This year — 2010, was my sixth and most challenging dinner I have made — ever. I must’ve hosted 40 or so dinner parties in the 7 years I’ve lived in Oakland but this was the first dinner I have ever prepared without a single ounce of wheat running through a single dish. One day, everything I had ever known and loved about food and cooking seemed to change in a single blink of my eyes. When I opened my eyes again, I saw my clearest dreams disintegrating in front of me. What choice did I have? Either, I was going to have to dream in a different color or stop dreaming about anything better ever again. I chose the former — thank goodness I did.

I believe this was my most inspired chocolate dinner to date — from the dishes I created down to the friends who shared the night with me. It was not a perfect meal — it never really is in my eyes. But what made this dinner different was every single ingredient seemed so new to me. It’s like I had never tasted chocolate and was discovering the nuances, layers, textures and flavors in every single bite. In fact, I realize I taste everything so differently now. The thought of a life without wheat — a steaming bowl of pasta drizzled just with olive oil and served to me in a tiny village in Tuscany or a quick trip down my hill to Arizmendi’s for a hot-out-of-the-oven brioche knot — has brought tears to my eyes….really, it has. But this meal…this one night. It’s what dreams are made of. It’s my dream. It’s real and it can only get better from here on out.

Starters.
Chocolate Tapenade and Honey Drizzled Goat Cheese served with Sweet Cacao Nib Crackers

Mains.
Roasted Pork with Cacao-infused Mojo
Shrimp with Cacao-infused Mojo
Chocolate Chipotle Black Beans
Sweet Cacao Nib Jeweled Beet and Jicama Salad
Avocado Corn Salsa
Cacao-spiced Brown Rice
The Featured Meal Topper. The Cubano Ice Cream Sandwich