shop and ended up working there. Theyve developed a chocolate chili rub meat marinade and started using teas in chocolate. The Tester

Godiva hires hundreds of people to make and sell chocolates. But the hardest jobs to fill are sensory technologists， people who can distinguish between really good and really great. Such professionals need to read between the lines as they watch consumers take taste tests. They need to understand the reaction to a new chocolates appearance， ease of opening， how quickly it melts in the mouth. They also need to know regional preferences. For example， European chocolates must be richer， less sweet， and have more pronounced cocoa notes than American chocolates.

Chocolate Sculptors

Out of hunks of chocolate， they fashion Easter bunnies on the beach， beautiful white chocolate orchids， miniature houses and skyscrapers. Their work graces wedding cakes， charity parties and luxurious corporate events. Some chocolate artists have developed brands and reputations while others work in obscurity. And because demand isnt necessarily high for chocolate sculpture， many spend only a portion of their time sculpting. Yet the very best chocolate sculptors compete internationally， are flown in for major events， and carve out careers akin to celebrity chefs.

手工艺创业者

很多手工巧克力作坊的创始人，包括米米·维勒在内，最初的动力都是出于对巧克力而不是对商业的热爱。维勒在密歇根州的艾姆派尔开了一家巧克力店，名字叫“杂货店老板的女儿”。

维勒的店一周营业七天。去年，店里的销售额增长了40%。她在店里种了很多花草，有薰衣草、罗勒、迷迭香和薄荷，这些都会成为巧克力中的配料。维勒会雇佣一些“非常有创意的巧克力制造者”，其中有些人只有十几岁。他们最初只是店里的顾客，后来却变成了员工。他们发明了一种由香辣巧克力包裹的腌肉，还尝试在巧克力中加入茶叶。

巧克力品鉴师

高迪瓦雇佣了数百名员工生产、销售巧克力。但公司最难招聘到合适人才的岗位是感官技术专家，也就是那些能够区分不错的巧克力和极好的巧克力之间差别的人。这些技术专家需要察言观色，从消费者试吃巧克力的反应中捕捉信息。他们需要掌握消费者对一款新巧克力的外观、包装拆开的难易度、在口中融化速度的感受。他们同时还要了解不同地区之间偏好的差异。比如，欧洲人吃的巧克力必须更醇厚、甜度较低，比美国的巧克力有更丰满的可可口感。

巧克力雕刻家

他们将成堆的巧克力变成沙滩上的复活节兔子、美丽的白巧克力兰花、微缩的巧克力房子和摩天大楼。他们的作品点缀着婚礼蛋糕、慈善晚宴和奢华的商业活动。有些巧克力艺术家建立起了自己的品牌和声誉，还有一些则默默无闻地工作着。因为市场对巧克力雕刻的需求不是很旺盛，也并非必需，所以他们很多只是兼职工作。不过，最顶尖的巧克力雕刻家可以去全球参加竞赛，出席各种重大典礼，他们的职业道路和明星厨师差不多。endprint