As much as I don’t like to admit it, I really am a sucker for sweets. Attending last year’s Salon du Chocolat in Paris, I thought it’d be fun to hit up the same show but in New York City with a friend of mine. Don’t get me wrong, but the show here is far less exciting and doesn’t really command the worth of the $28 ticket price (of course, if you purchase at Ticket Master, you might as well just call it an even $40 with their ridiculous charges).

Held at The Metropolitan Pavilion, the venue is much smaller than that of its French counterpart; however, that shouldn’t be a huge detriment to the show since exhibitions have been held at smaller places and been fantastic (referencing Salon du Vintage). What brings the disappointment is the booths whose delights aren’t anything special or the booths that are irrelevant. While having sponsorship is great, the “Win a Bahamas” booth could have been put to better use, especially since all it was was a ploy to get people’s numbers to call them to give out their credit numbers for a low fee to gain access to a “great getaway.”

There were some highlights to be had, though. Some of the chocolate booths had amazing treats or at the very least, interesting ones (hello chocolate covered bacon!). Others were diverse with what they offered: liqueurs that were mixed with chocolate from another booth or wines that had suggestive pairings for different types of chocolate and other foods. And if you are the type to enjoy cooking and baking, there were several demonstrations going on throughout the day with free samples of the recipe to be had.

It’s definitely a hit or miss with this one, but it really shouldn’t be considering that this is its 12th year in New York City.

Dresses featuring chocolate pieces

Sculpting out of chocolate

The cooking demonstration where you learn how much butter goes into desserts

Logo image courtesy of The Chocolate Show website

Barb :: Nov.30.2009 :: Culture, Trendy Finds :: 1 Comment »

It’s been a considerable time since I last posted, and will update the fellow readers on my personal life in another entry, but I thought I’d share the delight that I had in attending the Salon du Chocolat (i.e. mega chocolate exhibition!). This event is like any other trade show except the twist is, instead of the usual clothing exhibition, it’s all chocolate! Not just any regular chocolate either – there’s chocolate from various countries (such as Mexico) and interesting takes on chocolate treats (think olive oil covered chocolate or green tea chocolate treats).

The lineup was incredibly long if you weren’t already holding a ticket. In fact, if I were to measure it in football fields, I would say at least one and a half football fields! Even though the lineup for those already holding tickets was considerably shorter, it was still quite a huge mob. Bypassing the huge mob – think good timing and good location – I got into quite a crowded exhibition hall with many free samples calling out to me. Let’s just say that I’ve probably had my fill of chocolate for the year.

Now the highlight for me of this whole show was the fashion show. Considerably different from my experience at the Ethical Fashion Show , this show was one where it was much harder to get a good view, but when you did, you couldn’t help but be amazed. With a raised platform in the center of the exhibition hall, you’d think that this would be a huge attraction, and it was. But without other forms of media to project the fashion show, many people left, continued their chocolate ventures, or scrambled their way into the crowd in hopes of catching a glimpse.

When people said chocolate fashion show, I imagined something much more elaborate than what I saw. I thought of entire dresses being made of chocolate. Of course, I now realize how preposterous that sounds and admire the chocolate elements that were added to the clothing items. The models were excellent in terms of evoking personality on this mini runway. The encore where the chocolate couturiers came out with their creations was highly enjoyable. What kept me on my toes and my camera on was the entertainment between clothing changes.

Now I’m quite torn about one thing, and that’s the amount of music that was cued on the runway. Each strut down the runway required a new song, and while I enjoyed each costume having its own distinct music, I can’t help but wonder if it was really necessary. At other fashion shows that I’ve been to, it’s been minimal with the music changes; usually the song finishes and then another one will play, it isn’t really in sync with the whole runway show.

Barb :: Nov.16.2008 :: Fashion :: No Comments »