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Go Vegan for Valentines with Oliver Kita.. Rhinebeck, New York…. How do you add some “wow” factor to Valentine’s Day this year? By honoring a lifestyle that is exploding in popularity with Oliver Kita’s Vegan Valentines Chocolates.

“Over the past few years, I have seen a tremendous increase in the number of people choosing to go vegan. By abstaining from animal products of all kinds, my customers are reporting that they feel healthier and more energetic. Inspired by them, I decided to become a vegan myself, and indeed, making different food choices has enhanced my life beautifully”, shares Chocolatier Oliver Kita. “As a chocolatier, this trend of eating vegan has opened new doors for me; as a chef, I have the chance to explore how to work with my recipes to address this movement in our society, all the while continuing to celebrate the joy that chocolate can bring when crafted thoughtfully and with passion”.

Prior to becoming a vegan himself, Oliver Kita had already been exploring ways to create a vegan line of his high-end chocolate portfolio and had launched other vegan collections. The Vegan Valentines Collection is a wheat free, dairy free, organic, vegan option which delivers the same extraordinarily delectable experience for which the rest of his products are widely known and loved. From the Loveletter (with St. Germin liquer from Paris made with handpicked wild elderflower blossoms) and the Pistache Carre (pistachio and almond marzipan) to the Violet Halo (simply sweet and delicious “Ube-purple yam” used in southeast Asian ice creams) to the Tibetan Tiger (tapestry of orange caramel with a hint of chai and chili spice), the Vegan Valentines collection is all at once healthy, exquisite, and delicious.

The Vegan Valentine collection is one of other Oliver Kita options for those looking for the perfect gift for their loved ones. The Loveletter collection, which incorporates classical poetry and fair trade, organic chocolate with messages by authors like E. E. Cummings and Elizabeth Barrett, is also extremely high in demand.

To Oliver Kita, “Valentine’s Day as a holiday meant for the expression of love is classic and enduring”, and he is committed to providing his customers with sexy, classy, romantic chocolate gifts which will wow and delight.

A graduate of the Culinary Institute of America, also located in New York’s Historic Hudson Valley, which is also home to his chocolate studio (located in the quaint village of Rhinebeck), Oliver has received diplomas from L’Ecole Lontre, Paris; L’Ecole du Grand Chocolat Valrhona, Tain L’hermitage; and Academy du Chocolate Barry Callebaut of Montreal. Formerly a pastry chef at the legendary Russian tea room and a scholarship award-winner for the Beringer Vineyard School for American Chefs in the Napa Valley, Oliver now shares his passion for cooking and baking with chocolate aficionados from all over the world with organic chocolate bars, vegan chocolate bars, fair trade chocolates, corporate chocolate gifts, chocolate lectures, and a beautiful chocolate shop for all to enjoy.

Oliver Kita’s work has been recognized in publications such as Bon Appetit, Denver Post, Chronogram, New York Times, Yoga Journal, among others, and he has been highlighted on NBC’s Today Show for four straight years. For more information on his commitment to bringing fair trade and organic chocolates to the masses, or to see a selection of corporate chocolate gifts, vegan chocolates, organic chocolates, and the like, please visit oliverkita.com.

 

Chocolate Grail, March 2010
I'm a big girl so I am not afraid to admit, on the Internet no less, that I love Jerry Springer. To me, it's the raw version, albeit still scripted and unreal, of reality TV. Many of my favorite episodes have contained a version of the phrase: "My ______ thinks she's/he's all that." This brings me to the question, when a someone has been labeled a Chocolate Maestro, as Oliver Kita has, are his chocolates "all that?" I am here to tell you, they are. They are truly "all that."

Each Oliver Kita chocolate is a work of art. The chocolate couverture is sinfully, smooth and silky, each center is more fragrant than the next and each chocolate is a visually exquisite work of art. Enjoying these chocolates is like living a tale in the book, A Thousand and One Nights. No detail has been overlooked. Even the box is stunning with the elegance and heft that befits chocolates of this calibre.

