The Attraction behind the Alfajores


The Chocolate Chamber has an on-going promo of the Alfajores. 
From an original price of PhP525 it is now only PhP450.00 till Nov. 30, 2020.

2 - 3 mins read
Cebu City,
Philippines


        If you've been following my blog, you know I am a huge fan of The Chocolate Chamber and all the products associated with it.  Not the least of them is the Alfajores.

        At first glance, these round shaped delights remind me of a childhood favorite - chocolate mallows.  But please, there is no comparison.  These Alfajores by Raquel T. Choa are chewy vanilla cookies filled with creamy caramel and coated with rich chocolate made from tablea.

        Tablea, the Philippine version of cacao milk is chocolate in its purest form.  Cacao beans are roasted, shelled, winnowed, ground and molded with no additives to create this pure "food of the gods".

        Raquel narrated she was inspired by the classic alfajor, given by her Argentinian friend, Norma.  The alfajor is a traditional South American pastry, shortbread cookies filled with dulce de leche.  Raquel's version is lathered in tablea - such indulgences shared among friends.




Meet the Chocolate Queen

        Although she doesn't love the term as much, Raquel Toquero-Choa is dubbed the Philippine Chocolate Queen" or the "Philippine Chocolate Somellier".

        A mother of eight, she diligently tends to her chocolate business with as much fervor as she cares for her children.  

        Known as The Chocolate Chamber, her chocolate business revolves around the locally grown cacao.  Cacao are then created into chocolatey products such as the cacao de bola, a novelty launched in New York for the Le Salon du Chocolat-Chocolate Festival in 2016.

  
Raquel brews some tablea drink for guests at The Chocolate Chamber at Robinson's Galleria Cebu

A gathering for friends

        Raquel and her family are old family friends.  We live quite nearby as well.  So it is quite easy to drop by her Casa de Cacao to grab some of her yummy treats.  

        But it is a special treat to savor her cacao delights at The Chocolate Chamber at Robinson's Galleria Cebu.  Here are a few photos from one occasion.












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