#removetheregime

[chocolateuplift]

The theme of last night's @forloveofchocolate Halloween costume gala was Corpse Cabaret, so I came as The Ghost of Democracy Past. ••• The party itself was very much alive! We enjoyed high-energy cabaret acts during a delicious 7-course Escoffier-inspired meal with paired wines, an exquisite plated dessert of chocolate mousse entremet with salted caramel hazelnut cream and feulletine crunch plus a chocolate whiskey puff, and a fabulous chocolate dessert buffet afterward including these chocolate orange shortbreads with chocolate croutons, plus dancing and deep dish after-party pizza! Thank you to the organizers, super chefs, culinary students, and all involved who created such magnificence and flair. ••• It was also a blast to catch up with special friends and former customers from the old chocolate tour days! My team of 50 Choc Stars and I always said our tour guests were the nicest people in the world! ••• The #fortheloveofchocolate event benefited pastry scholarships, as will the upcoming FLOC February gala which I encourage you to attend! ••• Looking ahead a little bit more: here's to the coming Golden Age. Remember that in A Christmas Carol, the ghosts of past, present, and future appeared in order to encourage change! #removetheregime #undothecoup #onwardandupward #upliftthroughchocolate (at Parkway Ballroom) https://www.instagram.com/p/BpezGUahvHQ/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=4t9919j6o3hy

[chocolateuplift]

I voted early! ••• I believe in justice for all, equality of all, compassion for all, and sustaining our planet for all. ••• And I believe in my post-voting chocolate chip shortbread cookies from @tonipatisseriecafe. ••• Visit vote.org for US voter registration and info. ••• #vote #turnouttuesday #removetheregime #undothecoup (at Millennium Park) https://www.instagram.com/p/BovP_vqA-BA/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=1jdhsc7r5jgnr

[chocolateuplift]

All proceeds from the #meltingpot latte at #dollopcoffeeco go to the #aclu; you can choose 2 flavors so I chose chocolate (of course!) and lavender (luscious!), and love barista Sierra's lovely latte art! #removetheregime #resistancethroughchocolate #upliftthroughchocolate (at Dollop Coffee Bar - Gold Coast)

[chocolateuplift]

What to do when things look bleak: look to the light of your values! ☀️I recently reflected again on Arthur Andersen, the disgraced former big accounting / consulting firm where I worked for 6 months as a lawyer after leaving law firm life and before starting the original chocolate tours. The head of the legal department in Chicago told me back then to break the law and company rules with various documents and deals, said that's how things were done, and said if I didn't go along he'd "make life miserable" for me. ~What would you have done? I used to tell my students that story and ask what they would have done!~ Well I was disgusted. I wouldn't break the law or go against my ethics, or jeopardize my standing as a lawyer by doing dirty work. The boss did indeed make my life miserable until I quit. To me, being without a job was preferable to betraying my conscience for a few pieces of silver. There are other jobs. Moreover, I didn't want to work with people I didn't respect, nor did I want to subject myself to ridiculous (and unethical and illegal) bullying. Plus, 6 months after I left, the firm was indicted and ultimately had to close worldwide. So my colleagues who ignored law and ethics when I wouldn't, saying they couldn't afford to lose their jobs because they had bills to pay (I had bills to pay too), ended up losing their jobs not long thereafter anyway. I later started my first business, Chicago Chocolate Tours, and am grateful I was free to start it, grow it, and later move beyond it to sustainable chocolate work. 🌟 The point here isn't to brag about my ethics or judge others - I'm human like everyone - but to remember that unethical behavior is not only obviously wrong, but isn't even worth it or sustainable in the long term, and can block good future steps. 🌟 I saw a bumper sticker today that said "remember who you wanted to be." May we remember and act on the love, empathy, and justice in our hearts, as we move to #keepfamiliestogether and end the abominable crisis of child detention camps in the US (the lawyer in me also reminds us we're in a constitutional crisis since the hacked election; #removetheregime) and on #worldrefugeeday and beyond! 💛