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Narsai David Food News: New Guittard Baking Chocolates

SAN FRANCISCO (KCBS)— The Guittard Chocolate Company in Burlingame produces some of the finest chocolate in the world. You know, it's amazing to look at the history of this company, which started in 1868 and is the oldest continuously family owned and operated chocolate-making company in the United States.

For years their primary product was sold to bakeries, pastry shops, candy makers, but as the world got more interested in the varieties of chocolate and the source of chocolate, the company was already importing cocoa beans from around the world.

New Guittard Baking Chocolates

They're one of the few places that actually roasts the beans and conches the chocolate, blends and develops them and makes them into actual bars.

When the interest turned to beans from a particular source they came in quickly.

The Orinoco is a milk chocolate, the Quetzalcoatl is a 72 percent bittersweet chocolate. As the number gets higher the percentage of the cocoa bean gets higher, which means the intensity increases.

Narsai David is the KCBS Food and Wine Editor. He has been a successful restaurateur, chef, TV host, and columnist in the Bay Area spanning four decades. You can hear him Saturdays at 10:53 a.m., 12:53 p.m. and 4:53 p.m., and at 2:53 a.m. Sunday on KCBS All News 740AM and 106.9FM.

(Copyright 2013 by CBS San Francisco. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)

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