Many of the finest pieces of art from Mesoamerica can only be seen outside of the region, in museums and private collections of North America, Europe, and East Asia. Chocolate researchers Jose Lopez Ganem (Boston University), Dr. Carla D. Martin (Harvard University), and Dr. Kathryn Sampeck (University of Reading) of the Fine Cacao and Chocolate Institute (FCCI) are on a mission to change this. Over the past year, the FCCI team has worked to secure the repatriation of more than 50 antique Mesoamerican pieces in collaboration with the governments of Mexico and Central America. In advance of the return of these pieces to their countries of origin, come view these examples of priceless cultural heritage, celebrate their significance to the history of cacao and chocolate, and taste traditional cacao and chocolate recipes.
Participate in an intimate, expert-led mini-tours of the archeological pieces recovered and curated by the FCCI. Tours will be facilitated by specialists in the fields of fine art, anthropology, and food studies. Meanwhile, enjoy a taste of traditional and contemporary cacao-based creations made by New York-based pastry chefs and chocolatiers paying homage to the cultural heritage of the Mesoamerican region.
Upon arrival, guests will be encouraged to sign up for a mini tour of the objects. Each 20-minute tour will be facilitated by a scholar, who will discuss the objects as a prompt for their particular angle of study, research, and activism.
Tours begin at 6 PM:
Traditional uses of cacao and chocolate in modern Mesoamerica led by Cameron McNeil
Admiring and studying aesthetics in ancient ceramics for chocolate led by Andrea Reed-Leal
Repatriation as a tool to protect indigenous food ways and intellectual property led by Jose Lopez Ganem
Contemporary issues in the cacao and chocolate supply chain: a call for reparations led by Carla D. Martin
About the Fine Cacao and Chocolate Institute:
A scholar-led research organization dedicated to reducing information asymmetry, promoting ethics, and ending inequality in the cacao and chocolate value chain through research and education.
About the Food Studies Program at Metropolitan College at Boston University
Boston University’s Metropolitan College (MET) connects motivated students from all walks of life to a world-class Boston University education through high-quality part-time programs—evenings on campus and 100% online. The Met College's Food Studies program is a leading program offering graduate and continuing education that blends cross-pollinated academic perspectives that helps develop a comprehensive understanding of society and food throughout history, borders, and communities.
Carla D. Martin, PhD
President of the Board, Fine Cacao and Chocolate Institute (FCCI)
Professor and Assistant Director of Undergraduate Studies, AAAS, Harvard University
Carla D. Martin is the Founder and Board President of the Fine Cacao and Chocolate Institute and Deputy Director of Undergraduate Studies and Professor at the Department of African and African American Studies at Harvard University. Her work as a socially engaged anthropologist is currently focused on the ethics of labor in cacao and chocolate, and before that on the politics of language and music in Cabo Verde and its diaspora. She lectures widely and has taught extensively in African and African American Studies, critical food studies, social anthropology, and ethnomusicology, and has received numerous awards in recognition of excellence in teaching and research. Additionally, she founded and continues to collaborate with the Fine Cacao and Chocolate Institute, a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization dedicated to reducing inequality and information asymmetry throughout the cacao and chocolate value chain.
Cameron L. McNeil, PhD
Associate Professor, Anthropology, Lehman College and City University of New York Graduate Center
Cameron L. McNeil is an Associate Professor in Anthropology at Lehman College, and the Graduate Center, CUNY. She has worked in the Copán Valley in Honduras for over twenty years investigating ancient ritual plant use and human-environmental interactions. McNeil is editor of the seminar book “Chocolate in Mesoamerica: A Cultural History of Cacao” (2006). Since 2011, McNeil has directed the Proyecto Arqueológico Río Amarillo, Copán (PARAC), in the borders of Guatemala and Honduras.
Jose Lopez Ganem
Executive Director, Fine Cacao and Chocolate Institute (FCCI)
Lecturer and Outreach Coordinator, Food Studies Programs, Boston University
José López Ganem is an academic and nonprofit professional conducting interdisciplinary research drawing on the fields of food, history, culture, public policy, trade, and sensory analysis. He is currently the executive director of the Fine Cacao and Chocolate Institute (FCCI) and a lecturer and outreach coordinator at Boston University's Food Studies Programs. His professional experience includes work in cultural ambassadorship for Mexico and Mesoamerica, as well as an engaged period in the food industry in New York City. He concluded his business administration studies at Culinary Institute of America in 2018 and received a master's in food studies at Boston University’s Metropolitan College in 2022.
