forbes.cOM   7 NOV 2023
HOLIDAY GIFT GUIDE 2023:
The Best Holiday Chocolates
https://www.forbes.com/sites/katiebell/2023/11/07/holiday-gift-guide-2023-the-best-holiday-chocolates/?sh=4e166ba246f4

​Flying Noir: Berkley-based chocolatier Karen Urbanek creates exquisite chocolates that are as much about flavor and decadence as they are about poetry and beauty. Using specialty ingredients such as the finest green tea, wild blueberries or Japanese whisky to imbue flavor and impeccably sourced chocolate to ensure quality, her expressions taste like and are works of art. Consider the Ooloo truffle with bittersweet caramel ganache, Iron Buddha oolong tea and Conexion Fortaleza 64% dark chocolate or the impossibly addictive Kuri – a dark ganache with Kuri (chestnut) and Japanese whisky. Our favorites were from the Poetry & Prose series, a collection of truffles that are inspired by poetry. With each individual truffle you’ll get a line of poetry to match. Says Urbanek, “I love discovering new poets and writers, so it is part of almost all offerings. It gives me an interesting interval now as part of chocolate making process. Some of the writings can be dark and serious, and long, but that chosen line or two just seems to be the right one for the bonbon.”

sf EATER    6 dec 2022
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New York Times  
​California Today  11 Dec 2017
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Berkeleyside 11 Dec 2017

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 forbes.com    7 Nov 2014
The Finest Chocolate Truffles for Chocolate Lovers
     flying noir is #1    
thank you, Katie Kelly Bell! 
she scouts the globe for the best experiences in food, wine and travel
http://www.forbes.com/sites/katiebell/2014/11/06/the-finest-chocolate-truffles-for-chocolate-lovers/

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posts by Anneli Rufus re Truffle Artistry Awards...Go Oakland!

http://www.oaklandmagazine.com/Oakland-Magazine/Feast-Bay/October-2014/Oakland-Chocolatier-Scoops-Artisanal-Truffle-Contest/

http://www.oaklandmagazine.com/Oakland-Magazine/Feast-Bay/October-2014/Oakland-Chocolatier-Says-Big-Wins-Make-Her-Feel-Like-Singing-Along-With-Eartha-Kitt/

Top Truffle Artistry Awards 2014
    awards in all 8 categories for the limited edition - a little box of heat
http://artisanchocolateawards.com
(please note that there were ties with great chocolatiers in some categories)
Best Exterior Design              gold       
Best Ingredient Combinations   gold     
Best Taste & Flavor              silver
Best Packaging                    gold
Most Unique                        bronze       
Best Art Design                   gold     
Best in Salon Truffle             silver
Best Truffle                        silver    
Best Brand or Chocolatier        gold       
                                       

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     published in the Huffington Post Nov 16 
          The Choco-Tomato Paradox 
                by Anneli Rufus
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/anneli-rufus/the-choco-tomato-paradox_b_4278342.html

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    Top Truffle Artistry Awards                       
                 2013
amazing results from flying noir's first entries to an awards competition
           a huge thank you to the 12 Tasting Panel Judges!
(please note that there were ties with great chocolatiers in some categories)

Best Packaging                    gold       chocolate survival kit 
                                      bronze     caramel story
Best Ingredient Combinations   silver       chocolate survival kit 
                                      bronze     caramel story
Best Taste & Flavor              gold        caramel story
                                      bronze     chocolate survival kit 
Best Texture                       gold        caramel story                                            
                                      silver      chocolate survival kit
Most Unique                       gold        chocolate survival kit 
                                      silver      caramel story
Best Art Design                   gold       chocolate survival kit
                                       silver     caramel story 
Best Shape or Molds              gold       chocolate survival kit
                                       gold       caramel story 
Best Use of Color                  gold      chocolate survival kit
Best Truffle                        silver     chocolate survival kit
                                       bronze    caramel story 
Best Brand or Chocolatier        gold       caramel story
                                       silver      chocolate survival kit
               http://www.tastetv.com/2013salon-truffles.html

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            flying noir is greatly honored to be named  
     one of the Top 10 Chocolatiers of America for the year 
                    by Dessert Professional
here's a link: http://dessertprofessional.com/index.php/top-ten-chefs/top-10-chocolatiers-of-2013#KarenUrbanek

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                Biz Bash 
                    of
         Meetings & Conventions magazine 
suggests the chocolate survival kit as a meeting gift:
http://www.bizbash.com/chocolate-survival-kit-gift-pretty-eat-flying-noir-chocolates-mendocino/gallery/110410#sthash.WcBXq2gV.dpbs

               con·di·ment
            [kon-duh-muhnt]  
                  noun
  something used to give a special flavor  
      cool digital mag CONDIMENT likes flying noir bars!
http://getcondiment.com/2013-chocolate-trends-condiment-magazine
  and cited flying noir in the Huffington Post blog for Valentine's Day:
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/condiment/cool-valentines-day-gift-ideas_b_2627923.html?utm_hp_ref=tw

flying noir introduction on the Today Show with KL & Hoda: follow the link for the video, but here's the text:

Flying Noir products were developed by a female artist from Mendocino, Calif., who gave up making art during the recession and became a highly regarded, passionate purveyor of micro-batch artisan chocolates. She does it all herself, using fresh ingredients and single-origin organic chocolate. In addition to exquisitely painted bon bons, she also creates original paintings on chocolate tiles and small batches of drinking chocolate.

http://bites.today.com/_news/2012/11/27/15484088-cuckoo-for-cocoa-tasting-the-best-new-chocolates?lite

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and here is the most comprehensive write-up to date:

from Meetings & Conventions magazine