Chocolate Fest

Who doesn’t like chocolate?  I can’t think of anyone.   So the Chocolate Fest is kind of a slam dunk.  It’s hard to turn down chocolate, which is why there was a lot of spillover from the Comic Con, also being held at the Convention Center this weekend.  It was a colorful surprise to see the steam punk kids and girls dressed as cartoon princesses walking around.  But on to the festival!

I love chocolate, but I’m a little bit of a tough sell on the real dark stuff.  I know lots of people think I’m crazy, but hey, more for you.  So I was on the lookout for milk chocolate.  And caramels.  And pretzels dipped in chocolate.  And I found them all! It was a good day.  But the best thing I tasted all afternoon, was the toffee from Tea-Time toffee company.  I always have a fondness for toffee since it’s something I’ve tried to make many times myself, with poor results.  My husband on the other hand loved the drinking chocolate most.  They were a popular stop.  There was also a really interesting business that BREWS chocolate.  They  roast the cocoa beans and brew them in hot water just like you would a coffee bean.  I wasn’t really a fan, but I thought it was a really interesting concept.  Maybe a good addition to regular coffee or a cocktail?

Speaking of cocktails, there were a lot of wineries and distilleries sampling as well.  Many of them charged for their tastes, but some wine would have complimented all that chocolate really well.  I skipped the wine and went for the Marionberry vodka.
Other fun stuff:  A man selling industrial sized chocolate dipping machines.   A number of bakeries with cakes and frosting.  Awesome pink wigs on the ladies from the La Civa’s on SE Hawthorne.  The Oregon Zoo Fudge was another popular stand.  It is surprisingly good fudge for a souvenir shop.

The only thing I wish had been different was the location.  The Chocolate Fest is a fundraiser for the World Forestry Center and I wish it had been held there instead.  If you haven’t been for a visit, it is a really amazing space that more people need to visit and appreciate.  But, I get it, they need the big space at the convention center.
Tickets are $12.  Go check it out!

Disclosure:  The World Forestry Center gave me free tickets to this event, but the opinions are my own.