As some of you may or may not know Carol, MOVE CEO, and I have been traveling abroad. Carol was in England studying at Oxford and I was in Israel working on a documentary. After exploring historic sites and meeting interesting people during our travels, Carol and I thought, “Why should this end now that we are back home in Ann Arbor?” So when we heard about a Networking event at the Burnt Toast Inn, sponsored by Think Local First, we jumped at the chance to attend and discover new, local businesses.
Fun Fact: You won’t find any televisions, phones or computers at the Burnt Toast Inn. Why? Because they want guests to feel, "as if they have gotten away from it all for a while."
The event was held at the Burnt Toast Inn’s Washington Street locale to show off their recently remodeled kitchen.
Fun Fact: Upon request Innkeeper, Sarah Okuyama, can arrange for a local chef to either cook for guests or teach them popular dishes—or both.
We also got to meet fellow world travelers, Barbara Wilson and Jose Messa, owners of Mindo Chocolate Makers. The couples’ plan to build a retirement home in Messa’s native Ecuador resulted in an unexpected turn into the chocolate making business.
For the past two years they have been making chocolate in Ecuador at a nearby cacao processing station and shipping it by air to Michigan—where they call home during the off season. Their chocolate can be found at Zingerman’s Bakehouse, Dexter’s Farmer’s Market and Roos Roast to name a few.
Fun Fact: As of right now, they are one of 20 companies, who make chocolate from the cacao bean to the bar. We can also vouch for their unique flavors, one of them being chocolate mixed with sea salt.
Chocolate aside, we also got to enjoy a wine tasting provided by Sandhill Crane Vineyards.
Fun Fact: And you can too! Just stop by during their business hours for a free wine tasting.
There ends our tour. We hope to see continued fruitfulness from all of our local businesses!