Imagine chocolate so unique it satisfies both foodies and chocolate lovers cravings all in one. Now, take a bite. What do you taste? Sweet fern, heartnut or tomato? How about cucumber, or riverbank grape?
At Raven Rising Indigenous Chocolates, Owner and Certified Red Seal Journeyman Pastry Chef Tammy Maki offers more than just chocolate. She creates hand-painted chocolates that fuse local, Indigenous ingredients together in every box. This blend of new and traditional has brought forth chocolates that look and taste spectacular. Some descriptive words customers have used to post about her chocolates, are “I never thought chocolate could look that good”, “Is it chocolate or is it art?”, “Super sexy chocolate”, “So cool”, and “The most unique flavors made with the highest quality chocolate”.
Opening Raven Rising Indigenous Chocolates was definitely a cool way for Chef Tammy to explore her Indigenous identity and have full creative control. How did it all begin?
Chef Tammy has come a long way and worked extremely hard to get where she is as a Pastry Chef and as an Indigenous woman. Her first memories of baking were with her Finnish mother. When Chef Tammy was a baby, she was taken from her single, Indigenous mom as part of the 60’s scoop, and adopted into a loving Finnish family. She jokingly refers to herself as a ‘Finndian’. Chef Tammy has a dry and sometimes sarcastic sense of humor but she became super serious when it came to food and her vision for the future.
Chef Tammy recognized her passion involved feeding people and making them happy through food.
This passion led to a journey of healing and through that healing, she became closer to her Indigenous roots. Using traditional ingredients and mixing global with local, Chef Tammy has created her own, unique style of fine chocolates.
Can you imagine an Heirloom carrot as a flavor in a box of chocolates? What about Super Sour Key Lime? No, you can’t? Well, it’s time to try it out for yourself! You won’t believe your senses! Shop an array of dark, milk and white chocolate bars, or purchase a gift for someone special. Vegan milk and dark chocolate will soon be added to the online selection. If you are in the neighborhood, walk right in and grab a sweet treat from Raven Rising at any of these locations: The Ontario Legislature and, Sammie Café (Calgary, Alberta). When you are in Sudbury, Raven Rising Indigenous Chocolates and Chef Tammy welcome you and can’t wait to show you the delicacies on the shelves of their new retail space. Which is a massive accomplishment for Chef Tammy Maki.
You see, before the pandemic, she was working in kitchens- just on another level. Chef Tammy worked as a Pastry Chef and Executive Chef in a number of high-end restaurants and resorts, eventually having her own wedding catering business. Then, like every other pandemic story, well you know how it ends. She had to pivot and pivot she did!
Opening an e-Commerce shop was the right thing to do at that moment but fast forward to present day and, due to continuous growth, we are so excited to announce that doors open at her brand new retail storefront at 66 Cedar Street in Sudbury, Ontario on September 10th, 2022. Chef has been putting immense work into every step of the process to be able to feel free in her new retail space. From trades to light fixtures, she has had the final say!
Now that you have fallen in love with Raven Rising Indigenous Chocolates, be sure to follow them on Instagram @ravenrising.ca and Facebook: Raven Rising- Global Indigenous Chocolates, but that’s not all the fun they have for you. Join the businesses that are gifting a tasting experience to their staff members with a Raven Rising Tasting Experience. Corporate group tastings offer virtual tasting experiences that involve purchasing the bulk order of chocolates for the event, getting them shipped to your workplace, then hopping on a zoom with Chef Tammy Maki, who will explain the tasting notes and goes deeper into the back stories of the traditional ingredients and uses by First Peoples! It’s a great thank-you for your staff and a wonderful experience for foodies! What a treat! You will feel like a VIP!
Chocolate memberships are also a satisfying gift to give and to receive. A carefully curated box of fine chocolates is sent to your favorite person, and the subscription comes every three months! Chef Tammy adds special treats to some of the memberships, and you won’t know if you will get a limited edition chocolate bar, or a do-it-yourself brownie kit! Sign me up, no seriously do it!
I can not wait to see what Chef Tammy Maki does with her new space.
I believe she is going to be up to something sweet and spectacular with Raven Rising Indigenous Chocolates.
Learn more about Chef Tammy and Raven Rising Indigenous Chocolates at her website: https://www.ravenrising.ca.
