The much-anticipated Dallas Chocolate Festival, presented by DallasChocolate.org, is celebrating the “Future of Chocolate,” and educating Dallasites about chocolate, one bar at a time! The three-day festival, now in its ninth year, brings in over 70 chocolate makers and chocolatiers from around the world and locally. Festival highlights include a Friday night VIP Party and Saturday’s family-friendly expo offering samples, shopping opportunities, demonstrations, and classes at Fashion Industry Gallery (F.I.G.). Sunday’s hands-on workshops, including a Chocolate Tasting class and a Chocolate Making workshop, will be held at Whole Foods Market in Preston Forest Shopping Center. Over 2,400 attendees will learn, taste, and experience the artistry and craftsmanship of quality chocolate. A portion of proceeds will be donated as scholarship funds to local culinary programs for students focused on pastry arts with an emphasis on chocolate.
Says Dallas Chocolate Festival Founder Sander Wolf, “Similar to the recent craft beer revolution, the artisan chocolate industry is in the midst of a renaissance. There is so much good work being done, from farms around the world to mom and pop businesses within the United States. We look forward to sharing it with the chocolate lovers of Dallas at our festival.”
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Dallas Chocolate Festival 2018 Schedule
Dallas Chocolate Festival VIP Party
When: Friday, Sept. 7, 7:00 PM – 10:00 PM
Where: Fashion Industry Gallery (F.I.G.) – 1807 Ross Avenue, Dallas, TX 75201
Cost: Tickets are $75 for 21+.
Friday night’s VIP Party will be The Chocolate Party of the Year! VIP Party guests will have the premiere opportunity to explore over 60 exhibitors, from chocolates and treats to cocktails and sweets. Each guest will receive a goody bag.
Dallas Chocolate Festival Main Event
When: Saturday, Sept. 8, 11:00 AM – 5:00 PM
Where: Fashion Industry Gallery (F.I.G.) – 1807 Ross Avenue, Dallas, TX 75201
Cost: Tickets are $35 for adults and $5 for children 10 and under.
A chocolate destiny awaits on Saturday, Sept. 7th, the best chocolate day ever! Adults and children will be immersed in a complete chocolate experience, wowed by the aromas, the textures, the visual artistry, and the tantalizing flavors of the finest chocolates ever created. In addition to everyone’s favorite part of the day – the tastings! – guests can learn every element of chocolate-making. The day includes demonstrations, lectures, round table discussions, a kids’ area, and more. Find out about all of the activities, such as the macaron-making demonstration by Isabel Mota, founder of My French Recipe, and an inspirational lecture by Founder and Chief Chocophile Lauren Adler of Seattle-based Chocolopolis, at www.dallaschocolate.org. To manage flow through the festival exhibitor hall, tickets are assigned an entry time at four points throughout the day: 11:00 AM, 12:30 PM, 2:00 PM and 3:30 PM.
Dallas Chocolate Festival Workshops
When: Sunday, Sept. 9
9:00 AM – 1:00 PM Bean to Bar Chocolate Making Class. Tickets are $100 each.
2:00 PM – 4:00 PM Chocolate Tasting Intensive. Tickets are $60.
Where: Whole Foods Market – 11700 Preston Rd #714, Dallas, TX 75230
Cost: All Day Workshop Pass is $150.
Two interactive festival workshops allow chocolate fans to dive deeper into their passion. Students can learn to make chocolate from bean to bar, experience an intensive chocolate tasting, or do both! In the hands-on Bean to Bar Chocolate Making Class, a panel of some of the best chocolate craftsman in the world will start with the humble cacao bean and guide students on how to roast, crack, winnow, grind and blend ingredients resulting in chocolate bars the students can take home. The Chocolate Tasting Intensive, led by Founder and Chief Chocophile Lauren Adler of Seattle-based Chocolopolis, will teach students what to look for when selecting a chocolate bar. In 2008, Adler opened Chocolopolis, a well-respected retail store known for its curated collection of chocolate and dedication to educating chocolate lovers about finer points of bean-to-bar chocolate, and has since become an international expert on the craft chocolate market and consumers’ purchasing habits.
