This Day Was Different

In the early days of Thanks Darl, I had a lot of doubts about whether I actually knew what I was doing.

People seemed to enjoy Darl Bars, but sometimes I’d get a response like “Hmm, they’re definitely different to other muesli bars.” I could never quite work out whether that was a compliment or not.

Then one afternoon I was doing a tasting at Bay Grocer when I spotted a well known chef doing his shopping. I offered him a sample and when he tried it he said “Wow, these are really good. Yeah, I’ll buy some.”

I won't reveal his identify because I haven't asked his permission to mention his name, but he works at a restaurant that rhymes with "Tree Clue Trucks".

The whole interaction lasted less than a minute, but that was the day I stopped doubting myself. I thought: this guy understands food and if he thinks they’re good, maybe I’m doing something right.

I haven’t seen him since but without realising it, he became my food mentor. I started following his philosophy of finding the best ingredients you can and turning them into something even more delicious.

It’s what eventually led to the Dark Chocolate Hazelnut Darl Bar. I searched for the best Australian hazelnuts and Belgian dark chocolate I could find, and years later, it’s still our best selling flavour.

Perhaps it never would've existed if that chef hadn't been doing his shopping that afternoon.