The Time Has Arrived. Blake Graduates High School

I know. I know. It's been ages since I last posted. Well, there's a reason for it. I've

been in high gear getting ready for this day. I really couldn't have imagined that the day would come, and I wouldn't have a program for Blake to go to after graduation. But the reality is that is exactly what happened. Even though I went to many meetings with many agencies in my community, no one, not one single group was willing to start a program for someone like Blake. And when I mean "like Blake," I mean someone who needs a low ratios of students to caregivers. I guess it's just too expensive and incorporates way too much time and energy to do this type of thing. So....I came up empty handed. Nothing. Nada.

Ok, so with reality setting in, I had to really look for a Plan B. I've never been one to go into denial, so a few months ago, actually back towards the end of last year, I decided to take my pastry skills to the next level, and I enrolled in a course to become a chocolatier. What's a chocolatier, you ask? No, it's not someone that sells chocolate at Disney. Haha. A chocolatier is actually someone who produces chocolate confections. Think truffles. Think bonbons. Caramels. Ganache. Fudge. All those great things. So, after graduation, I tried to figure out what I was going to do with all this new found skill set other than make all my friends and family fat. And then it came to me. Blake. Blake in the kitchen. Blake, who loves to bake. Would he like to work with chocolate? He loves to eat it, so working with it wouldn't be too far of a stretch. Now there is a lot of technical work with making chocolate confections. It's not quite like baking where you through things in a bowl and mix it up. No, it's a little more technical and a lot more detailed. So, after some trial and error, I figured out just what Blake could do. What he could excel in with chocolate production. As it turns out, Blake likes to fill chocolate and truffle molds. It is repetitious. It is visual. And he can do it. Horray!

  

Next step. How to turn this skill into a daily activity that will fill his day and make him feel productive. So a business was born. My son, Hunter, who always is good for a jingle or two, came up with the name: The Chocolate Spectrum: Creating Sweet Opportunities for Those With Autism. "Those With Autism-" You didn't think I could limit this endeavor to just Blake, did you? No No No. This has to grow. I want to create more opportunities for other adults on the spectrum. (Actually, the next job opening is for a dishwasher. Chocolate making produces lots of dirty dishes and tools. And I just can't get Blake into that task!!) And of course, we donate money from each sale to an autism charity. 

So if you want to see more of this micro-enterprise, visit us at our new website:

thechocolatespectrum.com