Two women try their 'dream job'

By: CANDICE REED - For the North County Times | Saturday, January 31, 2004 10:29 PM PST ∞

ENCINITAS ---- Two chocolate-smeared women got a lesson in confection creation Saturday afternoon at Chuao Chocolatier in The Lumberyard shopping center on Coast Highway 101.

The women stood behind a display case filled with shiny dark chocolates with fanciful names such as Rio Caribe, Maraca and Cambur. The centers were even more exotic: green tea and ginger; passion fruit salted-butter caramel; and soft caramel deglazed with strawberry pulp and Modena balsamic vinegar.

In contrast with the prim display of candies, sisters Gwen DeVasto and Katrina Park of Boston looked a lot like Ethel and Lucy in a rerun of the "I Love Lucy Show." The two women were dressed in white jackets and white hats, and were covered in chocolate from an earlier playful fight with the luscious chocolate.

The women watched intently as professional chocolatier and shop co-owner Michael Antonorsi tried to explain how to make passion fruit filled hearts.

The lesson was being videotaped for a future episode on the Dr. Phil Show, a syndicated television program, in which DeVasto and Park got a chance to try their "dream job" as chocolatiers.

"This is definitely our dream job," said DeVasto. "Anyone who knows us knows we love chocolate more than anything else."

In real life, DeVasto works as a social worker and Parks is a sixth-grade teacher. No date has yet been set for the airing of the show.

The chocolate making turned out to be a serious business indeed.

A film crew rolled tape as the two women tried to recreate what Antonorsi had showed them. They took turns carefully pouring the chocolate into the mold and then scraping the sides with a silver spatula so a clean mold filled with prized Venezuelan chocolate waited for their boss's inspection.

"These women are here because this was their dream, and this is one of the only shops that make true artesian chocolate," Antonorsi said. "The other big factories they would just be pushing buttons, but here we make every chocolate ourselves."

Chuao, pronounced "chew-ow," is named for the region in Venezuela where the prized criollo cacao beans are grown. The shop prides itself on using no other type of chocolate.

As for the two novice candy makers, they were still sold on the idea of becoming professional chocolatiers one day in the future.

"It's harder than it looks, but it's wonderful," said Park. "When I'm making chocolates the whole word disappears. It's as great as I thought it would be."

As for Antonorsi, he stood and watched on the sideline like a proud father.