Onward and Upward Travel Club

12/01/2016

OAU Travel Club remains closed, or rather has transitioned into continuing chocolatey projects under Chocolate Uplift: my chocolate subscription box service has launched, and the first unboxing video is live! https://youtu.be/VDUBxVh8p0g Check out details on - and my immense enthusiasm for - the fabulous craft chocolate bars I've curated for this first run: , , , , and , plus the intangible content of the box, namely a meal donation to the cacao kids of West Africa at the rescue center, and more, as I unbox for you!
Thank you!
Taped through the graces of the incubator!
More info: www.valeriebeckchocolateuplift.com/subscription

07/12/2016

OAU Travel Club is closed, but the journey continues, this time inward: change your life through chocolate! Boost your mindset and metabolism in 28 days. I've given chocolate wellness seminars, now one-on-one coaching is here, for physical and mental peace, positivity, power. Details and registration: www.chocolateuplift.com
Uplift Through Chocolate!

01/02/2015

2015 chocolate travel club dates and destinations are on the blog! www.chocolateuplift.com

12/26/2014

I love the magical week between Xmas and New Year's, and am getting a new Chocolate Uplift site and bio ready for the new year! Sneak peek: http://tinyurl.com/n3r4j7j

12/26/2014

My family and I spent Christmas in sweet home Chicago - hope you are enjoying a sweet holiday, whether at home or traveling. Here's to a 2015 filled with peace, love, and travel!

Scenes from my family's . Wishing you and yours a delicious holiday and scrumptious new year!

12/12/2014

Ecuador sweepstakes - why? For cacao!

WIN A TRIP TO ECUADORIAN RAINFOREST!

To enter for a chance to win:
1. Post on Facebook and/or Twitter telling us why you want to win.
2. Tag
3. The most creative entry wins!

Deadline: December 12 @5:00PM EST!

11/09/2014

Old friend.

11/06/2014

: How a dream at and a bonbon in inspired me to create my business, celebrating our 9th year this month! www.chocolateuplift.com (Photo: Quincy House, my Harvard home, snapped on a reunion visit.)

10/31/2014

Happy Halloween!

10/31/2014

Sweet news!

Our latest newsletter is here, in time for and next weekend's trip - see http://tinyurl.com/ondj7kg, and join me in New York on Veteran's Day weekend!

10/30/2014

: last January. Join me for Miami Beach in December, and the Chocolate Festival this January! www.chicagochocolatetours.com/travel-club.

10/28/2014

Night landing in Quito last month. Join me in enchanting Ecuador next month 11/10 - 11/17 for culinary, cultural, and chocolate adventures! www.chicagochocolatetours.com/travel-club

10/23/2014

: sculpture installation on Park Avenue in last summer. Join me on my New York Sweet & Chic trip next month 11/7-11/9, for the best in art, fashion, and chocolate! www.chicagochocolatetours.com/travel-club.

10/21/2014

Fabulous Florence, we're coming back during Valentine's week! www.chicagochocolatetours.com/travel-club

Florence is #1 in Condé Nast's 2014 Readers' Choice Awards in "Top 25 Cities in the World".

What do YOU love about Florence?

http://www.cntraveler.com/galleries/2014-10-20/top-25-cities-in-the-world-readers-choice-awards-2014/25 Conde Nast Traveler

10/21/2014

at ! Enjoy this special exhibition with me as part of my Travel Club's annual November in New York trip, 11/7-11/9. Details: www.chicagochocolatetours.com/travel-club.

"Henri Matisse: The Cut-Outs" (October 12, 2014–February 08, 2015) is the most extensive presentation of the artist's cut-outs ever mounted, featuring approximately 100 cut-outs—borrowed from public and private collections around the globe—along with a selection of related drawings, illustrated books, stained glass, and textiles. Visit the MoMA website for more information and to purchase timed tickets: http://bit.ly/10eS1ns.

[Installation view of "Henri Matisse: The Cut-Outs" at The Museum of Modern Art, New York (October 12, 2014-February 8, 2015). Photo by Jonathan Muzikar. © 2014 The Museum of Modern Art]

10/16/2014

: magic sunrise last January. The next Travel Club trips to Miami start 12/4 for Art Basel and 1/30 for the Fairchild Tropical Botanic Garden Chocolate Festival; join me! Details: www.chicagochocolatetours.com/travel-club.

10/15/2014

Join me in for a sweet and chic weekend!

The Big Truffle: join our Travel Club trip to , 11/7-11/9, for chocolate, fashion, more! www.chicagochocolatetours.com/travel-club

10/13/2014

Click through for my new blog post on the top 3 things I love about Ecuador, plus an invitation to hear an Ecuadorian baking star speak tonight in Chicago - she's bringing brownies!

I'm still on a high from my trip to enchanting Ecuador last month, and am convinced that Ecuador is the best-kept secret in the Western Hemisphere!

10/11/2014

10/07/2014

Moonrise from my corner classroom.

10/05/2014

Rebranding pre-launch: be among the first to visit www.chocolateuplift.com! This will be the umbrella site for my tours, travel, tv, speaking, consulting, and importing businesses. The site is under construction but live, and for now contains my first blog post under my new Chocolate Uplift brand. What's the post about? Top 3 Things I love about Ecuador! Photo: Cotopaxi Mountain, from my trip. Join me for !

10/02/2014

: A few more photos from our Camino Verde cocoa farm visit during our trip. Join me November 10-17 for !

09/26/2014

2: sweet treats at the 2010 New York Chocolate Show. Join me in the "Big Truffle" November 7-9 for our own chocolate adventures, plus Matisse at MoMA, and more!

09/26/2014

Speaking of fabulous Florence, today's 1, 2011. Next visit there: Valentine's week 2015, for the Artisan Chocolate Festival and our visit to the Ferragamo Museum; join me!

09/25/2014

!

See the skyline without battling crowds, sample pastries from a secret gem, sip artisanal beers and soak up culture during a weekend in the Tuscan capital.

09/19/2014

Deliciousness at our Quito home!

Andrés Davila is the Executive Chef of the acclaimed Casa Gangotena Boutique Hotel, he's an important referent of Ecuador’s traditional and contemporary gastronomy.

09/17/2014

Everybody loves Ecuador! Click for a travel article on enchanting Ecuador in The New York Times, and get ready for our next trip to the best-kept secret in the Western Hemisphere!

On a journey through the diverse South American country, taking in the coast, the mountains and a town with colonial charm.

09/17/2014

Let's visit them all!

The Chicago museum was named the world's best museum by TripAdvisor.

09/16/2014

I'm planning the next trip to enchanting , for our , in December or May. Join me for gilded churches, refreshing cuisine, and a cacao farm! Stay tuned for details, see for photos from the recent trip, and see you next time!

09/12/2014

Through the mountains, to 's airport...