Join Maricel Presilla, chef, culinary historian and James Beard Award winning author of Gran Cocina Latina and The New Taste of Chocolate, for an ongoing exploration of the multifaceted roles played by women in the expanding world of fine cacao and chocolate in Latin America. In the third installment of FCIA’s webinar series on Latin American women leaders, meet women who create bridges between North America and Latin America for the love of chocolate and learn from their accomplishments as well as the challenges they have faced while navigating between two worlds: Arcelia Gallardo of Mission Chocolate (US and Brazil) Of Mexican background and born in California, Arcelia has been working in chocolate for the last 18 years, gaining experience in the Bay Area as chocolatier in her own retail store in Berkeley and then as chocolate maker at Dandelion Chocolate, before opening Mission Chocolate in Sao Paulo, Brazil. Arcelia’s goal is to create fine chocolate, work directly with farmers and cacao-growing communities, make ethical decisions in matters that impact the environment and employees, and always be unique Elfi Maldonado of Qantu Chocolate (Canada and Peru) Making exceptional chocolates in Montreal with her life partner Maxime Simard since 2016, Elfi takes pride in working directly with cacao farmers in her native Peru. She is not only interested in quality, but also pays close attention to the culture and traditions of the communities from which she sources heirloom cacao for her hands-on craft operation Barbara Wilson of Mindo Chocolate (US and Ecuador) Traveling regularly between Michigan and Ecuador where she sources cacao for her factory in Dexter and runs a café and chocolate factory in the small community of Mindo with her daughter Emily Meza-Wilson, keeps Barbara busy. But little can slow the fast bicultural pace of this former US- born Public Health Educator who has been making chocolate since 2008 while attending conferences and taking cacao and chocolate.