The first chocolate I tried was the Cherry Ancho. Photographs of this chocolate does not do it justice. It's round but bumpy and has an purple, iridescent fairy dust sprinkled on top. This chocolate combines morello cherry with a little chili heat. Palet D'Opium was next, a transcendental center of blood orange, lapsang tea and something spicy that lingers on your tongue long after the chocolate is gone.

The chocolates that followed the first two, proved without a doubt, Oliver Kita's mastery of combining unusual and exotic flavor combinations. Consider the Passion Fruit & Lychee, which just bursts in your mouth with joyful fruity flavors; the Lavandre Citronade which sets the flowery taste of lavender against the tartness of citrus; the Scarlett Caramel that mixes a rich buttery caramel with a hint of strawberry, the Palet de Framboise, raspberry finished with Chambord liqueur and the Coconut Voile, organic coconut, white chocolate, bergamot and tart lime. Each of the flavors is perfectly balanced, and the attention to texture and detail is exceptional. The marzipan in the Marzipan Grand Marnier for example, starts with fresh roasted almonds, lightly coated with hot sugar, and then crushed and ground.

I completed my Oliver Kita journey with his Palet d'Argent, a Venezuelan Chocolate; the Palet D'Or, which is a blend of milk and dark chocolate and Oliver Kita's signature chocolate and the Palet D'Olivier, an extraordinary chocolate with a hint of fruit and wine that makes you think of twinkly stars, balmy nights and romance in the air. Each of these chocolates, less complex than his other truffles was effortlessly sublime. Like any great master, Oliver Kita can astonish us with his virtuosity and then silence us by making the simplest things genius.N

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Hot Chocolate and Green Tea: New Chocolate Combination from Oliver Kita Chocolates
Double health benefits of hot chocolate mixed with subtle Japanese green Matcha tea.

Rhinebeck, NY, February 2010 – Double the pleasure while doubling the health benefits of a cup of hot chocolate is now possible, thanks to Oliver Kita’s new Hot Chocolate mix with green Matcha tea. Oliver Kita created a gourmet Hot Chocolate treat that has an added energy boost. Green Matcha tea from Japan has a high content of catechins, the healthy antioxidants also found in chocolate. “Japanese green tea adds a soothing yet refreshing experience to my hot chocolate,” said Kita. “It’s an earthy flavor that is subtle, yet adds a wonderful undertone of green tea taste to the cacao flavor.”

Oliver Kita’s hot chocolate comes in decorative tins filled with gourmet cocoa, and that hint of green Matcha tea. It easily melts in hot milk of any percentage, hot soy milk, or hot water. Valrhona chocolate, which dates back almost a century to the Rhone Valley of France, is a very rich chocolate, and now Oliver Kita has now made it more so, while enhancing it with green tea.

“The combination of green Matcha tea and cocoa elevate the taste experience to a new level of enhanced taste as well as a pleasurable lift of energy,” said Kita. Matcha green tea is known to increase energy without the caffeine jitters, lower blood pressure, boost metabolic rate by over 35%, stabilize blood sugar levels, and decrease the “bad” cholesterol LDL.

Each decorative Oliver Kita gourmet hot chocolate tin contains enough for 12 servings of hot chocolate. “This is the best way to enjoy a winter afternoon with family or friends,” added Kita.

The OliverKita.com website highlights other new chocolate creations perfect for a snowy cold winter, such as perky penguins, each handmade pistachio marzipan penguin is covered in white milk and dark chocolate tuxedos, and comes one per white igloo box. There are also organic chocolate Buddhas filled with organic peanut butter.

