Black
sesame, lavender, and salted caramel with rosemary are generally not flavours
of hot chocolate you see on the menu of your local coffee shop, but at Vancouver’s
2nd Annual Hot Chocolate Festival, hosted by City Food magazine, these are the norm
amongst the dozens of other wild flavours on offer. After the huge success of
the first Hot Chocolate Festival, Rhonda May, the coordinator of the event,
says that main push to continue for a second year was due to the many requests from
the public.
May
explains that the Festival began because, as far as they knew, “no one had done
a city-wide Hot Chocolate Festival before, so it was a different idea to try.”
Not only that, but “Vancouver has some of the most talented chocolatiers and
pastry chefs in the world, using the best ingredients, and there was not enough
attention being given to that.”
This
year there are 13 different locations, cafés and chocolate shops alike, who are
participating in the festival by offering a rotating variety of flavours over
the course of one month. The festival began mid-January and ends on Feb. 14. A
list of the different venues taking part in the festival can be found on the
website (www.cityfood.com/events/hotchocolate/)
as well as the different flavours which festival-goers have the opportunity to
experience.
One
of these shops is Bella Gelateria, a handcrafted gelato shop on the corner of
Burrard St. and West Cordova. They are featuring salted caramel, Italian honey
nougat and hazelnut, and macadamia nut flavours, all of which are accompanied with
a complimentary slice of banana bread. Bella Gelateria’s specialty is
handcrafted gelato but has been chosen to take part in the festival because of
the fine quality hot chocolates they serve: “We put a lot of care into our hot
chocolates, we use organic milk, and Michel Cluziel chocolate,” explains Tyler
Pletzer, an employee of Bella Gelateria.
Beyond
trying the different flavours, real hot chocolate enthusiasts can also take
part in the Online Photo Contest, which will automatically enter each
contestant in a draw to win various gift certificates from the participating
businesses, as well as the opportunity to win a Festival Pass to the 2013
Vancouver Hot Chocolate Festival. All photos entered must be of either the hot
chocolate itself, or of you and your friends enjoying your drinks.
Young
and old alike are encouraged to join, as May explains: “Almost all other
beverage festivals involve alcohol, and are therefore restricted to adults
only. This is one that the whole family can enjoy, while at the same time
supporting a neighbourhood business.” Furthermore, all proceeds of the festival
go towards Vancouver’s Downtown Eastside Women’s Centre and its food services
programs.
As
the festival nears its end on Valentine’s Day, it allows people an opportunity
to take out their significant other for a romantic date, or simply for some
cheer. As May puts it, “Nearly everyone loves chocolate, and in January, when
the holiday season is over, Valentine’s Day seems a long
ways
away, and the Vancouver weather is dark, wet and a little depressing, we can
all use some cheering up.”
//Leanne Kriz, writer
//Graphics by Kira Campbell
//Leanne Kriz, writer
//Graphics by Kira Campbell
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