The Art of the Brownie

For those of you who may not know this about me, I have a Bachelors Degree in Art History. It was not the first degree I sought upon entering school, but I loved the theories, colors and textures.

So when I first saw the Custom Chocolate Creations on display this past January in Tampa all I can say is that it was a Feast for the Eyes. (Unfortunately you cannot taste and or touch them albeit, VERY tempting.) This is the part of the event where The Festival of Chocolate vendors have the opportunity to showcase their creativity and their products in an artistic way. They really want you to take note of the details and revel in their vision. Each year, the theme is different . But the creations never cease to be absolutely amazing. The best thing? The winner is based on attendee votes. Chocoholics come Rock the Vote!

The Theme in November, “A Chocolate Holiday” has the Palm Beach vendors whipping up some cool and decadent Creations to display. And, one of those vendors might just have the corner on the competition...literally.

Shelia G’s Brownie Brittle is something that most of us have never seen professionally packaged before – although it has been at the heart of many of our lives. Inspired by creating peace for those who fight over the crunchy corners left over in the Brownie Pan, these delicious morsels are the delicate balance between the just-baked rich brownie taste and that nice cookie crunch.

Sheila G Mains has been baking gourmet brownies for restaurants and large corporations like Disney for over 20 years. Her favorite part of the brownie was always the edges. And after years of watching herself and others pick the crisp edges off the brownie pans at the end of a day of baking, she set out to create just the brownie edges.

Sounds simple. But trust me, from the first bite it is simple perfection. It conjures up that moment of childhood when the smell of warm brownies wafting through the house made you drop all of your Barbies and head directly for the kitchen.

Not only is The Festival of Chocolate thrilled to showcase such a unique product created by a Palm Beach local, but we are proud to be host to one of the hottest new culinary creations on the market. This is a company on the move…so watch them closely. Just this week they announced that they have been picked up by Bealls of Florida! And, more exciting expansion is just days away.

Are you one of the Corner Lovers? Lucky You! You can purchase the three signature flavors - chocolate chip, peanut butter chip and toffee crunch in Palm Beach and as far away as Canada. This past January over 100,000 bags were sold at the Fancy Food Show in San Francisco! Big things are happening for Sheila G’s Brownie Brittle!

I am not sure what I am more excited about, finally getting to taste their peanut butter chip or seeing what incredible Custom Creation they will bring to the showcase!

So, Brothers and Sisters in Brownie Bohemia – JOIN US at The Festival of Chocolate and Rock the Vote for YOUR favorite Chocolate Creation. And, while you are at it have a brownie…a cookie….a cupcake…a crepe…a truffle. Well, you get my drift.

16 Days and Counting! Catch you around the Brownie Corner.

Hey There...Cupcake

I absolutely LOVE cupcakes. After working in a bakery and now with The Festival of Chocolate… it made me wonder WHO came up with the brilliant idea to create the perfect 2-bite treat.

Most people think the term “cupcake” comes from idea that a cupcake looks like a cake cooked in a cup. However, after some research, it turns out that cupcakes are so named because this was a snack that could be stored inside a protective athletic cup during baseball games. Abner Doubleday himself may have been the first to tuck a cake there, and he was known to reach down for a nibble of his “cup cake” even while running the bases.

The first cupcakes did not have frosting as we know it, but instead were topped with lard as a kind of cake-moistening gravy. And, get this…Winston Churchill was the first person to suggest a kind of sweet frosting on the top of the cakes.

Lard to Buttercream…that must have been a no brainer!

Cupcake Cottage will leave you Wanting S’more…

So, if I’ve gotten you craving a cupcake now, it’s about to get even more tempting. We just got word that Cupcake Cottage is bringing their Triple Irish Crown and S’mores cupcakes to The Festival of Chocolate.

Their cupcakes are as decadently delicious as they are beautiful. And, yes – for my VERY difficult job, I had to try a few. My drop-to-the-knees favorite was Boston Cream. (a REALLY Moist Cake, Injected with Rich Cream, Topped with Thick Rich Chocolate) Back off donuts…there’s a NEW Sheriff in town. http://www.cupcakecottage.net/index.asp

For those of you unfamiliar with this Royal Palm Beach gem, the Cupcake Cottage is a gourmet cupcake boutique owned by Lisa Hamilton. Just one year ago, Lisa’s love of baking took her from a life of building condos, high rises and shopping plazas to sweet days focused on constructing the perfect cupcake. Smart Lady!

SPEAKING OF CUPCAKES… want to get your photo taken IN a Cupcake? As it turns out, our Cupcake Photo ops that were originally built for the Festival of Chocolate children have actually turned into an adult adventure too! That’s right! At the Festival of Chocolate, even grownups can stick their head through a cupcake while eating a cupcake. What a perfect day.

CUPCAKES BY THE NUMBERS

One cupcake is consumed for every adult in the US every day. If you haven’t had yours, you better wrestle one away from that chubby dude standing in front of the bakery.

The number of cupcakes eaten last year have more mass than the entire Earth!

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?