Valerie Confections

by Julie Wolfson In an L.A. neighborhood between Koreatown, Silverlake and just west of downtown, you'll find the tiny haven Valerie Confections where chocolatiers make some of the best artisanal chocolates in Southern California. What Valerie Gordon and her partner Stan Weightman Jr. began in 2004 as a few types of hand-crafted toffee since has blossomed into a full service confectioner. In addition to her …

Nudo Adopt-an-Olive-Tree Giveaway

Making the farm-to-table connection all the more real, Nudo's "adopt-an-olive-tree" program delivers their delicious certified organic olive oil to your door along with the pride of ownership that comes from calling one of their trees yours. In addition to four 500mL tins of the tree's first cold press extra virgin oil in mid-April and three half-size tins of infused (lemon, chile and orange) oil in …

Baking for Good

Started by New Yorker Emily Dubner, the online bakery Baking for Good donates 15% of each purchase to a cause chosen by the customer. By tying charity to a guilty pleasure, Baking for Good allows customers to feel better about gifting or consuming scrumptious snacks and desserts and makes it easy to give back. With a list of nonprofits and community causes almost as extensive …