I'm walking down 18th Street by 6th Ave past the Metro Pavilion and I see this line outside. You know what, what do you guys doing?

And they're saying, we're going to the chocolate show.

That's like the chocolate show.

That's Mark Christian. Chocolate historian, critic and philosopher. I didn't get a PhD or anything

like that but I'm going to tell you I had earned a

C.H. D. Chocolate doctor. A doctor of chocolate without a doubt. Without a doubt.

Dr. Chocolate is such a legend that a rave review from him can propel a new bar to fame and fortune.

But back in the early 2000s, Gourmet Chocolate wasn't on his radar.

I get in there and I'm walking around and I instantly caught caught on that, you know what, this is the same crowd as in Amsterdam with the cannabis.

The room was vibing almost the same.

And they were such a captive, passionate group. almost the

Cappive passionate group. At the time, Mark was managing events around the world,

including the Cannabis Cup.

Now, I'm a non-user, but my business partner is more than a user.

He's wake and bake and shake the flake all day long.

And as he poked around, his Spidey Sons told him

that maybe he'd found the next big recreational substance.

I had an encounter with a gentleman named

Alessio Tessier. He with his sister owned a company called Amade.

And this guy was speaking in such, you know, classic high-f pollutant terms of this

legacy and lore of chocolate.

And he's dressed in this Armani suit that's just, you know, cut to the max.

...