<%3Fxml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"%3F> http://www.chocolatefestival.ca/ en webmaster@lexa.com Copyright 2011 2011-08-24T03:36:05+00:00 http://www.chocolatefestival.ca/blog/welcome_to_the_team_-_sara_yuen_event_manager/ http://www.chocolatefestival.ca/blog/welcome_to_the_team_-_sara_yuen_event_manager/#When:03:36:05Z A recent graduate from the University of British Columbia, Sara holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Psychology with a Commerce Minor. Throughout her lengthy student career, Sara has dabbled in various fields &ndash; extracurricular and academic &ndash; including dance, theatre, nutrition, research, and event planning. Sara is now excited to be combining her passions for chocolate and event planning as one of the Event Managers. The West Coast Chocolate Festival will push Sara to the limit by cultivating her event management skills and expanding her experience in organization and teamwork. It will also force her to hit the books once again to learn all she can about the wonderful world of chocolate. 2011-08-24T03:36:05+00:00 http://www.chocolatefestival.ca/blog/chocolate_skin_care/ http://www.chocolatefestival.ca/blog/chocolate_skin_care/#When:22:22:57Z &nbsp; Chocolate is a delicious treat, but it isn&rsquo;t just for dessert. If you see a jar of body butter on your dresser, take a look at the ingredients. Chances, are, you will discover cocoa butter on the ingredients list. Cocoa butter is derived when cocoa nibs are processed and the fat from cocoa beans is separated from the fat. Cocoa butter is an important ingredient in skin care products. It melts at body temperature, allowing for fast absorption to soothe dry skin and minimize the appearance of stretch marks. Consuming chocolate itself also has numerous benefits for your skin. Chocolate contains antioxidants known as flavinols which smooth skin and reduce sensitivity to the sun. Flavinols also help improve skin&rsquo;s texture and hydration. Time for more chocolate! Sources: http://www.allure.com/beauty-trends/health/2007/Chocolates_Skin_Benefits http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/123766/cocoa-butter http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cocoa_butter 2011-08-23T22:22:57+00:00 http://www.chocolatefestival.ca/blog/welcome_to_the_team_-_maria_dowa_human_resources_mentor/ http://www.chocolatefestival.ca/blog/welcome_to_the_team_-_maria_dowa_human_resources_mentor/#When:20:43:19Z A University of British Columbia Graduate with a degree in Psychology and Family Science, Maria is currently transitioning into the Human Resources and Nutrition field. With experience as an employment counselor and HR Manager of the 2011 National Chef's Conference, Maria will be mentoring, advising and developing the volunteer program for the 2011 West Coast Chocolate Festival. &nbsp; 2011-08-23T20:43:19+00:00 http://www.chocolatefestival.ca/blog/welcome_to_the_team_-_cathy_chen_business_development_and_grant_writing_man/ http://www.chocolatefestival.ca/blog/welcome_to_the_team_-_cathy_chen_business_development_and_grant_writing_man/#When:14:28:49Z Cathy is a second year student at UBC and has already been a very active member of her campus community. Working with various charities and non-profit organizations this past year, Cathy is excited to contribute her knowledge and skill set to the West Coast Chocolate Festival. She loves to learn and to challenge herself with constantly evolving ambitions. She is interested in empowering youth to harness the power of collective action. Welcoming new opportunities with open arms, she hopes to take West Coast Chocolate Festival to new heights this season! 2011-08-23T14:28:49+00:00 http://www.chocolatefestival.ca/blog/thoughts_on_volunteering/ http://www.chocolatefestival.ca/blog/thoughts_on_volunteering/#When:19:28:33Z &nbsp; Many people volunteer in their local communities for different reasons, but you can&rsquo;t deny that volunteering has many benefits: &middot;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Work experience and references during a time when the economy isn&rsquo;t doing so well. Volunteering gives you the opportunity to develop new skills, and allows you to do things that you otherwise would not have the chance to do. Just because you&rsquo;re not being paid it doesn&rsquo;t mean it isn&rsquo;t just as good as, or even better than a paid position! &middot;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Meeting new people, and expanding your network! Volunteering provides you with the opportunity to meet people from different walks of life. This is an exciting aspect of volunteering! &middot;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; An opportunity to give back &ndash; no man/woman is an island. We all depend on each other to survive and to thrive &ndash; a lot of us have benefited from the many things we have enjoyed as a result of just living in our respective communities &ndash; now its time to give back. &middot;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Packaging yourself &ndash; volunteering in your community outside work/school allows potential employers a chance to see a better picture of you. Volunteering allows you to demonstrate a good work-life balance &ndash; something that employers are interested in. Show potential employers that you&rsquo;re not just all about work &ndash; show them that you have passions outside of work as well. Volunteer opportunities are posted everywhere &ndash; I personally recommend GoVolunteer.ca, as well as Craigslist! Speaking of volunteer opportunities&hellip;. The West Coast Chocolate Festival is looking for volunteers! Fill out our Volunteer Application Form and send it to: josh.chocolatefest@gmail.com! 2011-08-22T19:28:33+00:00 http://www.chocolatefestival.ca/blog/the_west_coast_chocolate_festival_the_original_cakerie_at_living_luxe/ http://www.chocolatefestival.ca/blog/the_west_coast_chocolate_festival_the_original_cakerie_at_living_luxe/#When:19:10:36Z &nbsp; Many of you who have been following the blog know that the West Coast Chocolate Festival supports mentored work experiences for youth. This September, the Festival is partnering with The Original Cakerie to support another great cause: Living Luxe, a fundraiser for the BC Association for Assisted Living (BCACL). BCACL promotes the participation of people with developmental disabilities in all aspects of community life. The Festival , in partnership with The Original Cakerie, will be supporting the event by hosting a dessert station. Living Luxe will be held on September 15th from&nbsp; 7:00 to 10:00pm at the CBC Studio on 700 Hamilton Street.