With the Valentine's Day festivities behind us, you might well have had all of the chocolate you can stand. Chocolate hearts, flowers, sauces, chocolate-dipped strawberries, your dreams are no longer in color, but in white, milk, and dark. Allow me to mention the subject once more, if you will. For some of us, chocolate is not simply for special occasions, unless that occasion is a day ending in Y. Chocolate goes with a variety of things. It pairs well with various wines and scotches, for instance. Coffee is always a great accompaniment. Actually, I would be better off listing the things with which chocolate does not go. Ummm...uhhh...I'll get back to you on that.
Cellist Joshua Roman is an admitted chocoholic. He is also a musician and music lover. It only stood to reason that he would pair two of his favorite things.
Josh recently presented a performance with the Illinois Philharmonic Orchestra, he called, "Cello & Chocolate: An Exploration of the Senses." It all started when a friend of his gave him some bacon chocolate from Vosges Haut Chocolat, an upscale Chicago shop. In Roman's words, "I became addicted." So much so that he is a regular at the chocolatier's kiosk at Gate B6 at O'Hare Airport to place an order. Something tells me he may be spotted in Chicago on a regular basis. In an article in the Chicago Tribune, Donna Vickroy said much research went into the performance pairings. Roman would end up sampling some 25 different truffles. To quote a great scholar..."Life is like a box of chocolates. You never know what you're gonna get." Apparently, a performance by Josh Roman is much the same.