About Oliver Kita

Oliver Kita is an award-winning Chef and Caterer who turned his artistic culinary talents to creating hand-made chocolates. A Culinary Institute of America graduate, Chef Oliver Kita received diplomas from L’Ecole Lenotre in Paris, L’Ecole du Grand Chocolat Valrhona in France and Academy du Chocolat, Barry-Callebaut, Montreal. “Appreciating chocolate every day can change your perspective on living,” said Kita. “Take the time to evaluate and enjoy what you have, where you are now, and chocolate every day is a part of that experience.”

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From: www.suite101.com
Food Trends: How to Taste Chocolate
ChocolateTasting has its own Vocabulary
By Debbie Kwiatoski
True chocolate lovers have firm opinions on what they want in the form of their favorite confection -and we're not talking cute chocolate molds. These days, the buzz around confectionary shops centers on "percentages"….how much actual cacao paté is in the candy? "People are very interested in chocolate and care about what they’re putting into their mouths," Rhinebeck chocolatier Oliver Kita explains. "I’ve had people come in and tell me they won’t touch anything with less than…say…84 percent cacao in it."

Percentage of Cacao Only Part of What Makes Fine Chocolate
While these aficionados may have their sentiments in the right place – as in, usually the more actual cacao bean in a product, the better it actually tastes and the higher the quality – Kita is quick to note that the "percentage" of a piece of fine chocolate is really only part of the whole tasting equation.

As Kita explains it, like coffee, tea, wine, or single malt scotch, cacao grown in different parts of the world takes on the specific taste and "mouth feel" characteristics of the ground in which they grow. So, the cacao pate he gets from Venezuela tastes and feels slightly different from that of Madagascar and Equador’s raw product has a different taste and feel than that of the Dominican Republic. Like expert coffee blenders or blended scotch purveyors, high end suppliers, like Valrhona, from whom Kita obtains his organic chocolate pates, most often blend these countries’ cacao beans together to create a well-balanced, recognizable base product. These are the big cacao pate blocks that Kita buys and transforms into little bits of what he likes to call, "affordable luxuries."

"In this kind of economy, people might not be able to afford lots of the things they want,’ said Kita.”But they can still afford excellent chocolate. It’s a satisfying, affordable luxury. And we continue to grow each year. I see it as having one of those things that helps people just, well, feel better."

But creating these little bundles of chocolate perfection isn’t just about how much pure cacao pate you can cram into each bite, said Kita.

"People may have definite preferences for lighter chocolate or darker chocolate but, depending upon what actual pate you’re using…where it comes from…percentages for the optimum taste are going to vary.

Tasting chocolate is, after all, a lot like tasting wine or whiskey. As such, it has a vocabulary all its own. In chocolate’s case, the key words to remember are "appearance," "snap," "aroma," mouthfeel," and, of course, "taste."

Appearance:
 Look for an even texture and a shiny gloss, with no discoloration, pitting or fat or sugar "bloom." Color is not an indication of quality, nor is it an absolute indication of either quality or cacao content. Light chocolates (light Porcelana, a truly fine bean) will be light, even at 85 percent cacao content and, like coffee, the more darkly the bean is roasted by the producer, the darker the finished chocolate will be, so even a very dark bar with a high percentage of cacao can be made from inferior cacao.

Snap:
Professionals gauge the quality of chocolate by its "snap." That’s the clear, crisp sound made by breaking a piece off from its bar. Listen for a good, clean "snap" when you’re seeking an excellent product, says Kita.

Aroma:
The aromas of chocolate vary widely and different varieties of beans, grown in different parts of the world, have different aromas. Seek out your favorites.

Mouthfeel:
Generally, good chocolate will liquefy in the mouth without being chewed, since cocoa butter melts at 97 degrees F and body temperature is 98.6 degrees F. Break off a piece, run your tongue over the surface and let it melt on its own for a bit.

Taste:
Let the chocolate melt in your mouth, different tastes will reveal themselves as it works its way across your tongue and through your taste buds. Like good wine, there should be an initial taste, a mid-palate experience and, of course, a finish or aftertaste. Look for long and lingering.

