What is Quality Chocolate? An Indulgent and Educational Tasting Session
Did you know that just like fine wines, cheeses and olive oils, there is a wide diversity of quality in chocolate? Is chocolate really good for health? Join us for this indulgent and educational tasting session, where you will discover a wide range of styles and qualities in chocolate, and the myths and truths behind the fame of some prestigious brands.
The Truth About Cacao and Chocolate: Myths, Quality, and Wellbeing
Join Chloé for a talk as she demystifies cacao and chocolate, and explores their quality and potential benefits for wellbeing.
Chloé Doutre-Roussel is an author, consultant, educator, and internationally recognized expert with more than 35 years of experience in fine cacao and chocolate. A former buyer at Fortnum and Mason, shop manager at Ladurée, author of The Chocolate Connoisseur, and creator of Chloe Chocolat in Paris, she has also worked with El Ceibo, a cooperative of cocoa farmers in Bolivia, to launch a vertically integrated tree to bar to bonbon brand. Chloe is a regular juror at the Academy of Chocolate Awards (AOC) and at the Northwest Chocolate Festival. She is member of honor of the AOC, founding member of the Academia del Chocolate of Ecuador, member of the Advisory Board of the Fine Chocolate Industry Association (FCIA), and co-chair of the Chocolate Committee for the Good Food Awards.
Dave Powers
Louis Tsamous (right) grew up in Cambridge, OH and began playing the drums at age 10. He has since become one of the most versatile and active musicians in America. He has toured Europe, Asia, Africa and the Caribbean and has recorded and performed with jazz artists Stanley Turrentine, Etta Jones, Jimmy McGriff, Dr. Lonnie Smith, David “Fathead” Newman, Joey DeFrancesco,Pat Martino,Blue Lou Marini, Kevin Mahogany and Joan Rivers among others. Louis has also worked with Motown legend Mary Wilson.
Deborah Burand has walked labyrinths from Europe to North America, including the labyrinth designed by her father in their hometown of Anderson, Indiana. She also facilitates labyrinth walks for law students at New York University’s School of Law where she is a tenured professor of clinical law. Deborah began facilitating labyrinth walks after accompanying her father to France where together they walked the Chartres Cathedral’s labyrinth and began studying under Lauren Artress, founder and creative director of Veriditas (a nonprofit organization dedicated to inspiring personal and planetary change and renewal through the labyrinth experience). Deborah’s essay, Circling the Ranch, which was published online by the Ranch to commemorate its 80th anniversary, describes how she brought her then 86- year-old father to walk the Ranch’s labyrinth. The Council on Foreign Relations recently named Deborah as one of its Higher Education Ambassador Fellows for 2024-2025. In May 2024, Deborah was presented with NYU Law School’s Distinguished Teaching Award in recognition of her inspirational and innovative pedagogy and outstanding contributions to the legal academy. The Financial Times also has recognized her multi-disciplinary teaching materials for their creativity and innovation in sustainable finance education.
Yoni Mayeri has been a professional photographer for over thirty years. An early adopter of the iPhone, she has devoted the last decade and a half to the field of iPhoneography—perfecting the craft, exhibiting her work in galleries and museums, and sharing her deep knowledge of technology and art with others. In recent years, Yoni has focused on the powerful connection between photography, brain health, and mindfulness. Her workshops explore how the act of seeing, composing, and capturing images can enhance mental well-being, reduce stress, improve memory, and cultivate present-moment awareness. She was formerly an educator for Nikon, Minolta, and Polaroid. Yoni gives workshops and presentations in mobile photography at UC Berkeley, Stanford University, Stanford Research Park, John F. Kennedy University, SF State University, The Pacific Art League, Google, The Mobile Digital Art Conference, Saint Mary’s College of California, ACCI Gallery, The UC Theatre, Rancho La Puerta, many chapters of The Garden Club of America, Clos Mirabel in France, and to private individuals.
Rosi Golan is an Israeli-born, American singer-songwriter known for her evocative lyrics, haunting melodies, and genre-blending sound that moves between folk, pop, and indie with graceful ease. Born in Israel, Rosi spent her early years in Germany and Paris before moving to the U.S. at nine years old, an international upbringing that subtly shaped her creative life.
Alexandria “Brinae Ali” Bradley was born and raised in Flint, Michigan and is an interdisciplinary artist who believes in using the power of the arts to transform the human spirit.
Karen Wilhelm Buckley helps people live and lead with wisdom, love, and authentic presence. As an executive coach, consultant, and retreat leader, she guides individuals and teams to navigate change with clarity, compassion, and purpose. Her work invites a deeper awareness of how love and consciousness can shape a world where people flourish and nature thrives. A pioneer in transformation and global consciousness for over three decades, Karen has led leadership and wisdom programs across the U.S., Mexico, and Europe. She also co-founded a Waldorf-inspired elementary school, reflecting her lifelong devotion to whole-child education and human potential. When not teaching or coaching, Karen enjoys hiking Mt. Tamalpais with her fluffy dog, Stanley, tending her garden, practicing Pilates, and cooking delicious meals with her husband. Time spent playing with her grandsons tops her list of joys.