Andrea Reed-Leal
PhD Candidate, Division of the Humanities, Romance Languages and Literature, University of Chicago
Andrea is a PhD candidate in the Hispanic and Luso-Brazilian Studies program at the University of Chicago. Her research focuses on the circulation of ideas, female intellectuality, and diverse textual technologies in colonial Latin America. Recently, she has been investigating the cultural significance of cacao brewing in Mesoamerican cultures leading up to the colonial period. In her latest publication, Cerámica para el chocolate (2024), Andrea examines the intricate relationship between the ancient practice of cacao consumption and the creation of clay vessels by the Maya during the Classic period. Her work emphasizes the deep connections between humans and their material environment. This research has taken her to Guatemala, where she has engaged with archival materials and collaborated with contemporary chocolate makers.
You can find out more about her research and other projects on her webpage.
Andrea López
Corporate Chef, República del Cacao
Andrea López studied Culinary Art and Food and Beverage Management at the Universidad San Francisco de Quito in Ecuador and later specialized in French Culinary Arts at the Institute Paul Bocuse and in Chocolate Mastery at L'Ecole Valrhona in France. Her excellence and passion for her profession led her to become part of one of the most renowned French restaurants in Ecuador, Chez Jerome, and then to become Sous Chef and Pastry Chef at Marcus Restaurant. Today Andrea is Corporate Chef for República del Cacao. Among her roles are: Courses and master classes, validation of uses and applications of new products, recipe development, international training, and events.
Jean-Louis Berthet
Executive Pastry Chef, Manan NYC
Chef Jean-Louis Berthet has a passion for creating quality food “simple et efficace” (simple and efficient) in the warm atmosphere of Maman. Born and raised in Saint-Julien in Brittany (west of France), Berthet fuses his French roots into maman’s family-inspired dishes and baked goods. Jean-Louis developed a strong passion for baking from watching his mom in the kitchen, and entered the culinary world as a pastry chef at the young age of 14. In 2009, he spent three years in culinary school at La Closerie in Saint-Quay Portrieux, followed by two years of culinary school for his BTM degree at CFA de Ploufragan. While attending CFA de Ploufragan, he studied an overview of pastries and bread, and specialized in chocolate, ice cream making and candy while learning how to manage companies and production.
Prior to joining Maman in 2017, Jean-Louis was a pastry chef at Chez Pascal in the South of France. He shares his techniques by training team members and collaborating with all departments to give guests a unique experience. Jean-Louis approaches new items by choosing flavors that excite him, experimenting, exchanging ideas with his team, and always making sure it feels homemade from your mother’s kitchen.
Ursula XVII
Founder/Owner, Disset Chocolate
Ursula XVII is a passionate chocolatier who has trained with world renowned pastry chefs while working at several Michelin starred restaurants and shops in Europe and the United States.
From the time she was a little girl growing up in New York City, she spent most of her time after school baking muffins, cookies, and especially, playing with all things chocolate.
While enjoying summers in Barcelona, she spent time eating and embarking on any baking project she could get involved in. After college, she realized she was happiest when creating in the kitchen. She decided to pursue formal training and became a Pastry Chef.
Her first job was at a Michelin Starred restaurant where she continued learning and improving her skills and discovered her passion for chocolate. After several years in New York City, she decided to take off and continue her work in Europe, under chefs Albert Adria, Oriol Balaguer and Jordi Ferrer.
Ursula became truly inspired to use ingredients, extracts and essences from the surrounding areas while heading the pastry team at a Michelin fine dining farm-to-table restaurant, Ca L’Enric in the north of Catalonia. From there she was recruited to help implement pastry and chocolate programs at a large upscale resort in the Hudson Valley. The time came when she decided to start her own line and DISSET CHOCOLATE was born. Disset means “seventeen” in Catalan language.
Catalan is Chef Ursula XVII’s mother language and seventeen is her middle name “XVII”. We chose this as our brand name because it is a number that resonates, and it is unique to our owner and head chocolatier.
Milène Jardine
Founder/Owner, Milène Jardine Chocolatier
Milène Jardine is the founder and maker of Milene Jardine Chocolatier. After 12-years of creating brands for Macys, she launched her own luxury label. Offering exotic confections inspired by her travels, the vision is to celebrate diversity through chocolate. Women owned and operated, all the chocolates are infused with the finest fruits, herbs, and spices. Sold at boutiques, online and for corporate gifting/pairing events, the chocolates have been featured at Christie’s Auction House and Le Cirque, praised by top chefs Marc Forgione and Dominique Crenn, and are devoured in every hotel room at Soho House and The Ned Nomad in NYC.