When Valrhona began to market single origin cacao pates, Kita saw an opportunity to create a totally new chocolate experience: The Chocolate Tasting Party. He packaged four producing countries products into small squares of 64 percent, 72 percent and 84 percent chocolates and packages them – with guiding instructions – into full "tasting" kits for four people. In a period when home entertaining is really getting hot again, Kita hopes that the kits will catch on as fun ways to end a dinner party or get together. Like the more usual wine tasting parties, they are also a great way, he explains, for chocolate lovers to really open their minds and discover new hidden depths of what is, perhaps, their favorite "food group."

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Meditation made Simple with Gourmet Holiday Chocolate
Instead of images or visualization, use the awareness of taste to still the mind, says gourmet chocolatier Oliver Kita

Rhinebeck, NY,December 2009 – It’s definitely a holiday treat when something good gets even better and better. That appears to be the case with dark chocolate which researchers say can reduce blood pressure, relieve pain, raise the good cholesterol, promote alertness and absorb free radicals. Add to that recent research which claimed eating dark chocolate may lower levels of stress hormones. And now chocolatier Oliver Kita is promoting mindfulness meditation with chocolate. “Tasting chocolate is a wonderful meditation for beginners, of course, we’re all beginners no matter how long we have been meditating,” said Kita. “Taste as a type of guided visualization can become a mindfulness experience—a practice in becoming fully present— by focusing on a specific taste. I use the taste of chocolate because it is so easy to introduce to everyone.”

Here’s what Kita recommends. “Begin with the first inward breath, allowing a small piece of chocolate to melt on the tongue. Focus on the taste and stay fully present in the moment, as the chocolate melts and the taste develops. Breathe in the aromatic fragrance of the cacao and concentrate on the sweetly bitter and intensely dark flavors as they develop. Become fully present and aware while flavors develop, appreciate what you have, and where you are right now.”

The next step, according to Kita, completes the meditative moment. “Allow the thoughts about the tastes of the chocolate to drift away. This will leave an empty space in the mind, and as the taste diminishes, don’t allow a different thought or anything to replace the awareness of the taste. The mind will want to jump back in so quickly with its own chatter. Remind yourself to focus, return to the taste that was just present on your tongue to maintain awareness of the moment. Hold the thought about the chocolate taste for a moment, then release, and let the mind back to nothing.”

Kita meditates daily with slim dark chocolate squares in varying percentages from 64% to 72%. He has a Tasting Kit of chocolate squares perfect for meditation. Also his Original Woodstock Chocolate Buddha comes with a gift note describing the chocolate meditation.

Kita said, “Meditation with chocolate is easy to do and it can help everyone achieve the next level of meditation, without using chocolate. It’s a stepping stone…a delicious one.”

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NEW Sustainable & Organic Holiday Chocolate Collection from Oliver Kita Chocolates
Organic and Vegan artisan chocolates in beautiful recycled and recyclable holiday packaging.

Rhinebeck, NY, November, 2009 – Oliver Kita’s new sustainable holidays boxed collections are organic artisan chocolates, created for sharing and gift giving. There are three collections, containing organic hot chocolate, the original Woodstock Chocolate Buddha, chocolate dipped mallomars, and more. “These are perfect for corporate gift giving or enjoying at home with family because they are plentiful in number and say so much about you, and your tastes,” said Oliver Kita, chocolatier.

The Organic hot chocolate and cookies collection is called the Rescue Remedy, and it is enough for six people. The Comforting Collection , is a reminder of what we enjoyed as children, and is even better as adults - dark organic chocolate pods, organic ginger snaps with caramel centers dipped in organic 70% French Valrhona chocolate, and Chocolate dipped mallomars.

The Tao of Cacao Collection, presented in a stacked tower, contains the original organic green and vegan Woodstock Chocolate Buddha, made of 70% solid dark organic chocolate, and two boxes of cacao pods and miniature organic peanut butter buddhas.