Baxley Andresen is an owner of a natural burial ground in Central California. Her journey in deathcare started with working for Alua Arthur of Going with Grace, then working as a Funeral Arranger at FRIENDS Funeral Home in Los Angeles. She found Creston Cemetery in 2021, an old pioneer cemetery in Central California, ready for some attention and an update. Baxley manages the land, trees, burials and other aspects of this small but revered cemetery alongside Ed Bixby of Destination Destiny Memorials. She serves as Vice President on the Green Burial Council and volunteers with the Valley Chevra Kadisha, a group that sits alongside the dead and performs ritual washings of the deceased. Baxley knows and believes that “though grief and loss is inevitable, being unprepared isn’t.”
Susannah Mars has been a theater artist for over 50 years. She grew up with actor Kenneth Mars, who passed of pancreatic cancer in 2011. Since then, Susannah’s work has woven in and out of her grief journey, from playing Diana in Next to Normal, to writing her one-woman show, Good Grief. She hosted the podcast “Adventures In Artslandia” for five years, culminating in one of her favorite episodes, which featured one of her father’s collaborators, Mel Brooks. She’s been an Arts Envoy to Cairo, Egypt, and now resides in Damascus, Oregon, with her husband and the sweetest dog ever, Shyla.
Julia Francis is a sound therapy artist, vocal coach and singer-songwriter. She believes in the power of the voice to create space in the body for emotional transformation and healing. A life-long disciple of the vocal and expressive arts, Julia has studied with wisdom keepers across the globe to understand the power of the unseen. With her voice, crystal alchemy bowls and guitar, Julia provides sacred sound experiences through public performances, retreats and private sessions. Her passion is facilitating the practice of sacred sound and story making for processing grief and working with the ancestors.
John Scott Marrone has over 30 years of experience teaching in the New York area. In addition to Astronomy, Scott teaches Forensics, Environmental Studies, and Oceanography. He has been recognized by Ciba-Geigy Corporation for his work in promoting science literacy and received the Outstanding Teacher of the Year Award in 2007 from Manhattan College. In 1998, Scott was invited by the Aruban Government to substitute for astronomer Jay Pasachoff to lead the observation of the total solar eclipse. Most recently, Scott led the public observing session on Mauna Kea. Scott has also led observing on cruises in the Galapagos and Tahiti.
Pat Mitchell, a pioneering journalist, producer, and media executive, has spent her career breaking new ground for women and amplifying underrepresented voices. She produced the award-winning series A Century of Women, launched Woman to Woman—the first national television program owned, produced, and hosted by a woman—and, as President of CNN Productions, oversaw films that earned numerous national honors. As the first woman President and CEO of PBS, she led the digital transition of public broadcasting and successfully defended its federal funding. Later, as CEO of the Paley Center for Media in New York and Los Angeles, she convened global leaders to examine the media’s role in shaping culture and society. A lifelong activist, Mitchell is now focused on advancing women’s leadership as a catalytic force for addressing the global climate crisis through Project Dandelion, the women-led movement she co-founded. She serves on the boards of the Skoll Foundation, the Woodruff Arts Center, and the Sundance Institute (as Trustee and former Chair), Emeritus Chair of the Women’s Media Center, and the IMAGINE mission board. She is a founding member of the board of V-Day, a global campaign to end violence against women and gender expansive people; she also serves on the board of the Smithsonian American Women’s History Museum, and she’s a member of CARE’s Global Advisory Council. In her memoir, Becoming a Dangerous Woman: Embracing Risk to Change the World, Pat shares her journey as a frontline advocate for a just, equitable and sustainable world.
Dr. Erica Oberg, ND, MPH is an integrative physician, longevity strategist, and author of Healthy Hedonism: Why Feeling Good Is Good for You, a science-based reframe of pleasure as a biological driver of vitality.
When it comes to black music, Washington, D.C. produces its share of game-changers. That long list includes Duke Ellington, Chuck Brown, Marvin Gaye, Shirley Horn, Roberta Flack, Bad Brains, Meshell Ndegeocello, Wale, and Oddisee. You can add Ben Williams to that venerated roster.
Billy Childs has emerged as one of the foremost American composers of his era, successfully marrying the musical products of his heritage with the Western neoclassical traditions of the twentieth century in a powerful symbiosis of style, range, and dynamism.
Tom Blue Wolf is a beloved elder, storyteller, and Earthkeeper whose life has been devoted to remembering humanity’s sacred relationship with the living Earth. For more than four decades, he has shared teachings drawn from ancestral wisdom, ecological stewardship, and the universal language if ceremony.
Laura Morris, CPT 
Jennifer Ventrelle, MS, RDN, CPT, is a registered dietitian, certified personal trainer, and co-author of 
Jake Rainey is an experiential educator, leadership specialist, and practitioner of human development dedicated to helping individuals and teams reach their sustainable peak. With a Master’s Certificate in Experiential Teaching & Learning and certification as a Life & Engagement Coach, Jake’s work is grounded in the belief that real growth happens when people are safely supported beyond their comfort zones. His commitment to holistic safety is reinforced by dual certifications as both a Wilderness First Responder and a Behavioral First Responder, allowing him to thoughtfully manage both physical and emotional risk in dynamic environments.