Mark J. ***** is a chocolate historian, artisan chocolatier and chef instructor, passionate about fine chocolate. He has been actively studying and working with chocolate since 1999. Mark has been giving lectures and chocolate tastings around the US since 2002 at prestigious museums, anthropological and medical conferences, living history museums, chocolate festivals, events, businesses and schools, along with tours into the cacao growing tropics. Mark recreated historically authentic drinking chocolate recipes representative of the drinking ***** of Mesoamerica into modern times. In 2005 Mark, along with his life partner Kathleen M. Potter, were the sole founders, creators and chief architects of Kakawa Chocolate House in Santa Fe, NM. Mark chose to leave his business creation in 2009 to focus on his new business ***** ***** ***** in order to lecture, give presentations and chocolate tastings and to work as a chef instructor. Mark is also a board member of Slow Foods Santa Fe sharing his interests in herbalism, bioregional foods and sustainability.