When I started exploring the possibilities of making small batches of chocolate, I thought I was onto something. I had not heard of the world of bean to bar or craft or artisan chocolate. I was soon to realize that there had been a bean to bar industry long before me and I soon learned to truly appreciate the craft that the pioneers before me created.

The bean to bar chocolate world at its root is created to make lives better- here at home, at the place of origin and for all the places in between. I had the opportunity to do an apprenticeship with Mackenzie Rivers from Map Chocolate and now the Next Batch School in the summer of 2018. I had been on a quest to search deeper into my soul and figure out what the next chapter of my life was going to mean. 5 years later I am still very much trying to figure that out but the two weeks I spent with Mackenzie in Eugene Oregon were 2 of the most transformative of my adult life.

During the weekdays we worked hard together. She graciously answered my zillions of questions, let me polish molds, start batches of chocolate and soak in all her secrets. She is generous beyond belief. She has a deep desire to lift everyone up around her. She shares information freely. She lives her life and creates her chocolate with grace and respect for others and for the craft, but she also shares her opinions freely to start conversations that pertain to all levels of the chocolate industry.

In the last few years she created the Next Batch School. Here makers from around the world can come to learn the basics of selecting beans, chocolate shop setup all the way up to the secrets are crafting complicated chocolate bars with multiple ingredients and different kinds of chocolate. She is not making many chocolate bars anymore but if you ever do find a Map Chocolate bar in a store or on her website, I cannot recommend highly enough that you snatch it quickly.

Mackenzie is not only my mentor, but she has become a very close friend of mine. She is always there to bounce questions off and when life in general is a struggle she has also just quietly listened to my complaining. I hope that you enjoy this episode. It goes a little longer than normal and we could have kept talking far longer than we did. Its not all chocolate. There are some life stories in there as well.

Grab your favorite bar of chocolate and enjoy this episode with Mackenzie Rivers of Map Chocolate and the Next Batch School.

Map Chocolate

Next Batch School

@mapchocolate

@theNextBatchSchool

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I will be the first to admit I am a sucker for a good lifestyle brand. You give me some dreams, some great photos and a cool Instagram account and I’ll be pulled in. The cherry on top is when the lifestyle has been lived by the visionary and whatever they are selling kicks ass.

Mike Johansen was basically born on a beach. He spent time growing up on Nantucket and went to college in California. On top of all of that, he has a golden retriever and a yellow jeep sweatshirt that perfectly matches my Wrangler. So, yes, I am now hooked on living the Tuck Life.

It’s Jeep days and powder days,

dawn patrols and swimming holes.

From Mountain tops to surf spots,

if you dream about it, odds are we do too.

If that mission statement doesn’t say it then I do not know what else does. On top of making me daydream, I am also always fascinated by people who start their own brands. As I have learned through the development of Nostalgia Chocolates, creating a brand, not to mention a lifestyle, is extremely difficult.

Mike is very open and honest throughout this episode. It was a fascinating conversation for me, and I hope that you find it the same. Make sure to visit his website www.tucklife.com and grab a sweatshirt or whatever else you need, or don’t need. I can tell you that the clothing is amazing. I wear my sweatshirt for days at a time without taking it off.

Sit back, grab some chocolate, and enjoy this episode with Mike Johansen from Tuck Life.

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Often, the biggest champions of an area are the ones who grew up there. It is not typically the case that someone who has lived all over the world makes a career out of trying to boost the success of a small city and change the way it is viewed by people on the outside looking in.

Laura Thorn is a champion of all. As I learned more about her story, she has a made a life based around helping others. Most recently Laura has teamed up with Aldea Gerard to create the pilot episodes of Off the Wall and Up Close- an arts, culture, and travel show.

The show is starting here in Syracuse but has plans to highlight the scenes on cities just like Syracuse across the country. I had no idea what a massive undertaking it is to create a new TV show. After many rounds of fundraising, they created an initial episode and presented it at the Seattle Film Festival.

Laura and Aldea teamed up with Willow Rock Brewing in the fall of 2022 and that is how we met. Laura is an inspiration with her drive and determination to help others and lift the people around her up. She describes herself as a doer and that is 100% what she is. Not only is she a doer, but she is a creator and a finisher. We have a lot of people with ideas, and a lot of people who can take those ideas and run with them, and finally we have a lot of people who can bring the idea and the process to a conclusion. Rarely however do we have people that embody all those traits.

Make sure to visit their YouTube page Off the Wall & Up Close and follow along with all the work they are doing.

I hope you enjoy hearing her story as much as I did.

Instagram: @laura.thorn.me & @heyalecproductions

YouTube: Off the Wall & Up Close

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