Nurturing the next generation

Over the last two weeks I have had the joy of working with  D’Arcy White.

D’Arcy wrote to me in January 2018 to enquire if she could take her work experience placement with Chocolate By Miss Witt.  I met D’Arcy and her mum in March for her interview.  I knew as soon as I met her she was a girl after my own heart.  D’Arcy had the confidence to take the opportunity to approach me for a placement before seeing the list of placements the school had to offer for work experience.   After meeting her I knew we would get on well.  Her mum said she is quiet until she gets to know you and then will chat away.  Sounds like myself I thought, although I am sure not many who know me would believe that!
D’Arcy and I jelled immediately.  We worked side by side, everything I did, D’Arcy did.  I wanted her to have the whole experience of my world.  The first day at work I taught her how to temper chocolate; she was a natural.  I could see her talent and I just wanted to nurture it. 

At the end of the first week we had an event at Foxlease Head Quarters of Girl Guiding, Hampshire.  D’Arcy was confident enough to demonstrate how to temper chocolate to a group of 50 adult Guides.  This was the first time she had stood of in front of an audience.  She was absolutely brilliant, it was enchanting to see the joy in her expression moving the chocolate around.   By the second week we were both in our groove, and I felt confident leaving D’Arcy in charge of tempering chocolate and doing many tasks on her own.

D’Arcy’s teacher came to see us later that week, she was so impressed by how D’Arcy could temper chocolate and how she blossomed in confidence.  Her last day was bitter sweet, D’Arcy had been a complete joy and definitely was becoming a Mini Miss Witt, but we both felt she was ready to go back to school as missed her friends. 

​I hope I have inspired her and you never know, she may be one of the Academy of Chocolate gold Medallists of the future.