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Getting the caramel just right

The benefits of using a chocolate fountain

More than dipped apples

This holiday season, warm up those cold nights with any of these three delicious and festive drink recipes: Sephra's hot chocolate, Christmas cider or eggnog. Try each recipe throughout the season as you entertain friends and family or simply choose your favorite to please your palette over and over again. Warm up Your Night with Sephra's Hot ChocolateYour hot beverage fountain is ideal for serving mug after mug of piping hot and delicious hot chocolate. The aroma alone will prompt at least one refill, so be sure to make enough for thirsty guests! Sephra's hot chocolate recipe for one calls for bringing 1 cup of milk (whole or low fat) to just below a boil before pouring over 1 cup of Sephra's premium dark chocolate chips, 1 tbsp. brown sugar, a ¼ tsp. cinnamon and a pinch of cayenne pepper. To make this recipe in your beverage fountain, multiply this recipe by the number of servings you want, and once the milk is poured over the ingredients and mixed well, add the deliciousness to the beverage fountain to keep the hot chocolate coming throughout the evening. Spread Christmas Cheer with Hot Christmas Cider It's easy to fill your house with the tempting scent of mulled Christmas cider, whether you're hosting a small get-together, decorating the Christmas tree or want to warm up your children after an afternoon of sledding. In a large pot, mix 2 quarts of apple cider with ¼ cup packed brown sugar, 1.2 tsp. salt and a pinch of nutmeg and heat. Then, place ½ tsp. whole allspice, 1 tsp. whole cloves and 1 cinnamon stick in cheesecloth and add to apple cider mixture. Add to your hot beverage fountain, along with a large quartered orange with peel, and you'll have a crowd in no time. Indulge in Holiday Eggnog You always have the option of purchasing your favorite store-made brand of eggnog and running the liquid through your beverage fountain, especially if you are hosting a party and want to keep the eggnog flowing. If you want to make eggnog, however, this recipe is easy and delicious. Simply combine 4 cups milk, 5 whole cloves, ½ tsp. vanilla extract and 1 tsp. cinnamon in a saucepan and slowly bring this mixture to a boil. Meanwhile in a separate bowl, combine 12 egg yolks with 1 ½ cups sugar and whisk vigorously until fluffy. Slowly whisk in the hot milk mixture and then pour everything back into the saucepan. Cook until thick (don't allow it to boil) and then strain out cloves and cool. Before you add the liquid to your beverage fountain, stir in 2 ½ cups light rum (optional), 4 cups cream, 2 tsps. vanilla extract and ½ tsp. nutmeg and set the beverage fountain on no heat. This rich and creamy addition will help make your holiday party a success!

Commercial chocolate fountains are smart investments with lucrative returns due to the increasing popularity of both chocolate and chocolate fountains at events. People enjoy interacting with the fountain and the variety of food items provided to dip, creating a fun and delicious experience. In fact, there are three reasons why adding a commercial chocolate fountain to your business will increase your bottom line. High Return Potential Sephra commercial chocolate fountains often pay for themselves after a few rentals. This translates to greater profits for you since future chocolate fountain rentals thereafter become almost pure profit. This high return on your investment allows you to build your business more quickly and even expand due to an increased bottom line. Whether you are a caterer or operate a party venue or banquet hall, having Sephra chocolate fountain rentals available to clients will continue to impress and bring in profit. Customer Satisfaction In order to keep clients returning to you, you need to ensure their satisfaction with your services. Sephra's chocolate fountains command a high level of client satisfaction, which continues to help increase your bottom line with word of mouth referrals. In addition, your clients are essentially paying you to advertise your chocolate fountain displayed at their event for all their guests to use and enjoy. Economic, yet Elegant Display Sephra chocolate fountains are an economical way for clients to add elegance and pizzazz to a special event. The chocolate fountain is contemporary and sophisticated with the option for a brushed or polished stainless steel finish that attracts attention through a classy display. You can even offer clients the option of renting two fountains of varying sizes to create an even more eye-catching display and help feed an extra large crowd. Chocolate Fountains Pour Big Profits Sephra's commercial chocolate fountains have the added benefits of being user-friendly and offering a variety of kosher certified chocolate for its chocolate fountains. As more people become health conscious, the ability to offer a chocolate that is made with natural ingredients, instead of using hydrogenated oils, will increase its appeal among a variety of clients. Sephra's chocolate for chocolate fountains delivers all these benefits - and more! The fact that Sephra's chocolate for chocolate fountains is ready to use without adding ingredients will also increase its appeal, and subsequently, your bottom line. Offering a Sephra chocolate fountain will give you an edge over competitors without this asset, and the decadent fountains will continue to attract new business as more people are exposed to your business through clients who rent your chocolate fountain for their events.

