In a tiny Parisian workshop, far from the tropical climates where cacao grows, Ara Chocolat is quietly preserving one of the world’s most important food legacies. Founded in 2015 by Venezuelan couple Andrés and Sabrina Zakhour, Ara is among the very few bean-to-bar makers roasting their own cacao in France.

Every bar begins with Andrés himself—traveling, sourcing, and selecting cacao beans directly from small growers and cooperatives across Latin America. By working face-to-face with farmers, Ara ensures not only fair and transparent relationships, but also access to rare native and ancestral cacao varieties that carry the stories of the land in their flavors.

If anything can turn straw into gold, it would be Koji. I suspect that those who say Koji is not magic don't believe in magic, even when they see it right before their very eyes. For some things in life, explanations are only there to take the fear away from that which cannot be explained.

Koji was crafted 9,000 years ago, most likely under another name, in an earthen jar in China, and it has been a staple of food alchemy ever since. Just not so much here, at least not until recently.

To many, it is the newest food rage. In fact, it is not a food but a tool that harbors amazing little workers who can transform and change how and what we eat in ways that would never seem possible.

There is a lot of science in Koji. Papers have been written about the subject. Some are "dry," long-winded, and some so crusty they seem fermented themselves.