Chocolate Sculptress Press

Thank you to the Times Argus staff for the front page image for their April 21, 2018 paper.

“Emily McCracken, a chocolate sculptress from Lake Champlain Chocolates, is all smiles after successfully moving her creation to a pedestal Friday at Studio Place Arts in Barre. This sculpture of a Phoenix, made completely from edible chocolate, was created for the gallery's Big Arty SPA Happening (BASH) on Friday night”

Staff photographer Jeb Wallace-Broder snapped this photo shortly after we successful transported my chocolate phoenix sculpture. That look on my face is one of pure RELIEF!

My thanks to Clare Hancock over at Immersion Magazine for coming to Burlington for my chocolate sculpture demonstration.

“'Oh, yeah!' said Chocolate Sculptress Emily McCracken as she placed a chocolate ribbon around the base of a nearly finished sculpture. At least 50 visitors were hunched in their chairs, their eyes glued to the stage in anticipation of what she would do next. Elaborate finished sculptures stood around the South End Kitchen workshop like delicious paintings at a gallery.”

Immersion Travel Magazine is a digital, tablet-based publication that showcases great travel destinations and exotic cuisine.

Tryptic Press's yearly magazine, Chroma, interviewed me recently. I love their mission:

“Chroma highlights the work of New England artists who encompass the passion, heart, and visual esthetic that they believe truly represents the area. Since 2013, Chroma has featured over 50 artists, hosted numerous art exhibitions, and helped shape they way people experience New England art.”

When the Food Network came calling it was a dream come true. They wanted a 5 foot tall chocolate sculpture to be featured on a Valentine's special called "Outrageous Chocolate." I had never built anything quite like it but that wasn't going to stop me from achieving my dream.

“It’s been hard to keep this awesome news under wraps. I’ve been bursting at the seams with excitement! The spot will air February 7 at 8pm. I’ll see it for the first time when all of you see it. I’m so happy to be representing Lake Champlain Chocolates for their first appearance on Food Network. It’s truly an honor.”

Thanks to Sally Pollak from the Burlington Free Press for stopping by after my demo where I created a small scale replica of the sculpture that'll be featured on a new Food Network special.

The full scale version is the most challenging sculpture I've ever made and I had to get creative in order to make it a reality:

"Along the way, McCracken has become something of a chocolate engineer, as well as artist. She begins projects by making a sketch and then she creates templates for various pieces of the work."

Jennifer Costa of WCAX came by the chocolate factory to interview me about sculpting in chocolate. The interview was part of her "Odd Jobs" segment that highlights the different and creative ways Vermonters make a living.

"Her decadent designs have attracted a lot of attention. She's been commissioned to sculpt pieces for singer Grace Potter, ice cream tycoons Ben & Jerry and talk show host Dr. Oz. MasterCard even tapped her for its Priceless Picks campaign after coming across her chocolate sculptures online."

Alice Levitt wrote a fantastic article about the localvore community in Burlington, VT and was nice enough to write up this review of my chocolate bar class.

"Any chocoholic worth his salted caramel will melt at the opportunity to spend an hour making chocolate bars with Lake Champlain’s chocolate sculptress, Emily McCracken. An hour later, students leave with four handmade chocolate bars filled with their choice of premium mix-ins."

I had a great time being interviewed by the Burlington Free Press and was blown away by their front page feature in the Arts section. Many thanks to Megan Bantle for such a great article, I'm honored!

"The Lake Champlain Chocolates employee in Burlington is a professional chocolate sculptor who has made everything from picture frames to entire buildings, entirely of chocolate. While her official position at Lake Champlain Chocolates is retail manager of its flagship store on Pine Street, she has an alternative title that better suits her artistic side: chocolate sculptress."

Seven Days recently did an interview with me about my background, how I got involved in chocolate sculpting, and my chocobots.

"When Emily Jones (McCracken) pours a pitcher full of liquid dark chocolate onto a table, it’s hard not to swipe your finger through the perfect, shiny puddle for a taste. But doing so would be a rookie mistake, and it’s something Jones herself never does."

"I don’t think about it as chocolate,” she says. “I don’t see it as food. While I’m working, I see it as art.” This coming from a woman who goes home every night with the sweet stuff stuck to the bottoms of her shoes."

"Jones, 33, has been the resident “chocolate sculptress,” as well as manager of the factory store, at Lake Champlain Chocolates for the last eight and a half years. On a recent afternoon at the factory on Pine Street in Burlington, she’s working on the base of a holiday sculpture."

In 2008 I was featured in Mastercard's "Priceless Picks" campaign. MasterCard approached me about being part of the campaign after they came across images of my chocolate sculptures on the Flickr. I was incredibly surprised and flattered when I first received the inquiry from MasterCard. I almost thought it was a friend playing a prank!