Coo Coo for Chocolate

Its decadence is unquestionable. Its richness is legendary. It weights in as an impressive Hershey kiss. The reigning sultan of sweet..CHOCOLATE! What better place to satisfy an insatiable sweet tooth than the 13th annual New York Chocolate Show.


Impressively housing more than 50 chocolatiers, companies, chefs and authors, the Chocolate Show offers a unique cutting-edge look into the world of chocolate. From their culinary theaters with live demonstrations to the Kids Zone hosted by the Young Chefs Academy, there were endless ways to engage your chocolatey fix.




The destination: the neighborhood of Chelsea New York at the Metropolitan Pavilion. While I could not smell the chocolate from outside, the line wrapped around a New York block clued me that I was in the right place. Fortunately it was a perfect fall day in the Empire State. And as a token for my patience, I was greeted by complimentary bottles of Palmer's COCOA Butter...cute.


Chocolate is versatile as I was immediately made aware of when I was greeted by statuesque mannequins made of pure chocolate and scaled landscapes. It wasn't long before I was engulfed in chocolate aromas of white, milk, dark and fashioned creations. There were a sea of smiles and ooey-gooey faces.




One stand out was Divine Chocolate which was the only company that has a near 50% ownership by farmers in Africa. This allows farmers a better deal and additional income to invest in their communities. I was also allowed to sample a trio of new chocolate flavors they are considering bringing to market in the United States: milk orange, chocolate coffee and 85% dark. I went with the crowd favorite: milk orange. You can find Divine at Whole Foods Market.


Being a chocolate lover, I was thrilled to see Mr. Chocolate Jacque Torres with a booth dishing out samplings of his latest and greatest. I enjoyed a warm, oversized chocolate chunk cookie. I ventured through the various other vendors as I licked my chocolate fingers clean.




Hitting "coco" overload, I sipped a wonderful Limon rum from Don Q which probably wasn't the best decision. A chocolate high mixed with a rum buzz makes for a surreal trip. Last year's best- in-show Jer's was back with another impressive collection of chocolate candies. FYI...their chocolate peanut cups put Reese's to shame.

You could say that the rest was a "Cloud 9" chocolate blur. Chocolate fountains streaming chocolate rivers, truffle pops on a stick, dessert wines by Quady and destinations of vegan and organic chocolates every way I turned. The only thing missing were pearly gates and the strumming of an angel harpist in the background.
I exited the haven of coco with bottles dessert wine, the purest milk chocolate I've ever tasted and a revolving daydream of the sweetest thing I've ever known. The sugar strung out kids and amazingly serene adults carried out similar dreams. Pinch me if I'm dreaming.

Bon Appetit!

Check out all the pics on my facebook page: Foodies and Fatties. Be sure to "like" the page..and tell a friend :)