&nbsp; 2011-08-22T19:10:36+00:00 http://www.chocolatefestival.ca/blog/welcome_to_the_team_-_angela_chen_administrative_assistant/ http://www.chocolatefestival.ca/blog/welcome_to_the_team_-_angela_chen_administrative_assistant/#When:19:04:21Z Angela is a fourth-year business student at Langara College. She is currently in the Bachelor of Business Administration (BBA) program, with a concentration in Marketing Management. After school, she hopes to find interesting and fulfilling work. She is interested in pursuing a career as an Event Coordinator or a position related to Public Relations. The West Coast Chocolate Festival is Angela&rsquo;s first practicum experience to exercise her academic knowledge and gain some professional experience. Angela was born and raised in Taipei, Taiwan and moved to Vancouver in 2006. She is fluent in both Mandarin and English. Angela also taught herself Japanese from her hobby of watching Japanese dramas. She is also interested in exploring the culinary world. Cooking always makes her feel inspired and relaxed. Angela likes collecting new recipes from friends or newspapers and spends hours in the kitchen whipping up tasty, new dishes for her families and friends. The 2011 West Coast Festival will be a great experience for Angela to enhance her administrative skills; event planning will also be a good way to gain professional event management knowledge and learn from real life experiences. &nbsp; 2011-08-22T19:04:21+00:00 http://www.chocolatefestival.ca/blog/welcome_back_cocoanymph/ http://www.chocolatefestival.ca/blog/welcome_back_cocoanymph/#When:18:54:16Z &nbsp; CocoaNymph, &nbsp;a delightful shop on West 10th and Alma St. will be involved with the West Coast Chocolate Festival again this year. CocoaNymph features gourmet chocolates designed by chocolatiere Rachel Sawatsky. As a big supporter of the Festival&rsquo;s efforts in promoting mentored work experiences for youth and chocolate appreciation, CocoaNymph will be sponsoring and hosting many events this year. CocoaNymph will be hosting a vendor table at Panache and Chocolate Delights, the Festival&rsquo;s opening and closing events. Attendees will have the opportunity to sample some of Rachel&rsquo;s mouthwatering creations. Beer lovers should note, CocoaNymph will be hosting five Beer and Chocolate Events at their store. Six local and west coast craft beers will be paired with CocoaNymph&rsquo;s truffles and other goodies. The events will be held on the following dates: -&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; October 12th -&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; October 19th -&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; October 26th -&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; November 2nd -&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; November 9th The events begin at 7pm. There&rsquo;s no better way to look forward to the weekend than enjoying some fine beer and chocolate on a Wednesday night. See you all there! 2011-08-22T18:54:16+00:00 http://www.chocolatefestival.ca/blog/welcome_to_the_team_-_siong_chan_creative_director/ http://www.chocolatefestival.ca/blog/welcome_to_the_team_-_siong_chan_creative_director/#When:17:22:50Z Siong Chan is a Creative Director with over 9 years of design experience overseeing visual communication design and user experience design for various large and small businesses, as well as non-profit organizations. In 2010, he co-founded Kinjoe, a social network for finding new friends around where you live. From 2011 onwards, he will establish and manage visual branding for West Coast Chocolate Festival. He is deeply obsessed about form and function, and believes that they are equally as important. Oh, and NEVER dangle dark chocolates in front of him, especially ones with mint - he may just bite your fingers off. 2011-08-08T17:22:50+00:00 http://www.chocolatefestival.ca/blog/welcome_to_the_team_-_shira_gordon_event_manager/ http://www.chocolatefestival.ca/blog/welcome_to_the_team_-_shira_gordon_event_manager/#When:03:42:35Z Shira is a passionate and creative event planner with more than 6 years of experience planning and executing outstanding educational programs and corporate events. She has organized events for alive Magazine, Sutton Group Realty Services and Vancouver Film School and graduated from the Langara College Marketing &amp; Sales Program in 2004. She is thrilled to be one of the Events Managers for the West Coast Chocolate Festival. When Shira is not organizing events, she enjoys a number of activities. She is very passionate about music and singing.&nbsp; She sings second soprano for Sing City Show Choir and loves going to live concerts whenever she can. She enjoys keeping an active lifestyle which includes boot camp, yoga, running, hiking, biking and much more. She also keeps busy writing in her blog: http://passionatevanplanner.blogspot.com. Shira is very excited to be contributing her skills and experience for the West Coast Chocolate Festival. She is looking forward to connecting with the 2011 interns and the community and furthering her event experience. 2011-08-06T03:42:35+00:00