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0 of 3 Premium Clicks used this month SUBSCRIBE Print + Online Subscriber Activation | Register x Forgot Password | Need an Account? subscribe | newsletter | deals Classifieds Jobs Autos Real Estate FEATURED » NEWS NOW Some still without power after windy night; more wind on the way ... Rowers from across country coming to Ashland ... Community Contributor: Loving the dandelions! ... Some still without power after windy night; more wind on the way ... Rowers from across country coming to Ashland ... Community Contributor: Loving the dandelions! ... FOOD Sale of golden Easter egg to aid food bank Comment By John Darling For the Tidings DailyTidings.com By John Darling For the Tidings Posted Mar. 23, 2016 at 7:13 PM Updated Mar 23, 2016 at 8:53 PM By John Darling For the Tidings Posted Mar. 23, 2016 at 7:13 PM Updated Mar 23, 2016 at 8:53 PM » Social News Ashlander Eric Johnson, who goes by “the Well-Tempered Chocolatier,” has fashioned (probably) the most unusual Easter egg you ever saw: a four-inch high chocolate egg leafed in 24-kt edible gold and glazed with essence of local blackberries and cherries, adorned with amber-sugar jewels. It’s taken many painstaking hours and $100 worth of terribly thin (1.5 micron) gold leaf, but Johnson is putting the unique jewel on the market, hoping to get several hundred dollars and find his niche audience of patrons, so he can make more such edible jewels. It’s all organic with regional ingredients and, yes, it’s OK to eat gold, he says. “Gold is inert. It has been beaten so thin, you can eat it,” says Johnson. “It has no taste but it does have a certain feel and, they say, it adds light to the day.” Johnson learned to be a chocolatier in Washington, D.C., and started his company, Krishon Chocolates . It’s a family name. After a year in Colorado, he brought the firm to Ashland last summer. He makes and markets the usual range of chocolate items, and makes his own butter from a grass-fed organic creamery. “The egg would seem to be a great Easter gift from someone to a loved one,” says Pam Marsh, executive director of the Ashland Emergency Food Bank, which will receive half the proceeds of the sale. Johnson also makes soup for the bank every Monday. He says his inspiration for such art came in childhood, when he beheld Faberge eggs — jeweled eggs made for the Russian Tsar and his family. In addition to his regular line of chocolates, Johnson loves to make fanciful creations. One, sitting by his work table, is a dark chocolate triceratops emerging from a white chocolate egg. Working with ultra-thin gold is a big learning curve and Johnson has to cover his mouth so his breathing doesn’t send the delicate gold flying. His egg is nowhere near the perfection of Faberge eggs – plus they are made of chocolate and fruit, which can’t be touched by human hands — so he classifies them as “a bit gauche … medieval German style, about 11th century.” Johnson says his truffles are “the finest in the world” and notes that profit for his business will come “when the right products, the finest of the fine, reach the right people. They can support the art I do. I will get there … I need the support of patrons.” He plans to sell the egg on Facebook, Etsy, Shopify or eBay. If you want to buy it directly, he is reachable at [email protected] . John Darling is an Ashland freelance writer. Reach him at [email protected]. By John Darling For the Tidings DailyTidings.com By John Darling For the Tidings Posted Mar. 23, 2016 at 7:13 PM Updated Mar 23, 2016 at 8:53 PM » Comment or view comments Reader Reaction » STAY INFORMED Email NewsLetter Sign Up Today Sign up for our newsletter and have the top headlines from your community delivered right to your inbox. Southern Oregon Directory Featured Businesses Loading... Business Name address Location, ST | website.com Find Southern Oregon Attractions Bars Restaurants Beauty Salons Entertainment Doctors Medical Specialists Contractors Education Lawn Services Lawyers Shopping Travel Tanning Used Cars Wedding Services ▼ Add your business here + Events Calendar Connect with DailyTidings.com Facebook Twitter RSS Back to top Reader Services Reader Services home Subscriptions Subscriber controls Contact us Submissions Photos Events Letters to the editor Corrections Alerts Email alerts RSS feeds Text Alerts Advertise Media Kit Home Products and services Ad rates Advertising contacts Propel Marketing Mail Tribune Daily Tidings The Nickel Shop Our Valley Blogs Mobile Site Stay Informed Email newsletter Sign Up Today Sign up for our newsletter and have the top headlines from your community delivered right to your inbox. Your privacy is important, read our privacy policy. © Copyright 2016 Local Media Group, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Privacy Policy | Terms of Service | Local Media Group Publications Original content available for non-commercial use under a Creative Commons license, except where noted. DailyTidings.com | P.O. Box 1108, Medford, OR 97501