Your Sephra chocolate fondue fountain is good for so much more than just providing guests with a delicious dessert option. Your fondue fountain can even become the delicious centerpiece for an Asian inspired dinner party. Simply use one of two simple Asian recipes that will have your guests’ mouths watering. Sweeten the Pot With Sweet and Sour Sauce Fondue Sephra fondue fountains work well with homemade and store-bought products, so there is no need to slave over a homemade sweet and sour sauce for your Asian inspired dinner party. Instead, choose your favorite store brand, such as Minor’s Zesty Orange Sauce, which works well in the fondue fountain without needing to be thinned out with water. Other brands that also taste great include La Choy and Kikkoman, although these will need to be thinned out with a little bit of water to ensure they run smoothly through your fondue fountain.

Create an Eye-Catching Commercial Chocolate Fountain Display to Show-Off

Getting started

• Vermont Butter and Cheese’s Bijou (an aged goat cheese)
• Pierre Robert triple cream cheese
• Mahón Reserva aged paprika-rind sheep cheese
• Valdéon cow’s milk blue cheese

Cheese and chocolate pairing ideas

Sephra chocolate melts are not only perfect for making delicious treats like chocolate covered strawberries, but are also ideal for making fun chocolate candy delights in a variety of kid-friendly shapes. That's why Sephra suggests Wilton candy molds that make it easy to turn Sephra chocolate melts into race cars or heart lollipops whenever the mood strikes! Why Choose Sephra Chocolate Melts for Candy-Making

Sephra's delicious goodies aren't just ideal for perfecting the chocolate fountain experience! In fact, did you know that Sephra has all of the gourmet delicacies to create the perfect gift baskets for any occasion? Promotional Gift Basket Ideas If you want to promote an event, whether it's related to your chocolate fountain rental business or is designed to promote a client's event, consider raffling away chocolate-themed gift baskets. These gift baskets could include a trio of Sephra's Belgian chocolate mousse mix in dark and white chocolate, as well as the neutral flavor that allows the cook's creativity to shine. Then, add in Sephra's caramel cookies and vanilla crème cookies for the perfect accent for Belgian chocolate mousse. Don't forget a few of Sephra's free recipe cards so the lucky recipient can create decadent Belgian desserts at home. Business Gift Basket Ideas If you're hosting a business event, whether it's a corporate party, an employee achievement celebration or an open house, featuring a chocolate fountain at any of these events will help it be a delicious success. Offering chocolate-inspired gift baskets, either raffled off randomly or given to guest(s) of honor, is the perfect way to end an event. You could include Sephra's crème brulee mix, mini-caramel cookies, Sephra's Belgian dark and white chocolate, and recipe cards to truly whet the appetite. If you know the recipient will be a woman, consider including one of Sephra's chocolate-lovers aprons, such as a sleek black and white apron for the corporate executive or a fun brown and pink polka dot apron that will liven up the kitchen. Get Well Soon Gift Basket Ideas What better way to cheer up the spirits of an injured or sick friend, coworker or family member than by delivering a mouth-watering chocolate gift basket? Inside, there could be Sephra's chocolate-opoly game, which is played similar to Monopoly but will appeal to anyone's chocolate-loving side. Of course, along with the game should be some treats that will inspire a fast recovery, such as Sephra's colorful jammies (marshmallows), Belgian chocolate mousse mix and crème brulee/flan mix, plus mini-caramel cookies. "Just Because" Gift Baskets for Your Spouse Finally, a gift basket can be a fun and delicious excuse to indulge in chocolate for an evening in with your spouse. For your husband, consider including Sephra's crème brulee mix plus the butane culinary torch to get him excited about prepping dessert. For your wife, include Sephra's retro cherries apron and Belgian dark chocolate mousse mix to set a romantic mood. Chocolate-opoly would also make a fun addition to the gift basket because you can enjoy romantic chocolate desserts while playing together by candlelight. A gift basket filled with chocolate treats is always a good idea! Get creative and choose the perfect combination of chocolate and desserts so any recipient will go home happy.

