Eagranie Yuh has a job most people only dream of: tasting, writing and teaching people about chocolate. But her career wasn’t always this sweet.
She started out as a chemist before deciding to make a major life change and follow her passion. We sat down with Eagranie to chat about her journey from lab coats to cocoa beans, her advice for others making a change, and the best way to taste chocolate.
To celebrate the re-launch of tuja’s website, we’re focusing on the theme of Good Shift this month. Your career path really illustrates this theme well. How did you swap a career in chemistry for the culinary world?
I was a science geek so I just headed in that direction. I got my BSc in chemistry and in the absence of knowing what else to do, I went on to grad school. By the time I finished, I’d realized chemistry wasn’t for me. I wanted to do something I was really passionate about.
So I enrolled in Le Cordon Bleu. I wasn’t sure if it was the right decision, but I felt I owed it to myself to honour this calling of baking and cooking in me. After graduating, I worked as a pastry chef and while it was a great experience, I realized there was a mismatch between why I went into this field and what it was actually like.
I took a few months off and connected with a career coach who helped me get into writing. I realized I wanted to write about food, so I launched The Well-Tempered Chocolatier blog and began writing for Edible Vancouver. The scientific side of chocolate appealed to me, so I learned all about it, started teaching classes and eventually wrote a book on the subject. It was a long journey to find the right fit but it paid off in the end.
What’s one piece of advice you would share with someone contemplating a major shift in their own career?
Think about your final destination and how you’re going to get there. Ask yourself: why do I want to head in that direction? Who do I need to talk to? What information do I need to know? Once you’ve done your homework, have faith. It will show up when the time is right and you’re ready for it.
Now, on to chocolate! Obviously, it must be one of your favourite foods. How do you balance eating sweets with a healthy lifestyle?
I give chocolate its time. I’ll have one piece and really savour it. I try to make eating a mindful experience in general. My husband and I rarely eat out, so we do a lot of cooking at home with fresh, high quality ingredients. Also, I eat a lot of vegetables.
What’s the most unusual flavour of chocolate you’ve ever eaten?
Judging the World Finals of the International Chocolate Awards last year, one competitor entered a dark milk chocolate with fermented soybeans. The taste was sort of sweet-salty-umami, with a bit of chew. I can't say I liked it, but it was innovative and really well executed.
Besides chocolate, what else would we find in your kitchen?
Lots of spices and pickled things: whole cumin seeds, kimchee, capers, marinated eggplants. Oh, and I love cream cheese so I always have some in the fridge.
Can you give our readers a few tips on the best way to enjoy chocolate?
Start by buying three different types of chocolate, which will give you a better frame of reference. When you’re tasting chocolate, you need to use all five senses:
· Sight: Start off by looking at it, noticing its colour and shape.
· Smell: Break off a piece and give it a little sniff. Does it smell too sweet or weirdly chemical? Those are signs of poor quality.
· Sound: Snap a piece between your fingers or bite it between your teeth and listen. People rarely pay attention to the sound of chocolate.
· Taste: Let the chocolate melt on your tongue and speak to you. What do you notice?
· Texture: Pay attention to the sensations your tongue feels.
What are three chocolates you think everyone should try once and why?
1. Soma Chocolate Maker’s Old School bar is really fun. It's a rough-ground bar with chunks of cacao bean and sugar granules. In the wrong hands it would be totally unbalanced with awful texture, but this is delicious.
2. The Violet Chocolate Company’s rosemary honey bar. It balances flavours that shouldn't work, but end up being really addictive.
3. The whole cherry from Vancouver’s Beta5 Chocolates. It's a cherry ganache, with a cherry-pit gelee on top. I like it because of the technique, which includes multiple textures and the use of cherry pits!
Curious to learn more about cocoa? Check out The Chocolate Tasting Kit Eagranie has created, and keep up with her exploits via @EagranieYuh.
