Last year, more than 25,000 samples of chocolates and sweets were consumed by attendees at the Colorado Chocolate Festival. This year, organizers expect that number to rise. Attendees may also purchase pre-packaged chocolates from the booths, to take home, or give as gifts for Mother's Day.
Special guests are Master Pastry Chef Johannes Busch from Johnson & Wales University and award-winning chocolatier, Robin Autorino of Robin Chocolates. Chef Busch will judge the Chocolate Cake competitions, and will do a live demo on how to make "soft caramel in chocolate shells" Friday evening at 7:00pm. Robin Autorino will demonstrate how to prepare ganache, a chocolate-and-cream based cream used to fill truffles and pastries, at 1:00pm on Saturday. Autorino, who was recently named one of the Top 10 Chocolatiers in North America by Dessert Professional magazine, will also have a booth at the festival both days, sampling and selling her prize-winning truffles. Both demos are free with fair admission.
Chocolate and Beer pairing classes and samples are also on deck, with Chocolate Therapist Julie Pech, both days. And annual favorite events, such as the Chocolate Crown contest to eat the most Hershey Kisses in 1 minute, and the kids' Chocolate Pudding Eating Contest return on Saturday afternoon. Winners get bragging rights and Golden Tickets, worth money at any booth in the festival.
The prestigious Chocolatier Championships, with a $500 cash prize for the Grand Champion truffle, will be presented onstage Saturday at 2pm. Secondary truffle prizes are $100 each, and the awards for Best Fudge, Best Toffee, Best Chocolate Design and Best Open Class each come with a $100 prize. Competitions are open to all culinary professionals, and will be judged by regional food critics and experts. The Chocolatier Championships, and the Chocolate Crown Competition are both emceed by TV's Chris Parente.
More $500 cash prizes will be awarded during Friday night's Chocolate Cake Competitions - for Best Wedding Cake and Best Birthday Cake. The Best Cupcake will receive a $100 cash prize. The Chocolate Cake Competition display will be the centerpiece of the Chocolate Festival, and cakes will be judged on appearance as well as taste. The Chocolate Cake Competitions are open to professional and amateur bakers. Entry forms are online at www.chocolate-festival.org