Drinking chocolate is more than just adding powdered chocolate mixture to boiling water or milk, largely because drinking chocolate has been around since Columbus was credited with “discovering” this exotic treat in the New World. Next time you are craving some hot chocolate, try a little homemade hot chocolate that will satisfy your lust for rich chocolate and warm you on a cold day. A Short History of Drinking Chocolate In 1502, Columbus first encountered the Aztecs drinking a strange brew made from cocoa beans, which come from the Theobroma tree native to tropical areas like Mexico, and translates as “Food of the Gods.” Columbus also observed Montezuma drink 50 cups of drinking chocolate each day, which he found incredible, especially since he found the drink too bitter. The Aztecs would roast the cocoa beans before grinding them into a paste. They then added chili peppers, vanilla and water to the chocolate paste. Although Columbus brought a sample of cocoa beans back to Spain, it wasn’t until Hernando Cortez brought cocoa beans back after 1520 that the Spanish started sweetening the paste by adding ingredients like sugar, vanilla, cloves, cinnamon, orange flower, hazelnuts or almonds that they began to see the merit of these cocoa beans. Once milk or water was added to this fragrant and sweet chocolate paste, the popularity of drinking chocolate quickly spread throughout Europe.

Chocolate's popularity is undeniable, particularly in the younger and female demographics. To entice patrons, more restaurants are turning to chocolate to strengthen the profitability of their desert menus.

Chocolate Trends in Restaurants

It’s essential for a chocolate fountain rental business to be able to offer seasonal plans for various types of events, especially during the summer when many people are in a more festive and relaxed mood and want to host various parties. Summer is usually hot, so offering dipping treats suited to the season is important. Cool Guests Off With Summer Inspired Dipping Treats Summer prompts many outdoor summer events or indoor/outdoor events, where the main event takes place inside, but there are outside spaces for guests to gather and mingle. No matter where the event will take place, it’s best to offer some seasonal dipping treats designed to cool down the palette, as well as please it. Fresh, cool fruit makes great dipping treats not only because so many delicious fruits are in season during the summer months, but because fruit tastes even better dipped in a chocolate fountain. Summer berries, like strawberries, blueberries, raspberries and blackberries, threaded onto a skewer not only look attractive, but taste refreshing, even after dipped in decadent dark chocolate for chocolate fountains. Frozen banana slices also taste refreshing and fabulous after a dip in milk chocolate for chocolate fountains.

The holidays are the perfect time to break out your chocolate fountain -- and the perfect time to spice up your fondue with some holiday pizzazz. Thankfully, Sephra has three great ways to do just that. You can serve eggnog dip, spiced holiday chocolate fondue, winter marshmallow cream fondue -- or all three!