“To me the perfect gift says you care, expresses your appreciation, and also says something about you, that you are environmentally aware,” said Kita. “And if the joy of the gift is something the receiver can share with family or friends, even better.”

The OliverKita.com website, http://www.oliverkita.com, highlights other new chocolate creations perfect for corporate and family gift giving, including a gourmet Chocolate Tasting Kit, Toffee Pavillion, Christmas Collection, and unusual fun chocolates, including Perky Penguins, and Chocolate Designed Shoes.

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Sustainable Holidays Boxed Collections
November 10, 2009 — Oliver Kita’s new sustainable holidays boxed collections are organic artisan chocolates, created for sharing and gift giving. There are three collections, containing organic hot chocolate, the original Woodstock Chocolate Buddha, chocolate dipped mallomars, and more. “These are perfect for corporate gift giving or enjoying at home with family because they are plentiful in number and say so much about you, and your tastes,” said Oliver Kita, chocolatier.

The Organic hot chocolate and cookies collection is called the Rescue Remedy, and it is enough for six people. The Comforting Collection , is a reminder of what we enjoyed as children, and is even better as adults - dark organic chocolate pods, organic ginger snaps with caramel centers dipped in organic 70% French Valrhona chocolate, and Chocolate dipped mallomars.

The Tao of Cacao Collection, presented in a stacked tower, contains the original organic green and vegan Woodstock Chocolate Buddha, made of 70% solid dark organic chocolate, and two boxes of cacao pods and miniature organic peanut butter Buddha’s.

“To me the perfect gift says you care, expresses your appreciation, and also says something about you, that you are environmentally aware,” said Kita. “And if the joy of the gift is something the receiver can share with family or fri, even better.”

The OliverKita.com website, http://www.oliverkita.com, highlights other new chocolate creations perfect for corporate and family gift giving, including a gourmet Chocolate Tasting Kit, Toffee Pavilion, Christmas Collection, and unusual fun chocolates, including Perky Penguins, and Chocolate Designed Shoes.

About Oliver Kita Oliver Kita is an award-winning Chef and Caterer who turned his artistic culinary talents to creating hand-made chocolates. A Culinary Institute of America graduate, Chef Oliver Kita received diplomas from L’Ecole Lenotre in Paris, L’Ecole du Grand Chocolat Valrhona in France and Academy du Chocolat, Barry-Callebaut, Montreal. “Appreciating chocolate every day can change your perspective on living,” said Kita. “Take the time to evaluate and enjoy what you have, where you are now, and chocolate every day is a part of that experience.”

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New Gourmet HOT Hot Chocolate and Recipes from Oliver Kita Chocolates
Oliver Kita announces tins of Valrhona hot cocoa and chocolate shavings,enough for 12 cups. Plus, he describes three original recipes for HOT or Spicy Hot Chocolate. "My idea is to start with rich hot chocolate and rev up the level of HOT," said Kita.

Rhinebeck, NY (PRWEB) January 14, 2009 -- Take the chill out of winter with a hot cup of fine luxury HOT chocolate. Oliver Kita has created a gourmet Hot Chocolate treat that turns a chilly cold day into a warm inviting winter wonderland. "My secret hot chocolate concoction is made with luxury Valrhona chocolate and cocoa for an amazingly rich treat," said Kita. "And my three recipes for HOT hot chocolate are designed to add the heat to a comforting cup of very fine chocolate."

Oliver Kita's hot chocolate comes in decorative tins filled with gourmet cocoa and chocolate shavings that easily melt in hot milk of any percentage, hot soy milk, or hot water. Valrhona chocolate, which dates back almost a century to the Rhone Valley of France, is a very rich chocolate, and now Oliver Kita has now made it more so.

