Dolly Mama (get it?) thought long about the name she chose for her business. But the final choice is mellifluous and memorable, almost as memorable as her chocolate truffles. You can find them currently at the Durham Farmer's Market.
Her chocolate is all handmade, each one a work of art. She enrobes the ganache by rolling it in her hand. Each one. "By rolling them in my hand, I get a really thin, crisp shell with nice silken ganache inside," Dolly says. She gets her cream from local dairies and is inspired by the fruits and vegetables at the farmer's market.
A few of the truffles are made with a mold. She has a Buddha mold about the size of your thumb and she hides Farmer's Market finds in its belly.
"My husband is a sculptor. He'd love to get into mold making. And I think there must be a way to get local sculptors involved," she says. "They have to be small, but for art pieces they can be bigger."
Dolly Mama learned to bartend when she was nineteen and has expanded her wine palate through study in books and by taking classes. She now works with wine-expert Brandon Carr at Four Square restaurant and learns more from him.
"When I started out, they would ask me 'What are you picking up?' and I'd say, 'Grape.' But over time I could pick up other notes. The experience has taught me to be able to relax and to taste what's there. My wine palate has created a template of understanding that's the way to taste," Dolly says.
Her expanded wine palate has allowed her to appreciate to subtleties and complexities in chocolate.
(Read about Dolly's chocolate sources and the notes found in each one in the next page. And find out a little more about the woman who's a bartender and chocolatier.)
