“This is chocolate as you’ve never had it; chocolate with so much spirit that it seems also to have soul. And it will instantaneously render all your other chocolate experiences — from Hershey to Ghirardelli, Godiva, even Valrhona — as flat and mundane.”  -Teresa Politano, Star-Ledger

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“I brought these (Tuscan Style chocolates) on the Today Show. These were the hit for the crew; everybody loved these… These are just fabulous chocolates.”
Phil Lempert, food trends editor for the Today Show

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“Olive oil, basil and balsamic vinegar are among the ingredients in the rich and luxurious truffles, fondues and bittersweet bonbons….  The lemon basil chocolate is distinctly fresh, the banana cinnamon creamy and the blood orange bold. Other flavors include anise, strawberry mint and chestnut nutmeg.”
Kelly Feeney, New York Times

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Chef Craig Shelton

“Diane’s skill as a Master Chocolatier was immediately obvious to me with my first sampling of her Donna Toscana line of Tuscan Style chocolates.  Her use of the finest South American chocolate and natural ingredients which she finely balances are evident in the high quality of her chocolate creations.”
Chef Craig Shelton, James Beard Award Winner and member of the Relais Gourmands

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“Words like handcrafted, artisan and gourmet hardly capture the ethereal realm that the ambitious and sophisticated chocolates inhabit at Donna & Company in Cranford. The infectiously enthusiastic founder and chocolatier Diane Pinder has created a wonderfully charming, old-fashioned shop that offers a staggering range of innovative, culinary confections. Since opening in 2005, the shop has earned an enthusiastic following of chocolate fans and serious foodies alike. Diane describes her creative passion as a quest to create unusual flavors for special people…”
Lauren Bright, NJ.com

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Links to on-line articles…

• I Am NJ, NJ Star-Ledger
• Chocolate the Tuscan Way, New York Times
• Chocolate Indulgence, Park Place Magazine
• Fine Diners and Fine Chocolates, The Food Chain
• Remarkable Chocolate Grown Locally, NJ.com
• The Perfect Partners in Chocolate, Inside Jersey
• Chocolate for Soldiers, NJ Monthly, NJ MyWay

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New Jersey Monthly: Best of 2010
“The artful chocolates of Donna & Company in Cranford ‘make me feel like I’m doing something on the cutting edge of flavor testing,’ writes Westfield reader Claudia Cuca. Credit proprietor Diane Pinder, whose high artisanship informs her series of Tuscan chocolates and whose imagination soars in the complex desserts-in-a-bite created with chef Craig Shelton.”
New Jersey Monthly, March 2010

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Edible Jersey Magazine: Local Hero 2010
“For Pinder, chocolate should be crafted with an eye to layers of flavor, so that it opens up the same way a good wine does.  Consider her balsamic ganache infused with fresh rosemary, with its hint of fruitiness, or her zingy blue cheese chocolate, spiked with Tellicherry black pepper and finished with a crust of crushed smoked almonds.”
edibleJersey, Number 12, Spring 2010

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Central Jersey Woman of the Year 2010
Diane received the 2010 Central Jersey Women in Business award for Woman of the Year.  Diane was honored along with six other successful business women who received awards for New Business of the Year, Contribution to Community, and Mentor of the Year.