ISSUED: 7 November 2019
MEDIA CONTACT: Valerie Owens
SHEPHERDSTOWN, WV — More than 40 alumnae, community members, and Shepherd employees attended the Women for Shepherd Chocolate Tasting Event on October 24 sponsored by the Shepherd University Foundation. This was the 14th marquee event for Women for Shepherd and featured siblings Zoe Tsoukatos and Petros Tsoukatos from Zoe’s Chocolate, a third-generation artisan chocolate company based in Waynesboro, Pennsylvania.
Zoe’s Chocolate, created in 2007, has received national recognition with its chocolate being sold in such locations as Whole Foods, Williams Sonoma, Dean and Deluca, and many independent gourmet shops. In addition, the company has an online store and two retail spaces located in Waynesboro and Frederick, Maryland.
Participants at the event were led through a quick presentation on the chocolatier process and then given a synopsis of each chocolate, wine, and cheese pairing. The trio of featured chocolates was a Mediterranean crunch chocolate paired with prosecco and brie, a dark chocolate paired with a cabernet sauvignon and smoked gouda, and a milk pinot caramel paired with a pinot noir and asiago cheese. Guests were encouraged to compare notes and favorites while at their respective tasting tables.
“It was such a fun evening,” said Beverly Hughes, who was one of the founding Women for Shepherd committee members. “It was so interesting to hear of Zoe’s family business, and you can’t beat an evening of chocolate, cheese, and wine!”
Women for Shepherd planning committee members Ann Hummer, Sue Mentzer-Blair, and Piper Dankworth Sutton were instrumental in providing support for the event. The planning committee meets biannually to select events for the upcoming year and strives to choose activities that will be both fun and educational. The spring 2020 event will be a Birds of Prey demonstration and tour at the Trego Mountain Nature Center in Keedysville, Maryland.
To learn more about Women for Shepherd University or help plan future events, contact Meg Peterson, Shepherd University Foundation, P.O. Box 5000, Shepherdstown, WV 25443, 304-876-5021, mpeterso@shepherd.edu, or visit shepherduniversityfoundation.org.
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