What a Spook-tacular day to enjoy a little Chocolate...

The first time that I ever went Trick or Treating, I was three years old. Completely obsessed with the 1955 Peter Pan broadcast starring MaryMartin; my mother made me the most amazing Tiger Lily Costume that my three-year-old self could imagine. Once I was dressed and ready to go, my father handed me my little plastic pumpkin basket and we were onto the first house. I have always been painfully shy, so the idea of knocking on someone’s door and saying “Trick or Treat” was TERRIFYING, but I did it anyway.

Little did I know, that by saying those three little words, the individual standing in front of me would hand me a full size chocolate bar to be placed into my pumpkin basket. Onto the next house, and the same thing happened, and as I started to recognize the pattern, I was so overwhelmed with excitement that I literally started running from house to house. Nothing could stop me, not even falling on the street, splitting my knee open. With a bloody shin and feather headdress I probably quite a sight for the nice people answering the door to take in.

As I have gotten older, and to the age where I pass out the candy instead of go around looking for it, it has made me wonder how the tradition began. And of course, The Festival of Chocolate constantly has my mind wondering how chocolate factors into the candy-receiving traditions.

I won’t bore you with the ancient facts, but Trick or Treating as we know it today gained nation-wide popularity sometime around the 1950s and actually stemmed from a Thanksgiving tradition in which kids dressed up to go door-to-door begging for food to be consumed during their Thanksgiving meal. As the years went on, the tradition shifted from begging for food to asking for Halloween treats with elaborate costumes, parades and parties popping up all over the nation.

The favorite food of Trick or Treaters? According the US Census Bureau and National Confectioners Association, 68% of kids prefer anything that is made with chocolate, and 70% of Parents prefer to sneak chocolate than any other candy from their kid’s trick or treat bags.

Treat for Grown Ups!

So, if you are an adult and are not ready to put on your headdress or scary mask and ask for mini-sized treats…then check out the place that has a Chocolate Treat that is made with the quality, uber-fresh ingredients demanded by many Grown Up but the flavors that will make you feel like a kid again.

Chocolate by Mr. Roberts, located in East Boca Raton, has been a very popular location to procure chocolate (for Halloween and beyond!) for over 30 years. The neighborhood believes that it is their Best Kept Secret…but the secret is out!

Michelle Zander, the current owner, studied under Chocolate by Mr. Roberts’s creator, Heinz Robert Goldschneider prior to taking over the business in 2007. She has mastered the art of fine handmade chocolates created in the Swiss tradition.

Each piece has been hand tempered, cut and dipped into the decadent creamy chocolate. If that does not impress you – it should. I can count on my right hand the number of chocolate business that actually make it ALL from scratch.

If a White Truffle doesn’t sound like your thing, give their English Toffee truffle a try! With the buttery crunch center covered in either milk or dark chocolate, and crushed almonds on top, it is enough to make any chocoholic scream for more!

For additional information on Chocolate by Mr. Roberts, please visit their website at http://www.chocolatesbymrroberts.com/.

Want to know more about Chocolate history? Be sure to visit our Chocolate Museum, -- we have the only travelling Chocolate Museum in the USA. Learn about the evolution of chocolate from the seed in a pod on the Theobroma tree, to your favorite chocolate, see how chocolate travelled to the Americas and even check out some the tools that the Mayans used when they first discovered the Cacao Bean. It’s Super Cool!

Be safe tonight! And Have a Happy Halloween!

-CC

No, you cannot have my job.

My name is Kacie, and like I said before no, you cannot have my job.

I joined this fabulous chocolate event two years ago. And since then I have literally been eating my way through the best Tampa and Orlando has to offer in the world of chocolate.

I have learned where chocolate grows, that white chocolate isn’t TECHNICALLY chocolate, and that no, chocolate does not give you acne.

When we signed the contract with the Palm Beach County Convention Center to pack over 50,000 square feet with chocolate, it was hard to imagine that this incredible event was held in a tiny Orlando hotel ballroom just three years ago. Now, in 2011 it has been voted one of the Top Ten Chocolate Events in the Nation. Trust me, when you come to West Palm Beach in three weeks, you will understand why.

The chocolate experiences that we now have are absolutely amazing. Where else can you see two grown men wearing pink aprons go head-to-head in an ice cream eating contest? Make your own chocolate lip balm? Or participate in Brownie Bingo, and then eat your playing pieces?

It is my job to let you know all of the most up-to-date information on the Festival of Chocolate. And I promise to provide you with the sweet inside scoop of our vendors, activities and demonstrations.

So eat that piece of dark chocolate tonight because it is good for your heart. Drink that chocolate milk after a work out to expedite your muscle recovery, and come to our festival to be immersed in chocolate in a way you have never imagined!

Yours truly,

Resident Chocolate Chick =)

PS - The cupcakes, a tasty teaser of what you can expect to find November 19th and 20th. And I just had one...jealous?