Chef, food historian and author Maricel Presilla, who wrote the book "The New Taste of Chocolate" in 2009, is helping put Latin America's cacao products on the map, and she has big hopes for the industry.

The restaurant owner, who became a multiple recipient of the James Beard Awards for excellent cuisine, traveled around the region to gather recipes as she worked on her book, "Gran Cocina Latina: The Food of Latin America." But while doing so, Presilla learned more about the cacao industry and now, she's pushing to make Latin American cacao world class.

"Cacao is very much a part of my life from the time I was a child, so it makes sense that I was drawn to cacao farms when I was traveling through Latin America doing my big book," Presilla said.

Latin American Cacao Vs. European Cacao

Presilla noted that the origins of cacao are deeply rooted in Latin American regions, which is where raw materials for chocolate products have been sourced since the early centuries. However, it was the Europeans buying the cacao crops who developed cacao as a fine ingredient, while Latinos remained producers. "We never developed beyond using cacao as a drink," the chef said.

Emerging Latin American Fine Chocolates

However, that has been changing with the introduction of high-end fine chocolate brands, such as Pacari from Ecuador or Chocolates El Rey from Venezuela. In fact, El Ray commissioned Presilla's help in bringing their products to the United States. It was there that the chef learned to appreciate Latin American cacao on a larger scale. "I really started to pay attention to the literature of chocolate and realized that there was much work to be done," Presilla said.

Her research led her to cacao factories in and around the region where she discovered that locals have learned to develop fine chocolate products worthy of international recognition. Some producers even have good techniques.

Establishing Direct Cacao

Realizing the potential, Presilla established Direct Cacao to protect and support Latin American cacao growers and the chocolate industry. "What we want to do is change people's perceptions and tell them that a chocolate has been directly traded and it means something," said Presilla.

Direct Cacao also works with local farmers via workshops that help them understand their crop's business potential better. "They need to market it properly and to understand the value of what they have," she said.

The chef hopes that local governments will recognize and support their efforts. "Stop that colonial idea that it has to be exported to the first world and then allowed to be developed into a fine product like chocolate."