A-Listers Create International Chocolate Booth

The world through chocolate: knowledgeable and hard-working Kendall College A-List students created an interactive Chocolate Booth for the campus International Fair, with yours truly as advisor! Samples from 3 of the first-class craft chocolate brands I represent:  Solstice Chocolate made in the US from Uganda Cacao, Marou Chocolate made in Vietnam from Vietnam cacao, and Pump Street Bakery Chocolate made in England from Honduras cacao. All sustainable, child-slavery-free, soy-free, small-batch, and scrumptious - available in Chicago at Hannah's Bretzel (Solstice, Pump Street) or Pastoral (Marou) - and presented along with a craft chocolate survey and brochure by A-Listers!

When the Kendall College Manager of International Affairs, Mr. Clare Lake, asked if I would gather students to create a chocolate booth for the school's International Fair in spring of 2017, I immediately thought of A-Listers such as Michael Wulfstat and Aida Yestayeva who have become craft chocolate experts, and of students in my Business Case Development class who were on a class team working on a chocolate-related project!

Those who stepped up to join Aida and Michael from Business Case Development were then-On-Target A-Listers (now full-fledged members!) and are a very special and professional group of students: Martim Dias da Cunha, Doina Railean, Maria Benedita Silva Pinto, and Daniel Wigutow!

Many hands make light work: A-Listers designed and created the Chocolate Booth from (a tiny fraction of!) of my artisan chocolate bar wrapper collection!

This group not only created a beautiful booth display out of a small portion of my chocolate bar wrapper collection, Business Case Development A-Listers also created, conducted, and analyzed a well-thought-out survey, from which they devised a potential new business division for their class business case.

The students also designed a lovely and informative brochure and interactive poster, and together with their long-time A-Lister counterparts they welcomed booth visitors warmly, shared samples of the chocolate bars I selected to tell the sustainable bean-to-bar chocolate story in an international fashion, and shared education on how to enjoy artisan chocolate and choose sustainable chocolate made from child-slavery-free cacao.

Michael Wulfstat, Benedita Silva Pinto, and Daniel Wigutow at the Chocolate Booth at the Kendall College spring 2017 International Fair

The booth drew enthusiastic praise from Kendall students, faculty, staff, and administration, who were impressed with the professionalism of the students, the deliciousness of the chocolate, and the educational aspects the students put into the booth and their interaction with guests.

I was enormously impressed to see the team working together so well to create and implement a plan that met and exceeded their objectives, while having fun and spreading the good chocolate word in a fun way for all who came to the booth!

For example, a goal was to gather 40 survey responses, and the team collected 106!

Survey respondents were entered to win one of my Chocolate Uplift craft chocolate subscription boxes

Congratulations, new and seasoned A-Listers and sustainable chocolate experts!

Wave if you love chocolate!
Superstar A-Listers behind the Chocolate Booth:
Daniel Wigutow, Benedita Silva Pinto, Doina Railean, yours truly Valerie Beck, Michael Wulfstat, Aida Yestayeva, Martim Dias da Cunha.

Teamwork!
Our Chocolate Booth A-Listers and I wearing our new Peruvian friendship bracelets from Chocolate Uplift subscription boxes, to honor the original source of cacao - South America - and with cocoa beans - the source of all chocolate.
Onward and upward!

A-List Profile: by Michael Wulfstat

By Michael Wulfstat

 My final year at Kendall was filled with challenges, triumphs, life-changing experiences, and incredible validations that proved to me that going back to school at 39 was the best decision I have ever made.

I ended the spring 2016 year taking 2nd place in the McGuire business plan competition as team captain and earning a split of a $5,000 prize as the first ever Kendall team to compete. 

In the fall of 2016, I became one of the first local business students to ever study abroad at Universidad Europea de Madrid in Spain, and not only excelled in my studies, but also absorbed a once in a life time experience. I traveled Spain and Europe, made life-long friends, and was even voted the President of my residence hall! 

In the Spring of 2017 during my last quarter, I was awarded a Kendall Trust scholarship and was the CEO of the winning financial planning Capsim simulation business team. 

Next week, I will be graduating with honors and am just starting to grasp how my time here at Kendall has truly changed my life...I have befriended some of the best people on the planet, learned from the most dedicated and caring professors, broadened my horizons through many truly cultural experiences, and never dreamed that I could ever achieve so much this late in life. 

Looking back, one of my very first sources of validation was earning membership to Professor Valerie Beck's "A-list". It not only confirmed I was on the right track, but also helped me to realize that there are people who truly care and that are dedicated to changing, both your life, and the world. 

Whether currently taking a class with her or not, "A-Listers" are always invited to join exciting and educational experiences. Some of my favorites were trips to the Drake Hotel, Hannah's Bretzel, and the new Google office in Fulton Market. Being an "A-lister" has some incredible perks! 

My greatest wish is that my story can help to inspire and motivate all those that are unsure and/or terrified to pursue their true potential. I am living proof, that no matter what your history, it is never too late to change your destiny, fulfill your dreams, and realize your potential!

With best regards, hopeful dreams, and complete confidence - 

       Sincerely, Michael Wulfstat - Kendall College | International School of Business

Video: A-Listers Taste Scottish Chocolate

[Video]

When you think of fine chocolate, what countries do you think of?

Belgium?

Switzerland?

Why not Scotland!

Watch as I lead a quick chocolate tasting with A-Listers Val Oliveira and Dominique Pyka, to promote Chocolate Uplift client Chocolate Tree of Scotland in their successful crowdfunding campaign.