My idea, said Kita, is to start with this rich hot chocolate and rev up the level of HOT. Spicy Ginger hot chocolate is made by adding one shot of Royal Canton Ginger Liquor to a cup of Oliver Kita hot chocolate. "This provides double heat -- ginger is a hot ingredient when combined with the warmth of cocoa. Add as much or as little as you prefer."

Chipotle HOT hot chocolate is made by adding one half of a measured teaspoon of chipoltle powder per cup of hot chocolate. "I would adjust the heat again, per your preference, and add a splash of cherry juice. The latter makes quite a positive difference!"

Wasabi HOT hot chocolate is the most pungent of the three. "Wasabi is a silent partner, not a burning heat. I add one measured teaspoon of green wasabi powder to the hot chocolate." For all three recipes above, Oliver Kita recommends first stirring the cocoa powder and chocolate shavings into the hot liquid of choice, and then, while stirring with a spoon, adding the HOT ingredient.

Each decorative Oliver Kita gourmet hot chocolate tin contains enough for 12 cups of hot chocolate. "This is the best way to enjoy a winter afternoon with family or friends," added Kita.

The OliverKita.com website highlights other new chocolate creations perfect for a snowy cold winter, such as perky penguins, each handmade pistachio marzipan penguin is covered in white milk and dark chocolate tuxedos, and comes one per white igloo box. There are also organic chocolate Buddhas filled with organic peanut butter.

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Interview with Oliver Kita in Culinary Institute of America magazine (Mise en Place), November 2008

Hudson Valley Chocolatier
Hudson Valley Chocolatier Walk into Oliver Kita Fine Confections in Rhinebeck, NY and the rich cinnabar-colored walls and deep browns of the elegant display furnishing immediately set a tone. You get the impression of quiet luxury and a European sensibility. But step further into the space and you see a huge serviceable marble-topped worktable, a chocolate tempering machine, and shelves of molds just waiting to be filled. At the helm of all of this is Oliver Kita ’89, a man who loves the process of creating chocolate confections, recognizes the importance of presentation, and immediately conveys his all-encompassing passion for his work.

A long-time resident of the Hudson Valley, Oliver owned Heaven Café in Woodstock for 13 years until he felt he had done all he wanted to in the restaurant business. He decided to turn his attention and his hand to chocolate. Determined to succeed, he studied at L’Ecole du Grand Chocolat Valrhona in France, the Academy du Chocolat, Barry-Callebaut in Montreal, and was mentored by the famous French chocolatier, Michel Cluizel. An avid reader and gardener, Oliver says he often gets ideas for his chocolates as he pursues these interests. While watering a violet flower, he has been inspired to create a delicate violet chocolate that melts in the mouth and leaves a hint of violets in its wake. While reading a Pearl Buck novel, he has been moved to create chocolates with an oriental flavor palate. He firmly believes in the health benefits of chocolate, leading him to coin his company’s trademarked tag line Mind • Body • Chocolate Every Day.

Setting and reaching goals is, in fact, Oliver’s trademark approach to life. “Four years ago I set a goal to change my career path and I’m doing it. It’s not always easy but I’m creating a business exactly the way I want,” he explains. Meticulous attention to detail when it comes to packaging and creative marketing is all part of why his shop is such a success. And his roots in the Hudson Valley have enabled him to forge interesting partnership. He recently began a line of “Handmade in the Hudson Valley Estate Chocolates” sold at the great estates along the Hudson River. They include such delights as Clermont Cappuccino (Clermont Estate), Vandermint (Vanderbilt Estate), Fala’s Peanut Butter Bon-Bon (FDR’s Home & Library), and Mills Pistachio Marzipan (Mills Mansion), to name a few.

Next time you visit the Hudson Valley, don’t hesitate to stop in and chat or visit his shop at oliverkita.com.

