01/05/2021
Meet Tammy MacDonald, the magical Chocolate maker behind Au Chocolat!
Since childhood, Tammy had a fascination with chocolate that further developed upon each visit to various cacao plantations on the Big Island of Hawaii. She fell in love with the trees, the fruit and the entire process - from bean to bar.
In the mid 90’s, she ventured into a long study of the Martial Arts and Holistic Healing practices, as a result of her second oldest daughter who suffered from chronic health issues. She acquired degrees as a Naturopathic Practitioner, Master Herbalist, Master Iridologist and Nutritionist, and began her practice in the late 90’s working in a Healing Center until the birth of her third child.
16 months later, Tammy had her 4th child who was diagnosed with cancer at the age of 2. Tammy's knowledge allowed her to best support Kali’s 3 year battle with daily chemotherapy. During this time, Kali’s father (Gord) and I became parent liaisons for organizations, such as Make-A-Wish, Stollery Children's Hospital, and Kids With Cancer Society. Kali’s treatment ended in 2003, the year that Gordon initiated the St. Valentine’s Day Hair Massacre - a small annual head-shaving event benefiting these charities. A year after starting this event, it became so successful that Tammy needed to take on this event as a full time career. 18 years later, the event has raised nearly 14 million dollars.
Tammy began dabbling in chocolate four years ago and so her chocolate journey began. She gained her certifications at École Chocolat. In 2019, she was invited to Montreal to study under renowned Master Chef Philippe Vancayseele - World Leader of the Chocolate Academy. Due to COVID-19, the Hair Massacre event was cancelled and this was the perfect timing for Tammy to make the transition to focusing on her business - Au Chocolat. This past knowledge and experiences paved the way toward producing quality, ethical chocolate while ensuring a wholesome experience without harmful colouring, preservatives and added sugars. If Tammy was a chocolate, she would be Au Chocolat's Vanilla Bean Truffle. Authentic, unconventional and unassuming. 🤓