Didn't our A-Listers do a fabulous job, poised and professional as always!

Dakota Johnson (videographer), Valquiera Oliveira, yours truly Valerie Beck, and Dominique Pyka, at Alliance Patisserie (founded by Kendall College alum Peter Rios) where we taped!

A-List Interns at World of Chocolate Gala

Must love chocolate:

That's one of the qualifications to be an intern at my business Chocolate Uplift, and Kendall College A-students Zhanna Diyarova and Lidiia Komisarchuk met that qualification with knowledge and style!

Zhanna Diyarova, Valerie Beck, Lidiia Komisarchuk

We had a blast attending the annual World of Chocolate event, where I'm a judge, and which is held every December on World AIDS Day to benefit the AIDS Foundation of Chicago in support of research and awareness.

Around 3 dozen chefs and chocolatiers create fanciful and delicious chocolate creations for guests at the event to sample, and the theme this time was The Roaring Twenties - costumes optional, appreciated, and donned by our Chocolate Uplift team for sure!

Lidiia and Zhanna did an excellent job helping me judge the competition, where a team of Kendall College students were among the entrants, led by dear Chef Sidd.

Our A-List interns conducted themselves in a polished and professional manner as always, for networking as well as celebrating.

We also enjoyed the savory food buffet, raffles, dancing, and mingling with 1,100 other guests, all for an important cause!

How's that for a sweet A-List perk!

A-Listers Win Cash at Business Plan Competition

Team PURE led by A-Listers Michael Wulfstat (Team Captain), Aida Yestayeva, and Dominique Pyka

Huge congratulations to the Kendall College students who earned a spot in the finals and ultimately took Second Prize and a total of $5,000 in the Laureate McGuire International Business Plan Competition!

Kendall was represented by an amazing team, led by A-Listers Dominique Pyka, Michael Wulfstat (Team Captain), and Aida Yestayeva.

The team created a hypothetical business called PURE, which would rescue ugly food from farms where it would otherwise be discarded, and deliver it to food deserts via cool vending machines. The business would thus address two important US issues: food waste, and hunger.

Award Celebration Dinner!
Standing: team member Aida Yestayeva, team captain Michael Wulfstat, Dean Rob Watson, team member Dustin Freund, Professor Ted Mandigo.
Seated: Provost Agueda Benito, team member Dominique Pyka, yours truly team co-mentor Valerie Beck, team co-mentor Cindy McCarthy.

The team was mentored by Kendall Core Contributing Faculty members Cindy McCarthy and yours truly, and we and the administration could not be more proud of Team PURE!

Chocolate and the A-List

Can chocolate help you get an A?

It seems so, if it's the right kind!

Two-ingredient Violet Sky Chocolate, and stickers: a hit with my fabulous students! #onthenotebook

As an entrepreneur who founded the original chocolate tours and opened them in multiple cities, and am now a chocolate consultant and broker, I love sharing fine and craft chocolate with my Kendall College students in my role as adjunct professor of business!

The chocolate and cacao I deal in is not sugary candy. It is transparent-trade superfood. And it's a good business case study for supply chains, ethics, and critical thinking.

Students loved Askinosie Chocolate, named one of America's 25 best small companies by Forbes Magazine

How to make sure your chocolate is healthy and was made from ethically sourced cacao instead of child slave cacao?

As my A-Listers know: read the label!

1. Look for the origin of the cacao, just as you would for wine or coffee. If the cacao is from Ecuador, Madagascar, or any other stated location, great! If the label is silent, what is the chocolate company hiding? They're hiding labor abuses on Ivory Coast cacao farms, where 60% of the world's cacao comes from, including the cacao in commercial drugstore chocolate.

2. Look for the ingredients. Cacao and sugar are all you need to make chocolate! If you can't pronounce an ingredient, or it is a chemical lab concoction, or non transparent, why would you eat it? Back away from the chocolate bar, and find real chocolate!

3. Enjoy: look, sniff, taste. Engage your senses to enjoy craft chocolate. Real chocolate is good for your health, your tastebuds, the environment, and farming families around the world.

#onebaronetree: another brand I shared with students, Original Beans, plants or maintains a cacao tree for every chocolate bar sold.

And, good chocolate boosts brain power, circulation, and overall health.

Keep eating real chocolate, and see you on the A-List!

Valerie Beck
Kendall College Contributing Faculty
CEO/Founder Chocolate Uplift
@chocolateuplift

A-List Dinner: President's Visit, Fall 2015

Succeed, and you catch the attention of those at the top.

That's what happened for the Kendall College business students who earned an A in my class during the Fall 2015 term. I treated them to a scrumptious and elegant A-List dinner at the Kendall Fine Dining Room that next winter, and our new Kendall College President, Kim Shambrook, stopped by to congratulate our high achievers!

Stars on a snowy night: Dana Marat, Dominique Pyka, Karina Zhussupova, Professor Valerie Beck, Kamila Tatubayeva, Marlene Peralta, President Kim Shambrook, Zhanelya Ydrys

President Shambrook is herself a Kendall College alumna, and a former business owner. She encouraged the A-Listers to keep working hard and succeeding.

Add the delicious food and gorgeous views at the A-List Dinner, ond our A-Listers were surrounded by inspiration!

"All our dreams can come true if we have the courage to pursue them." - Walt Disney

Onward and upward!

Valerie Beck
Kendall College Contributing Faculty
CEO/Founder Chocolate Uplift
@chocolateuplift