Celebrate The Future Of Chocolate At Dallas Chocolate Festival

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dallas chocolate festival
photo by Karen Tran

Chocolate Lovers’ Favorite Event Returns to Dallas September 7-9

Dallas Chocolate Festival, presented by Whole Foods Market, will be held Sept. 7-9 at Fashion Industry Gallery (F.I.G.), 1807 Ross Avenue. The three-day Festival celebrates the “Future of Chocolate” with over 60 innovative chocolate makers and chocolatiers from Dallas and around the world.

Tickets are available online at DallasChocolate.org for an opportunity to see what the future of chocolate holds, from edible chocolate candles to new flavors and more. Festival highlights include a Friday night VIP Party and Saturday’s family-friendly expo offering samples, shopping opportunities, and demonstrations.

Classes at Sunday’s hands-on workshops, including a Chocolate Making workshop and Chocolate Tasting class, will move to Whole Foods Market in Preston Forest Shopping Center.

Now in its ninth year, the Dallas Chocolate Festival brings together over 2,400 attendees to learn, taste, and experience the artistry and craftsmanship of quality chocolate. A portion of proceeds will be donated as scholarship funds to local culinary programs for students focused on pastry arts with an emphasis on chocolate.

Tickets for Dallas Chocolate Festival’s VIP Party Sept. 7, from 7-10 p.m. at F.I.G. are $75 (only for 21+). VIP Party guests will have an opportunity to explore and meet this year’s exhibitors, sip specialty cocktails made with Cacao juice from Repurposed Pod – (the same fruit that brings you chocolate) – and lots of tasty chocolatey treats. Each guest will receive a goody bag.

Sept. 8, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m., is the main event. Tickets are $35 for adults and $5 for children 10 and under. Ticketholders will be immersed in a chocolate experience complete with tastings, demonstrations, lectures, round table discussions, and a kid’s area with coloring stations, chocolate fountain, and a scavenger hunt. Ticketholders are assigned an entry time at four points: 11 a.m., 12:30, 2, and 3:30 p.m. Guests are welcome to attend the other features of the event all day, but can only enter the vendor hall starting at the entry time on the ticket.

Dallas Chocolate Festival Workshops September 9

Dallas Chocolate Festival Workshops will be Sept. 9 at Whole Foods Market on Preston Road. A Bean to Bar Chocolate Making Workshop is from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. ($100), with a Chocolate Tasting Workshop from 2-4 p.m. ($60). An all day workshop pass is $150.

The hands-on Bean-to-Bar Chocolate Making Workshop will be taught by such chocolate artisans as Ben Rasmussen of Potomac Chocolate, Art Pollard of Amano Artisan Chocolate, Troy Easton of Sublime Chocolate, and Jessica Beeman of 5 Mile Chocolate. Starting with the humble cacao beans, the panel of instructors will guide students on how to roast, crack, winnow, grind, and blend ingredients, resulting in chocolate bars the students can take home.

The Chocolate Tasting Workshop, led by Founder and Chief Chocophile Lauren Adler of Seattle-based Chocolopolis, a well-respected retail store known for its curated collection of chocolate and dedication to educating chocolate lovers about finer points of bean-to-bar chocolate, and Rob Anderson of Fresco Chocolate. The two will guide the students through a chocolate tasting using the methods honed in Chocolopolis’s regular tasting panels while learning how roasting, conching, and other tools are used to develop specific flavors. For tickets to any of the events, visit dallaschocolate.org.

DallasChocolate.org was started in June of 2009 with the goal of promoting artisan chocolate in Dallas. Founder Sander Wolf wanted to educate budding foodies about the complex processes and hand-crafted skill that result in a refined chocolate experience. In addition to sharing local and global chocolate news DallasChocolate.org hosts its signature event, The Dallas Chocolate Festival, every autumn. What started in 2009 as a simple event featuring two bean-to-bar chocolate makers has exploded into one of the “must do” events for Dallas foodies. Featuring chocolate samples from industry innovators the world over, the event now features dozens of chocolatiers and chocolate makers, demonstrations, and workshops. DallasChocolate.org is dedicated to promoting local chocolate artisans and continually educating chocolate lovers about the dynamic, innovative, and delicious world of artisan chocolate.