When you operate a chocolate fountain rental business, you must adhere to sanitation and health regulations to remain in good standing. If you are looking for peace of mind, then choose Sephra's products and commercial chocolate fountains. Sephra's commercial chocolate fountains are the only ones in the industry that meet NSF/ANSI sanitation standards. Complying With NSF/ANSI Standards According to the National Sanitation Foundation (NSF), it's important for food companies, like chocolate fountain rental companies, to volunteer to have their equipment certified. The American National Standards Institute (ANSI) requires that food equipment conform to NSF/ANSI sanitation requirements before being sold in North America. The NSF developed these sanitation standards and lets companies voluntarily undergo their assessment program. This program tests and certifies the food equipment, as well as audits production facilities, to ensure that all the standards are met or exceeded. A company does not simply go through this process once, but is subjected to annual audits to verify that the same high standards that earned the company a registered NSF Certification Mark continue to be met. All of Sephra's chocolate fountains meet NSF/ANSI sanitation requirements and are tested each year to ensure that chocolate fountain production is still impeccable. Quality control is important to the NSF and to Sephra. Purchasing your chocolate fountains from Sephra will give you peace of mind and the ability to assure venues such as hotels and restaurants that you are qualified to serve their guests. Risks of Non-Compliance Any business which serves food and drink to the public is under pressure to conform to local and state sanitation guidelines. Your business is open to the health department for inspection whenever they choose, and you must cooperate. If you have a registered NSF Certification Mark to show those health inspectors, you can rest easy that they will be impressed and rate your business accordingly. Chocolate fountain rental businesses which don't comply, yet continue to rent equipment for events, are subject to strict non-compliance penalties if discovered. If anyone gets sick as a result of a non-certified chocolate fountain, the chocolate fountain rental business owner becomes liable for all damages and can lose his license to operate. The best way to avoid this fate? Use Sephra's commercial chocolate fountains because you can confidently assure your clients that your chocolate fountains are routinely approved by NSF/ANSI regulations!

Although many corporations are slimming down their holiday budgets, your chocolate fountain rentals can still continue to flow festively! Give your budget-minded clients a reason to choose a Commerical Chocolate Fountain rental for their holiday party by offering enticing holiday specials. Chocolate Fountain Rental Bonus: Free Fruit Platter People love to feel like they are getting something for nothing, and your chocolate fountain rental clients are no different. Offer a complimentary fruit platter with every commercial chocolate fountain rental, and don't forget to have samples or photos (mostly for new clients) so they fully understand your delicious offer. For example, to tie in with the holiday season, you can include skewered cranberries along with the tried and true banana, strawberry and pear slices. Decorate the platter with a few festive holly leaves. Two Chocolate Fountains Are Better Than One: 25% Discount For large holiday parties, entice your chocolate fountain rental clients to indulge in two chocolate fountain rentals by discounting the second rental by 25%. This is not only a great deal for your clients, but is a great way for you to show off the versatility of a chocolate fountain rental by offering two types of chocolate, such as dark and white chocolate for chocolate fountains, with a greater range of dipping treats. Also, encourage your clients to make your fountain the dessert to help cut down the catering budget. After all, with two delicious chocolate fountain rentals, who needs extra dessert? Win a Small Chocolate Fountain Rental If you want to attract big corporate clients and additional chocolate rental business, offer to host a raffle at their corporate holiday party of 200 people or more. Jump start the holiday season by raffling off a small chocolate fountain rental to a lucky attendee. This could apply to any large holiday gathering, but corporate parties love to give employees an incentive to attend, as well as make everyone feel appreciated. You might even sell some gift certificates for a chocolate fountain rental to honor someone who's retiring or just received a big promotion. The possibilities are endless once you open their eyes and taste buds to the wonderful world of chocolate fountains! Satisfy Thirsty Guests with a Complimentary Beverage Fountain Rental Finally, accentuate those chocolate-dipped treats with a complimentary beverage fountain rental with a chocolate fountain rental. Offer a choice of several holiday beverages, such as eggnog, mulled cider or hot chocolate. The beverage fountain could be the specialty drink of the evening and be offset with water, coffee and iced tea, which will help your client's budget and make choosing a chocolate fountain rental the most economic and delicious choice for a holiday party.

Any event that takes advantage of Sephra's commercial chocolate fountains is sure to dazzle guests with its elegant presentation and cascade of delicious chocolate. Sephra is known for providing chocolate fountain entrepreneurs with the highest quality chocolate fountains, as well as a decadent chocolate that's ready-made for the fountain. Chocolate fountains are user-friendly, and Sephra offers a model perfect for events of all sizes. To make sure you can please all your clients who request a Sephra chocolate fountain, read the following descriptions to decide which chocolate fountain (or combination) will best complement your business.

