TLC's CHOCOLATE WARS: my experience & photos from the taping!

Hope everyone enjoyed the TV show special CHOCOLATE WARS on TLC!  It aired on at 10pm EST/PST on Monday May 10th.

Thanks to all of you for watching CHOCOLATE WARS! Let TLC know you want more, more, more chocolate bad-ass episodes! If you have Twitter then let @TLC know! See ya at Madame Chocolat! 

Here's a clip of CHOCOLATE WARS in case you missed it.  

It was a great experience to work with such talented chocolatiers around the country!  Those chocolate showpieces from competitors Ginger, Jim and Jeff were so impressive.  Here's some of my candid personal photos from my camera from the taping of TLC's Chocolate Wars.

  

I'm posing on set with the sign.  Had to do it for my Mom! :)

George Duran is a great host...he's hilarious. Follow him on Twitter @georgeduraneats

Group photo with the Chocolate Wars "personalities"...Host George Duran and Judges (me) and Andrew Shotts.  We are all chefs but I'm the only one still wearing my coat!  I got caught up taking pictures.

Edible art!!!  Can you believe how big these chocolate centerpieces are?!!

Ginger did an amazing job...she incorporated the history of chocolate in her piece.

Can you believe this showpiece is all chocolate? 

   

Chocolatiers are amazing!  I'm talking chocolate with Ginger before I leave.  It was a great experience to be around such talented people.

We are running a promo online at Madame Chocolat:

In honor of Chef Hasty Torres on the recent episode of Chocolate Wars, Use code "TLC" upon checkout and save 20%!

If you are in the LA area then please come to Madame Chocolat Factory Boutique Cafe at 212 N. Canon Drive in Beverly Hills.

This is what being a personal chocolatier is all about...

We had a contest for Mother's Day on the Madame Chocolat facebook page.  

The winner of the chocolate heel gift set for our Inspiring Mother's Day Contest was...... Gloria Archer. 

Gloria brought her Mom right in to the store to claim her prize.

Then Gloria went and wrote about the visit to Madame Chocolat on her Facebook page!  

http://www.facebook.com/notes/gloria-archer/the-exciting-beverly-hills-adventure/393970964083

This is truly what being your personal chocolatier is all about. I'm very touched.  Thanks for loving chocolate as much as I do...you totally understand!

xoxo,

Hasty

OH.MY.GODDDDDDDDDDD...guess who came to Madame Chocolat today?!

I still cant believe she was here today!!!  She said “this is a marvelous store and you did a brilliant job.  Just beautiful.  I will be back.”

She bought a heart box and chocolate spoons!  

If you don’t know, this is Sarah Ferguson- Duchess of York...Queen Elizabeth’s daughter-in-law (now she’s divorced) and Princess Diana’s sister-in-law.  The real "Fergie."

I’m still in shock.

The Truth about the Madame Chocolat 2010 Shoe Collection! Just added sunglasses & a purse too!

This year I wanted to take my chocolate heels to another level.  I adored my airbrushed snakeskin  Christian Louboutin's from last year, but I needed to make a change.  I came back from New York so inspired.

I stopped by the Christian Louboutin boutique in West Village with my bestie.  We were dazzled by the shoes and the cute windows.  We went window shopping to kill time before dinner!  

The atmosphere in Manhattan and even the West Village is so different than Los Angeles and Beverly Hills and it sparked my artistic side.  I didn't want to leave New York since I was having the best time visiting my husband, his chocolate factory and for our Torres and Torres Chocolate class at the De Gustibus Cooking School. Yet at the same time, I was looking forward to going back to my own shop Madame Chocolat so I can be in my chocolate factory to work on some new chocolate heels.

All I have been thinking about day and night is chocolate heels.  I'm so proud to debut the Madame Chocolat 2010 Shoe Collection...complete with sunglasses and purse!   

Being in New York, I was motivated by the new Sex and the City movie coming out at the end of May, so it inspired me to make chocolate shoes following the designers who I consider fashion legends:  Valentino, Monolo Blahnik, Chanel, and Christian Louboutin.  Every woman deserves a pair of high-fashion designer shoes, right?  I think so!

