As the rich aroma of freshly roasted cacao beans fills their El Paso apartment, Nancy Lopez and her husband, Ricardo Cigarroa, carefully lift the hot pans from the oven and pour the beans into a bucket. They carry it to the living room, settle onto the couch, turn on the TV, and begin peeling the shells from four pounds of cacao beans.
It’s the first step in a chocolate-making ritual that connects Lopez to her family’s roots in Chiapas, Mexico—a tradition passed down through generations.
“I learned from my mom and my grandma. My grandma is the one that has kept this tradition going on,” Lopez said. “At home we make it with my mom. We have to do it in big batches because if not, it runs out pretty fast at my house. My mom always has a pot of chocolate ready on the stove. So it’s very essential. It’s a staple.”…