Chocolate dates back to the time of the Aztecs and was so prized during Montezuma's reign, it was used as currency.

Ever since cocoa was brought by Spanish conquistador Hernando Cortez from Mexico to Europe in the 1500s, people have been touting its benefits. Some think it is an aphrodisiac. Others say it is a mood enhancer. And studies recently suggest there are health benefits to eating chocolate. Whether true or false, few can argue the claim that chocolate tastes so darn good. And millions of sweethearts will exchange the tempting treats on Valentine's Day. Bethel chocolatier Ruedi Hauser has heard chocolate "triggers" something in the brain that "makes people feel good. It gives you kind of a warm and fuzzy feeling." What he knows for sure after spending 40 years in the business is that "people really enjoy chocolates." Hauser will give a chocolate demonstration and tasting Monday, the day before Valentine's Day, at the
Bethel Public Library from 7 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. Hauser and his wife, Lucille, opened Hauser Chocolatier on Greenwood Avenue in 1983. A decade later they opened a chocolate factory, also in Bethel. The couple raised three sons and spent 30 years as residents of Bethel until selling their house three years ago and moving to Noank. Today the factory, Hauser Foods , Inc., is based in Westerly, R.I. The company, with the eldest son at the helm as president, employs 22 people and Reudi's attention is now on research and development. For the library presentation Hauser will make chocolate mousse and chocolate sauce, giving step by step instructions for simple recipes anyone can replicate, he said. The mousse, for example contains no eggs and the chocolate sauce can be microwaved. "It's very simple, you just fold in the whipped cream. I will give the ratios, how much whipped cream, and serve it in heart-shaped dessert cups. Then we will decorate with strawberries or raspberries, whatever is available, so it looks nice," he said. Hauser also will make a syrup out of fruit and sugar to drizzle on a plate. But before the cooking starts, Hauser will show a film about a cocoa plantation and give a brief presentation about the cocoa growing process. Though most of the hand made chocolates sold in the Bethel store come from a special blend of chocolate, some are "single origin" and Hauser will bring samples to the class. Also called "pure origin," they are the connoisseur's chocolate, similar to estate bottled wine. These chocolates are made from one type of cocoa bean or from the beans of just one plantation, said Hauser. "Single origin chocolate is the trend right now." Hauser is impressed with the rain forests that he's visited in Latin America, including Mexico and Venezuela, where cocoa beans are grown. "It (the cocoa bean) grows only 10 degrees north or south of the equator. There's only one producer in the U.S., in Hawaii. It's a little bit of an education," the affable Hauser said about cocoa production. Hauser is concerned about the future of the rain forests and in the chocolate demonstration will talk about what can be done to preserve them. "It's a terrible thing," he said. "We have to do something to protect the future of cocoa. I'm not a tree hugger but we have to protect the industry and the future of the cocoa beans." Hauser said he and his wife founded Hauser Chocolatier so they could produce world-class confections, hand made in the United States His background led him to that goal. Ruedi grew up in Glarus, Switzerland, and as a teenager did a three-year apprenticeship as a pastry chef and confectioner. He then worked as a confectioner at a candy shop and later as pastry chef on a luxury cruise ship honing such skills as making fanciful chocolate showpieces and rich, ornate pastries and tortes. Hauser learned cooking from his grandmother who owned a restaurant. "I always wanted to cook and bake as a young child." Once settled in the U.S. and in Bethel, Hauser combined his love of food and his entrepreneurial spirit and opened a Swiss style pastry shop in town. By 1978 Hauser shifted attention to all types of food and started a catering business in Bethel while teaching cooking as a hobby. Many of the cooking classes revolved around desserts and chocolate. Though he still loves making chocolate, Hauser is enjoying the research and development part of his job. "I will never retire," he insists. "I'm over 60. I want to slow down a little, maybe not work 40 hours a week if I want to go sailing. But I'll never retire. I wouldn't know what I would do. Besides I love what I'm doing."

Registration for the Chocolate Dessert Demonstration and Tasting by Ruedi Hauser is suggested. Call the Bethel Public Library at (203) 794-8756, ext. 4.