How about a little chocolate?

Movies have been made about it, people crave it (especially women), and it is one of the most versatile and desired ingredients in confectionary cooking. What is this magical ingredient I am talking about? Well ,chocolate of course! This last weekend, I attended the Twin Cities Chocolate Extravaganza with a good friend. She originally heard of this event through the Healthy Leader’s Initiative team at Luther. It was highlighted as a way to take care of our emotional health and lower our stress. The cost of admission was $20, kind of a steep price for the entertainment of a seminarian, however, the entire event was a fundraiser for the Make-a-wish foundation. That made it a little easier to accept the fact that I was paying $20 to sample some chocolate.

The event was hosted at the International Marketplace in Minneapolis. This is a multi-level luxurious building which houses offices and outlets for the private sales of textiles, décor, and services. The entire building encased a beautifully decorated atrium with a restaurant and a lounge. It was a very nice change from the seminary atmosphere. But what truly made this a feast for the eyes were the tables, and booths of chocolate confectioners and extraordinaires that lined the first three floors. There were samples of gelato, chocolate wontons by a Chinese restaurant, chocolate martinis, Belgian chocolate, chocolate Yule log, sipping chocolate, dark chocolate, white chocolate, and milk chocolate, chocolate fudge, a chocolate fountain, chocolate coffee, spiced chocolate, healthy chocolate, chocolate truffles and to compliment the chocolate they had wineries who came to give out samples of their choicest wine.

During the two days that this event was taking place, they had a couple of events that were put on for people to attend. I caught a glimpse of the chocolate inspired fashion show and tasted a confection which was lovingly called nirvana by its creator. One of my favorite samples was a treat called, Mayan sipping chocolate, it was a cross between rich hot chocolate and a melted Hershey’s bar. The table host agreed with me, when I described it as chocolate espresso. One of my goals this year was to experience more of what the Cities have to offer and boy o boy, this was definitely one hell of an offering from the Cities. This is a great event for a bunch of friends to get together. Walking through the lines and waiting for the delectable samples fosters conversation. The feeling of euphoria from the wine and the chocolate is just and added bonus.