Nancy W. Cocola Editor/Writer

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appeared in ABOUT TOWN

Chocolate Nirvana
by Cait Johnson

Oliver Kita may be known to some of you as the former owner of the successful restaurant in Woodstock, Heaven. Now he has turned his considerable talents to creating what can only be described as a bliss-inducing nirvana for anyone who appreciates fine chocolates. His eponymous artisanal chocolate boutique recently opened in Rhinebeck, offering 38 different confections, from Oliver’s signature candy, flavored with sweet-tart cassis, to small works of art topped with fetching plaid, polka-dots, or exquisite candied flower petals, to pieces embossed with intriguing swirls tinted with metallic gold or silver.

But the confections offer more than just eye appeal. Kita studied his craft with the most respected teachers in France and Canada, and he insists on using the finest quality chocolate (Valhrona, including their sought-after organic line. “The company basically decides if you’re worthy of using the organic chocolate,” Kita says. “It was a great honor to be chosen.”) Valhrona is known for its silky smooth feel in the mouth, and Kita certainly has a masterful way with it and with his other flavorful ingredients.

Oliver Kita offers something for every palate. Try the double-shot espresso truffle with bits of coffee bean or the almond pralinette, with its winning combination of crunchy topping over silky dark ganache, enrobing a mousse-like caramelized almond filling. The fig and cognac confection is delightful, and the Palet d’Opium is a sublimely unique combination of smoky Lapsang Souchong tea and blood orange, with floral undertones.

And we can indulge without guilt: according to a recent issue of Natural Health magazine, dark chocolate offers fantastic health benefits, from lowering your blood pressure to decreasing your risk of heart disease. This is undoubtedly why chocolate has always played such a central role in my diet.

Kita is clearly passionate about what he does and it shows in every exquisitely designed detail. He creates stunning gift boxes and will ship orders from the website at www.oliverkita.com. The shop, which is also the central location for Oliver Kita’s fine catering business, is located in Astor Square on Route 9 in Rhinebeck. It will be open Fridays through Mondays from 11 to 7, and on the Tuesdays and Wednesdays before major holidays. Call 845-876-COOK.

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appeared in Chronogram

Chocolate Perfection
by Ann Braybrooks and photographs by Jennifer May, January 25, 2007

Before opening Oliver Kita Fine Confections, Kita owned the Heaven cafe in Woodstock, where he also ran a catering business. Kita ran Heaven for 10 years, and although he shuttered it in early 2006 to focus on becoming a chocolatier, he continues to operate Oliver Kita Fine Catering. The catering business is one of the reasons that Kita chose the location outside of Rhinebeck instead of in the village itself. The chocolate boutique, located in the Astor Square business complex, includes parking for a catering truck. Kita caters weddings and other exclusive events at private homes and historic sites in the Hudson Valley, including Boscobel in Garrison, Locust Grove in Poughkeepsie, and Wilderstein in Rhinebeck.

Kita was born in Grand Rapids, Michigan, and, as the baby of the family and only son, he admits to being spoiled by his mother and three older sisters. He didn’t learn any “domestic skills” until he became house manager at the Phi Delta Chi fraternity at Ferris State University, where he studied pharmacology and earned a degree in microbiology. Instead of becoming a pharmacist, Kita worked briefly in the restaurant business before receiving a fellowship to study at the Culinary Institute of America. While still in school, he operated a wholesale pastry company called New York Biscuit.

Like many CIA graduates, Kita left the Hudson Valley to take a professional position in a large metropolitan area. For one year, he worked as the pastry chef for the Russian Tea Room in Manhattan, but he gave up big-city life, including employment with a renowned restaurant, when he fell in love with someone who had no desire to leave the Valley and move to New York City. For five years, Kita was the executive chef at the Park West Conference Center in Kingston. In 1996, he opened Heaven and started the catering business.

Seven years ago, Kita designed a mold for a chocolate Buddha that he intended to sell at the cafe in Woodstock. Inspired by his quest to find high-quality chocolate, he began educating himself, which led to studying with masters in Canada and France. In St. Hyacinthe, Quebec, not far from Montreal, he studied with Julian Rose at the Barry Callebaut Academy du Chocolat.

