Kate Shaffer is a 36 37-year-old confectioner living on a tiny off shore island in Maine. Her and her husband Steve own and operate Black Dinah Chocolatiers, where Kate makes artisan truffles and candies completely by hand, using local ingredients and unusual flavor pairings inspired by cuisine from around the world.
Twenty years in kitchens from California to Maine, a degree in English Lit, and a stop-and-start career in writing have informed Kate’s take on her work and life, which she expands on in this blog.
SOME NOTES FROM KATE ABOUT THIS BLOG:
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The island that I write about has been written about in many books–both fiction and non–where the general rule of thumb is not to refer to it by name. I adhere to that informal rule in my posts, first, to protect the innocent, and, second, but no less important, because it is an awkward and clumsy word to type.
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The people that I may mention from time to time in my posts are my neighbors and friends, and sometimes are just a figment of my imagination–fictional characters, like the kind you read about in novels. Chances are you will not be able to tell the difference, so I suggest that you don’t bother trying. No, I do not use anyone’s real name–except my own and Steve’s.
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The events that I write about are sometimes true, and sometimes made up. Again, I wouldn’t bother trying to differentiate between the two: I do this on purpose, in an effort to protect the privacy of islanders’, often, too public life. So, in a sense, this blog is really a hybrid: part food/rural life blog, part online serial. It is purely for entertainment purposes. Both mine and yours.