Everything is made of chocolate. Each shoe, purse, sunglasses, bonbons and chocolate vanity tray (that the entire collection actually sits on) are handmade by me in chocolate and I carefully decorate each one.  Yup! I'm the only one in my chocolate factory making these... and I LOVE IT!   

"Valentino" inspired...I think this would be great for the fabulous Kimora Lee Simmons.  I love her and watch her show Life in the Fab Lane all the time!  

"Monolo Blahnik" inspired really reminds me of Sex and the City.  I wanted to go by the boutique when I was in Manhattan but didn't have time. Next visit for sure.

"Chanel" inspired.  This is my favorite out of all four.  I remember talking on the phone when I was making the flower. I'm so proud of this shoe and I love all the glitter...of course it's edible!

"Christian Louboutin": I had to do a peep toe shoe!  Figuring out how to mold this heel in chocolate was a challenge but when I figured it out, I was really impressed.

Of course, no fashion design is complete without a photo shoot!  Thank you so much to Todd and Diane for shooting these photos.  The photos totally capture my love for chocolate and fashion.  You both are amazing. Also, thank you Lauren for introducing them to me.

The Madame Chocolat 2010 Shoe Collection is available only in store at Madame Chocolat 212 N. Canon Drive in Beverly Hills.  I can't ship them because they are so fragile!  But you can always go to my website www.madame-chocolat.com to check out all the gifts we can ship.  The mahogany heart shaped wood box is very popular.  What mom doesnt like chocolate inside a jewlery box???? 

Dont forget to follow me on Twitter!  I have a bunch of contests to win FREE CHOCOLATE!  You can also win the peep toe chocolate shoe set with our Facebook Mother's Day contest!  Good luck everyone!

I wish all of you the best Mother's Day with love, laughter and memories with CHOCOLATE.

TLC's CHOCOLATE WARS premiering Monday, May 10 hosted by George Duran with judges Andrew Shotts and Hasty Torres

This just went out today...so I wanted to share the news about a new TV show featuring CHOCOLATE!  Back in Beverly Hills but been busy making chocolates for Mother's Day-- special edition high heels on the way! Can't wait to debut the chocolate shoes and show who my designer inspirations are this year. Photos will be up soon.  Need to get back to work for now.  

xoxo,

Hasty

MEDIA ALERT | FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: April 29, 2010 

TLC WAGES A WAR, WITH CHOCOLATE

Los Angeles, CA – Three of the nation’s best chocolatiers battle for chocolate bragging rights - and a sweet prize - in TLC’s new special CHOCOLATE WARS, premiering Monday, May 10 at 10 PM ET/PT.

Inspired by TLC’s hit series ULTIMATE CAKE OFF, CHOCOLATE WARS, hosted by George Duran, follows three chocolate masters and their teams as they fight it out to see who can build the most amazing chocolate showpiece, which will headline a huge celebration at the beautiful Santa Barbara Zoo. With $5,000 at stake the competitors lean on every ounce of their experience to impress the judges – world famous pastry chef Andrew Shotts and celebrity chocolatier Hasty Torres.

Only one chocolate artist will survive the rigors of battle and taste sweet victory – who will it be?

CHOCOLATE WARS is produced for TLC by Discovery Studios. Executive producers are Sean Atkins and Robin Feinberg.

About TLC

TLC's innovative docu-series and reality-based programming include favorites Jon & Kate Plus 8, Little People, Big World, What Not to Wear, 19 Kids and Counting, Say Yes to the Dress, and LA Ink. TLC added to its menu of programming with Cake Boss and Ultimate Cake Off, and continues to expand into the food genre. TLC's daytime lineup includes the Emmy® Award-winning A Baby Story. The channel is available in more than 98 million homes in the US, nearly 8 million homes in Canada and through the website at www.tlc.com. TLC is part of Discovery Communications (NASDAQ: DISCA, DISCB, DISCK), the world's number one nonfiction media company reaching more than 1.5 billion cumulative subscribers in over 170 countries.

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