Sephra Commercial Chocolate Fountain: Ultimate Presentation

Montezuma Chocolate Fountain: Perfect for Events Large and Small

Aztec and Cortez Chocolate Fountains: Beautiful Starters and Supplements

Sephra’s newest offering is its liquid caramel which can be used to accent desserts or be the main attraction in your chocolate fountain. Caramel Fondue: The Easy Way! Sephra’s new liquid caramel is perfect for your chocolate fountain. You simply add the liquid caramel to your chocolate fountain, thin with water until the consistency is right, and enjoy! Sephra’s liquid caramel definitely doesn’t sacrifice taste for convenience. This liquid caramel tastes rich and buttery, just like it was cooked slowly over a hot stove. The liquid caramel comes in a re-sealable five-pound tub so you can use as little or as much as you need each time. Now that Sephra offers this easy solution to running warm, gooey caramel through your chocolate fountain, you can focus on choosing some fabulous dipping treats to go with your liquid caramel fondue. For instance, crisp green apple slices taste even better dipped in caramel fondue, as do brownie bites, chocolate covered pretzels, vanilla pound cake bites and chocolate cheesecake bites. This holiday season, take advantage of Sephra’s easy liquid caramel fondue and impress your friends and family with a delicious evening filled with warmth, laughter and dessert.

When you first purchased your home fondue fountain, you were tempted by the mouth-watering idea of dipping fruit and sweets into warm chocolate. However, the delicacy doesn't stop there! Your chocolate fountain is more versatile than you might realize, with four other ways to please your palette. Chocolate Fondue: The Ultimate Indulgence Sephra's home fondue fountain is perfect for serving Sephra's Belgian dark, milk or white chocolate for chocolate fountains. It isn't difficult to pair dipping treats with chocolate, from fruit like strawberries, bananas, berries and cherries, to sweets like Sephra's marshmallows, cheesecake squares and pound cake. It's also delicious drizzled over ice cream, almonds or macadamia nuts. Sweeten the Deal with Caramel Fondue Warm, gooey caramel fondue can break down anyone's resolve, especially when trays of apple slices, brownie and blondie bites, mini apple turnovers and chocolate poundcake bites are arranged beside it. Caramel fondue is also a delicious addition to an ice cream sundae and is perfect for fall gatherings when apples are in season. You could even invite family and friends to pick apples at a local orchard and then meet back at your house for an apple and caramel fondue extravaganza. Say Cheese! Cheese fondue can take on many variations and even combine more than one type of cheese. You can spice up Velveeta cheese with red pepper flakes and chipotle peppers for a tailgate party or mix two types of cheddar to go with brats and beer. If you want a more refined fondue, melt brie with dry white wine and brandy in your fondue fountain. Then serve white wine to drink and offer cubed crusty bread, apple and orange slices for a twist on a wine and cheese party. BBQ Fondue for a Backyard Feast If you have a family recipe for homemade BBQ sauce or just want to offer your favorite store-bought flavor, consider using your home fondue fountain to keep the BBQ sauce flowing. Sephra's home fondue fountain will keep the BBQ sauce warm without scalding it. Then, set up trays of grilled meat cubes like chicken, beef and pork so people can create their own kebabs. Also, BBQ sauce can be drizzled onto mozzarella sticks for a delicious appetizer. Keep the Salad Dressing Cool and Flowing Sephra's home fondue fountain can also keep liquids cool, making it ideal for holding salad dressing. Ranch fondue, for example, is more exciting than simple ranch dip. It can be drizzled over an assortment of veggies, like cucumbers, carrot sticks, broccoli, cauliflower and celery, as well as drizzled over salads. If you're hosting a luncheon, for instance, offering a selection of crudités plus grilled chicken salad, then ranch fondue will transform a simple salad into a sensational meal.

An apple a day used to keep the doctor away, but now the apple could be usurped by chocolate. Yes, you read that correctly! Probiotic chocolates, not only taste delicious, but will help your body retain more of the probiotic bacteria that your digestive system uses to stay balanced and healthy.