UYE “ Steppin’ Out” CHOCOHOLIC FROLIC!!!

$ 10 for a wonderful hand selected box of chocolate!?!
The chance to interact and learn from the delightful Jin Caldwell!?!
Many free tastes of excellent chocolate items!?!
How on earth were there additional spaces left open for this UYE!?!
Nelson does a great job putting on UYEs. He often seeks out passionate owners that engage with the participants to create a meaningful experience. If you haven’t gone to one yet, then get out there and join him on the next opportunity!

What a SWEET event! Thanks so much to Jin Caldwell and her staff for inviting us to her store JinJu Chocolates and being such gracious hosts. We were well educated and well fed once we left her store. Even better we got to share the experience with an awesome group of Unilocalers.
Her chocolates and treats are fabulous, I’m trying to be good and only allow myself 2 pieces a day, but I can’t get them off my mind! We bought some as a gift for a friend, we better get those to him fast or those will be devoured as well!
Thank you Nelson and Sylvia Q. for arranging this for us, you know we think you’re a fantastic couple even with out the UYE’s!

Thank you, Nelson and Sylvia Q. for coming up with this UYE. Thank you, Jin, for having us. I haven’t made it to many UYE’s lately, but if they’re all like this, then it’s obvious that I’ve been missing out.
So what sets this UYE apart from the others I’ve been to?
1. This one was educational. Jin Caldwell, aka the owner/​mastermind of Jinju, took the time to educate all of us on chocolates. I never knew that chocolate school even existed. Now I know and if you have ever tried what Jin creates, then it’s safe to assume that Jin graduated in the top of her class. Jin, you and your staff knocked it out of the park. Thank You, Thank You, and Thank You.
2. Well Organized: Thank you, Nelson and Sylvia. This UYE wasn’t one big confusing cluster. This UYE was broken down into 3 groups with each group receiving the same TLC from Jin herself.
3. Value: For only $ 10, each Unilocaler that attended received a handful of samples, a choice of 10 pieces of chocolate (price didn’t matter), and even a «Thank You» goodie bag filled with Jinju Favorites.
4. Good People: Yes, I was surrounded by Unilocalers and Unilocaler Elites. Even better, I was surrounded by good and down to earth people.
5. Last but not least, the chocolate. Jinju has some of the best chocolates that I have ever had. Quality, freshness, taste… you just can’t top what Jinju has to office. I’m not even a huge chocolate, but I love Jinju’s chocolates. TIP: For all you peanut butter lovers… The Best Peanut Butter Cup Ever!!!
Again, great event. Thank you Jin and her staff. Thank you to the Q’s. Can’t wait for Chocoholic Frolic #2. Let’s do this!!!

This event really was a great exposure to the world of chocolate! There were 3 different groups of awesome Unilocalers and although I was there for each one, I got to learn an interesting fact each time from none-​other than Jin the owner herself.
She is such a personable person and passionate about what she creates and it shows! Just a bite of any of her many creations and you now know too.
For this event we got to pick 10 chocolate items from her case and a separate one to sample while she boxed up our goodies. I chose to try the Chai Tea chocolate truffle which was delicious with light notes of spice. Also very helpful is that she offers complimentary icepacks so you don’t have worry about your selection melting while transporting.
I don’t think you can go wrong with anything you sample here, however, one of my favorites is their Milk Toffee Almonds. Just the right crunch and sweetness! Yet, I could easily call everything here my favorite with no hesitation as I seem to always come across new and seasonal items. Like on this particular trip, the Black and White Sesame Seed Toffee which consisted of the perfect balance of toasted sesame and brilliantly matched with toffee and chocolate, or like her homemade chocolate pecan cookies (while they last).
Oh but that’s not all, we had the privilege of sampling the rare Fortunato No.4 chocolate from Peru which was at one point thought to be extinct as it is a special white cacao bean and only a few hand selected chocolatiers can carry this item and JinJu is the only one in Nevada to be chosen.
We sampled them two ways, one with Himalayan Salt and the other with a honey powder but both out of this world! You just can’t rush eating any of her creations and these were no exception. To fully get the experience of tasting her chocolate and take in all the different notes I find it best to slowly savor each bite and let it melt in your mouth, you are most likely to never be able to each chocolate the same way again.
Jin is full of information and knows her chocolate as she has 20 years of experience in this industry. But best of all she has an unmistakably passion for what she does and as she mentions she has no plans to get big and focusing on the quality instead of quantity, I find it to be exactly what makes her creations stand out from the rest.
Thank you Nelson Q. for this awesome event and to Jin and her amazing team for hosting us, the generous amount of treats and lastly for the wonderful introduction to the world of chocolate!

