All proceeds from Shaman bars benefit Huichol Indian villages in Mexico.
Shaman Organic Chocolate bars are the total package. Delicious, organic chocolate, every $3 bite of which goes to help maintain the endangered indigenous lifestyles and traditions of the Huichol Indians of Mexico.
Soquel-based shaman Brant Secunda—whose Dance of the Deer Foundation has long worked to preserve Huichol shamanic traditions—is the energetic mind behind the “Shaman” brand chocolates. Almost 10 years ago Secunda's visionary dream of the loving properties of chocolate helped launch the creation of these beautifully packaged chocolate bars. All the profits (100 percent) support villages in Central Mexico, where 15,000 Huichol still live in the Sierra Madre mountains. Incredibly, they have managed to preserve most of their pre-Columbian traditions. The cacao seed has long been involved in Mexican culture and was used in ceremonies by Maya and Aztec priests and royalty. The chocolate was mixed into a potent drink along with fiery chiles, and the cacao seeds were even used to pay taxes to the rulers. Naturally it was one of the first things European “visitors” borrowed from the New World, along with lots of gold.
Well, now you can eat the right thing while doing the right thing. The earthy, rich and full-bodied chocolates come in dark (60 percent cacao) and milk (37 percent cacao) chocolate. Nine flavor combinations are available, including dark chocolate with coconut, milk chocolate with hazelnuts and my favorite, dark chocolate with green tea and ginger. At enlightened stores.
New Winery? New Name! Thanks to Mary Lindsay of Muns Vineyard, spokeswoman for the oeno-collective Surf City Vintners, I now know why there is a new entity called Rexford Winery at the corner of Ingalls and Swift Streets, on the Westside of Santa Cruz. Wasn't that just “Hillcrest Terrace winery?” I asked. Yes, Christina, Lindsay agreed, it was Hillcrest. But now—voila!—it's Rexford. Lindsay explained that winemaker (and former Lick Observatory director) Joe Miller decided on the change since there were some conflicts with another Hillcrest Winery name. Too similar, thought the savvy winemaker. “After considering many possibilities, we chose Rexford,” says Miller, “the name of the street where I grew up in Los Angeles, which holds many fond memories for me and where I first became passionate about wine.” Sounds like a smart move. Stop by and toast the new name at 429 Ingalls St. Rexford's tasting room is open noon-5pm on Sat, 2-5pm on Sun.
