The buzzword at the 13th Annual
Chocolate Show seems to be "raw," and I'm not sure how I feel about that - to me, raw chocolates tend to taste rather like paint. (And if I want to eat something healthy, I'll visit a juice bar.) Still, there's a lot to enjoy at this year's somewhat scaled-back show. (Remember when the event was so huge that it took over the adjacent building?)
But first, if
you happen to be a fan of the raw chocolate movement, you'll want to visit:
Gnosis ("The World's Most Nutritious Chocolate"), which is offering samples of pomegranate-acai and fleur de sel raw, vegan, dairyless chocolate;
Nibmor, which serves a maple and palm sugar dairyless cocoa mix in four flavors, the Ecuadorian raw organic 84% chocolate of
Antidote, and the fair-trade selection of
Divine Organics.
For me, I'll stick to the apricot ganache samples offered by
Valrhona, the chocolate-covered peanut butter and jelly macarons ($3) of
Francois Payard, three varieties of chocolate fondue at Les Fondues Au Chocolat (they provide complimentary grapes for dipping, whereas
Lily O'Brien's pay-per-dip chocolate fountain gives you marshmallows, graham crackers and pretzels but no fruit), and the 80% cacao bonbon samples offered by
Jacques Torres.
Those with a salt tooth will want to try
Neuchatel's chocolate-covered potato chips, chocolate-covered bacon strips from
Co Co. Sala, and chocolate popcorn by
2 Chicks with Chocolate at The Wine Collection. Peanut butter lovers have both the longtime vendor
Peanut Butter & Company and
Jer's Gourmet Chocolates.
And what's chocolate without its complementary flavor, vanilla? There's a Bourbon Vanilla from Madagascar stand which is selling vanilla beans and powders.
If you need someone to explain all the attributes of single-origin chocolates, it's best to go see author Alexandra Leaf over at
Pralus Chocolatier. She will point out the notes of coffee and fudge in a Brazilian sample and you'll taste chocolate in an enlightened new way.
Bonnat Chocolatier also features a good selection of South American single-origin bars.
Many of this year's exhibitors are based in France (
Comptoir de Cacao has some wonderful praline samples) , but there's a small Italian corner featuring
Guido Gobino and T'a Sentimento Cioccolato, which was headed up by a relative of Italy's most famous panettone manufacturer. At Gobino you can sample the giandujotti, which are $28 at Eataly for a lamentably small package.
Kids can get in on the action with Tina Cocolina books and a Kids Zone where they can use stencils to make sweet-tasting drawings,design chef's hats and dip spoons in chocolate. The three most ornate chocolatiers are Tampa-based
William Dean, with tropical-colored confections, customizable chocolate decorations from
Poesies Chocolatees (check out the snowflakes and Christmas ornaments. and vintage-influenced
Rogue, which uses a special heat infusion process to imprint multi-colored designs onto their chocolates.
Cafe Bustelo is serving free cappuccino, espresso and mocha on the south side of the room. No need to pay for your coffee at the cafe on the opposite side - you're already out $28 just for the tickets to the show! Still, it's hard to leave without purchasing something - I left with a jar of chocolate milk jam from Normandy, a tube of creme de noisette from Pralus (it makes Nutella irrelevant), and two saucer-sized macarons from Payard. It was nice to be presented with a free cup of
Callebaut's callets upon exiting - they went pretty quickly.
The Chocolate Show: The Metropolitan Pavilion, 125 West 18th St.
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