Reserving my actual review of JinJu for the store’s main page as I feel this ‘event’ was a fair way to judge the quality of Jin Caldwell’s craft I’ll simply say «Thanks» to Nelson for putting this together and offer my highest praise for the quality of the products and service at JinJu.

I still can’t believe we only paid $ 10 for this UYE. If you love chocolate and you didn’t make it, you really missed out. See the pics for evidence. We each got to choose 10 items from the case, plus the über-​talented Jin Caldwell created fabulous goodie boxes with even more treasures inside for us to take home. Ms. Caldwell gave us a mini-​seminar on her process and we learned about her background and adventures in the culinary world, culminating in her own shop at the Container Park. Thanks so much to Jin, her great staff, and Nelson Q for setting up this event – chocolate wasted for sure!

Unilocal 365 CHALLENGE 2014−(253÷365) «Chocoholics Anonymous»
A total of 21 chocoholics (about 50% first-​timers to JinJu) gathered inside Jinju Chocolates in three different groups and time frames, where we got to meet with Master Chocolatier Jin Caldwell and each attendee got to customize their own box by picking out any 10 of Jin’s chocolate creations from inside the case plus one more to taste.
Afterwards, Unilocalers got to pick Jin’s brain about anything and everything chocolate… From the composition of dark, milk, and white chocolates, to the discovery of the cacao plant and the evolution of chocolate, Jin’s culinary journey, Jinju’s fine creations, as well as future plans for Jinju Chocolates. I love the fact that Jin is comfortable doing her chocolates in small batches and has no desire to build a Jinju empire with multiple locations. Her passion for her craft definitely shows just by that little intimate time we all had with her in her shop.
Equally great are the various samples we got during the event-​from Jin’s signature bars, her freshly baked chocolate chip pecan cookies, Toffee-​chocolate coated Almonds, killer Black and White Sesame Seed Toffee, and even the rare Fortunato No.4 from Peru with Himalayan sea salt and dried honey powder, where Jin is the only chocolatier in all of Nevada to have exclusive rights to offer this rare product. As if that wasn’t more than enough, Jin also sent us away with a sweet goodie bag filled with more of JinJu’s creations. All attendees came away from this event educated, grateful, and CHOCOLATE WASTED!!!
BIG MAHALOS: Chef Jin and team JinJu for all of your time effort, sharing knowledge, and intoxicating us with many of your creations, and fellow Unilocalers for attending. ALOHA!!!
Shaka Meter: \uuu/​\uuu/​\uuu/​\uuu/​\uuu/​5
P. S.–Curious who won the drawing???

Many thanks to Nelson Q. for arranging this wonderful UYE. Props to Sylvia Q. also as we know she’s the brains behind the throne! :)
This was another of Nelson’s great ideas for getting Unilocal folks together. We each paid $ 10 for the time we spent with Jin, owner and chocolatier extraordinaire at JinJu chocolates in the Container Park on Fremont Street. We each got to pick 10 pieces of chocolate from the case and we all got a tremendous assortment of different chocolate offerings that Jin sells at her store. It was truly a bargain.
What was better, however, was the chance to ask Jin any questions we had regarding the making of chocolate, how she thinks up some of the flavors she has, and other questions about all things chocolate.
Jin has a passion for her craft and it shows. She has a large amount of knowledge that has come from working in the industry for a number of years before going out on her own.
I have yet to dig into my bag of treats but I have a feeling it will happen during the movie tonight.
Thanks Jin for such a wonderful bag of goodies, the samples, and your knowledge. And thanks to the Qs. What a wonderful couple that I met through this thing called Unilocal!Note: Always be on the lookout for UYEs that begin with «Steppin’ Out!»

I can hardly type as my fingers are covered with chocolate from this event. What a great way to spend a few hours on a Saturday afternoon. Jin was a very gracious hostess. She has a passion for confections and it was nice to have her share her knowledge and behind the scenes ideas and techniques. For 10 $ we each were able to chose 10 treats to take home from a wide variety of candies. She also passed out sample while we chatted and looked at other items in the store. I have to pace myself and not eat all the treats at once. Plus there is the goodie bag that each person received that I haven’t opened yet. It’s like Christmas in September.