Chocolatier Goodness

Scott Beale/Laughing Squid

Where:18 Reasons, 593 Guerrero (at 18th St.)

When: Wed., May 18, 7-9 p.m.

Cost: $35; purchase via Brown Paper Tickets

The rundown: Chocolate used to be a hell of a lot more mysterious, back before single-source estate chocolates became the luxury standard. The sourcing and manufacturing process for artisan makers is far more transparent, even though the complexity remains. Peel back the foil on TCHO's process Wednesday, as company chocolatier Zohara Mapes delivers a narrative of the transformation from bean to bar. Here's how 18 Reasons describes it: "[Mapes] will show you (with all her cool gadgets) how chocolate gets made and in the process, show you how she spends her day. We will have plenty of chocolate on hand, since tasting is a big part of Zohara's 9-5." Nice work if you can get it.