“I spoke enough French to go to Canada and not be kicked around,” Kita says. “I chose to go to Quebec because the people were kinder, and it was an easier start. It’s like learning to swim in the ocean versus trying the pool. So I went to the pool to get ready for the ocean.”

In Paris, Kita studied at L’Ecole Lenotre before being given a full scholarship by Valrhona, a small French chocolate company, to attend its prestigious L’Ecole du Grand Chocolate in Tain L’Hermitage, a small town in a wine-growing district near Lyon. Today, Kita has a direct-buying relationship with Valrhona that allows him to purchase chocolate from the company at an attractive price, as well as obtain recipes and information solely available to Valrhona-approved artisan chocolatiers. Kita is the only chocolatier within a 90-mile radius of Rhinebeck with an exclusive contract, and in December, says Kita, “The sales representative for the East Coast came to visit me and photograph the studio, and they’re going to use [the collection of photographs] as an example of how they want other Valrhona artisans to portray themselves.”

Kita uses seven different types of Valrhona chocolate, one of which is organic. Each has a different flavor profile, which Kita considers when creating a new piece of chocolate to add to his line. He uses dark chocolate from Madagascar, Ecuador, and Venezuela. A blend from Indonesia is used for the milk chocolate.

Like coffee, chocolate is grown in equatorial regions of the world, and in order to assist the cocoa growers and their families, Kita has become a member of the World Cocoa Foundation.

The organization provides programs that help raise farmer incomes and encourage responsible, sustainable cocoa farming. Says Kita, “I think it’s important to give back. The World Cocoa Foundation is doing its very best to help farmers in West Africa, where there is a great deal of suffering and disorganization and chaos based on political structures.”

Kita has come up with a slogan for his business: “Mind, body, chocolate: Every day.” He says, “It’s about opening up your awareness and understanding of this experience of appreciating chocolate.” By tasting a finely crafted piece of chocolate, he adds, “you can understand where you are and appreciate what you have, right now, today. It’s focused attention through pleasure.”

At Heaven, he composed his menu according to the season. “Autumn was inspiring. Spring was rejuvenating. Summer was soothing. Winter was satisfying. I took those four buzzwords that create an emotion and attributed them to the chocolates.”

At oliverkita.com, from which chocolates can be ordered and shipped, the four collections are Inspiring (ganaches), Soothing (caramels), Satisfying (truffles), and Rejuvenating (a selection of all three). A nine-piece box ordered from the website costs $23 plus shipping and applicable taxes. At the shop, a nine-piece box is $22.75—about $2.50 per piece.

Kita crafts and finishes the chocolates in view of customers, who are encouraged to ask questions and chat with him about artisanal chocolate. He employs one assistant, plus a counterperson on weekends.

Regarding his slogan and philosophy about chocolate, Kita says, “A lot of people need to be gently poked and told: You can be inspired today. Perhaps you can be inspired by chocolate. Or maybe your child’s laugh will inspire you. Or the music on the radio will inspire you.” By making the most magnificent chocolates that he can, Kita says, “I’m just part of that picture.”

Oliver Kita Fine Confections and Fine Catering is located at 6815 Route 9, Astor Square Number 8, Rhinebeck; (845) 876-2665; www.oliverkita.com

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appeared in HUDSON VALLEY MAGAZINE

BEST OF 2007
Chocolatier
Oliver Kita Rhinebeck
Long known for his fabulous cakes and catering, Kita now crafts (and that’s the word) satiny, buttery, creamy ganaches, pralines, truffles, caramels and other simply mouthwatering chocolate confections in his Rhinebeck chocolateria. Scientists recently discovered that when we eat chocolate (especially the dark stuff) it releases a “happy” chemical. Well, we already knew that, but it turns out it has all kinds of health benefits, too. Isn’t science wonderful? 845-876-2665; www.oliverkita.com.

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