your Beauty Our duty

This Wednesday, Theo Chocolate adds a touch of pampering to an already indulgent event. A two-hour, three-part evening combines tastings of wine and chocolate with a lesson in creating chocolate-based beauty products.

The event begins with pairings of Theo's Origin line (pure chocolate from locales as diverse as Madagascar and Venezuela) and wines ranging from a dry French rosé to a syrah. Participants can compare the terroirs of the wines as well as those of the chocolates, noting, for instance, the distinction between a 75-percent cacao bar from the Ivory Coast (barky, earthy and cinnamony) and one from Panama (winelike and fruity).


For the second act, Lisa Françoise, founder of Sweet Beauty, demonstrates how to make spa products from Theo chocolate, like the scrubs and balms she creates for her own Seattle-based line. Her products are concocted from organic ingredients, such as demerara sugar and babassu oil, and Theo's own fair-trade chocolate.




After an abbreviated tour of the Theo factory's inner workings, chocoholics return to the showroom for dessert: Theo confections (including flavors such as burnt sugar, fig with fennel and seasonal raspberry) paired with sweet wines.

The event runs from 6 to 8 p.m. Aug. 22 at Theo's Fremont showroom and factory. Tickets are $25 and can be reserved by calling 206-632-5100.