Available in either softbound or Kindle/Nook/etc. eBook at Amazon viviansharpe.com

Product Review: Rescue Chocolate by Marla Rose Rescue Chocolate was founded by Sarah Gross in 2009 after she met and fell hard for a beautiful, crop-eared pit bull up for adoption named Mocha who pulled at her heartstrings across the screen at PetFinder.com with her irresistible warm brown eyes. Sarah found herself returning to Mocha’s profile again and again until finally, even though she wasn’t planning for a dog, she arranged to meet with Mocha and her foster mother. Well, as the cliché goes, they met and fell in love and that same day, Sarah became Mocha’s adoptive mother. A few months after this fateful meeting, Sarah was preparing to take Mocha out on a walk and had popped some dark chocolate in her mouth before leaving. By the time she returned from their walk, Sarah had the genesis for her unique and life-saving venture: combining her love for chocolate with her passion for Mocha, she would put the two together to improve the lives of many more animals like the one who was so recently homeless herself. Rescue Chocolate was born on that day and has gone on to improve the lives of so many other animals through their education efforts and the fact that 100% of net profits are donated to sanctuaries, shelters and other animal charities. A vegan, kosher line with organic and Fair Trade chocolate with seven bar flavors as well as a variety of bon bons, minis and collections, Rescue Chocolate keeps its mission front-and-center while never forgetting that good intentions alone will not be enough: no one will continue to support waxy, bland chocolate no matter the mission and thankfully, Sarah and her executive chef do not disappoint on this end, either. They have crafted some remarkable dairy-free chocolate that stands on its own but also creates good in the world. The fun and clever bar flavors all address a different fix-able issue: Peanut Butter Pit Bull helps to counter some myths about this much maligned breed; Pick Me! Pepper encourages adoption over purchasing animals; Foster-iffic Peppermint draws attention to the need for foster care for homeless animals; The Fix emphasizes the importance of spaying and neutering to help solve homelessness; Feral Mission Fig educates about TNR for feral cats; Fakin’ Bacon is dedicated to animal sanctuaries, and Forever Mocha, named after Sarah’s inspiration and companion, highlights the importance of a lifetime commitment to the animals we adopt. I met Sarah recently and grudgingly agreed to try some of her chocolates. Just kidding. I did so without a grudge of any kind. I was nice enough to share with my family. Peanut Butter Pit Bull What goes together almost as well as chocolate and a mission? Well, chocolate and peanut butter. Here, creamy chocolate encases rich, smooth peanut butter that is perked up with little crispy bits of toasted rice and a subtle dash of salt. My son said, “I like this. I like it a lot.” I agree. This is a bar for anyone wanting something that tastes familiar and for anyone who thinks that they don’t like dark chocolate. Pick Me! Pepper I had a little trepidation about this one. I like pepper and I like chocolate but I tend to like them apart from each other. Here, though, I wasn’t bothered because the pasilla and mulato peppers were so understated that they just elevated the whole bar, with a less creamy, more dense chocolate than the Peanut Butter Pit Bull, to a beautifully melded symphony. This is a bar for the connoisseur. Forever Mocha Okay, I was nervous about this one, too, because I don’t like coffee. I love dogs named Mocha, though. Once again, Sarah and her Rescue Chocolates were able to win over my reservations without much effort at all. This is a sumptuous chocolate with crunchy, tiny bits of hazelnut praline and coffee distributed about. As with Pick Me! Pepper, the flavor was subtle, though in this bar, it is a bit more prominent, still crafted with a balanced hand and palate. Chocolate is the star but there is no missing the coffee melting into a sweet mocha in your mouth and the bits of praline. It reminds me of a coffee shop in bar form. It is delicious and almost makes me understand why people like coffee. Almost. I think I will stick with this bar, though. This is a bar for coffee lovers and even those who are not, apparently. Robust Rescue This is the no-frills, 75% dark chocolate large bar for those who love their chocolate straight up and without any fuss. This is straightforward, dark and an excellent delivery vehicle of chocolate into your system for those days when you just have to get to the good stuff without anything standing in your way. This is a bar for those who simply love chocolate as is and don’t need any pomp and circumstance.  I love Rescue Chocolate bars almost as much as I love their mission and that is only possible because their mission and work is so impressive. Do yourself and the homeless animals a favor today and order some Rescue Chocolate today. Vegan Street received this product for free to review and this was my honest evaluation. © 2013, 2014, Vegan Street