Join us for a special Friday Night Experience
VIP Night - Ages 21 & Over
6:00 - 8:00 pm
All Proceeds Benefit the Nonprofit Love Community Center!
7 Stations. With 7 Ways to Experience Chocolate.
Look for the numbered stars throughout the festival
and taste your way through all 7 VIP experiences
-Plus 25 chocolate vendors sampling chocolates, truffles & treats-
-Wine & Bourbon-
Your 7 Interactive Chocolate Experiences:
Leaf and Pod: An Artisan Tea and Bean-to-Bar Chocolate Experience
Discover what happens when artisan tea meets craft chocolate. Taste thoughtfully selected pairings and learn how the flavors and aromas in each can complement -or transform- the other. A guided tea & chocolate pairing hosted by Ronee & Grace of Cacao, Coffee & Tea
Beyond the Bar: Wine, Chocolate and Praline Brownies
Discover how wine can bring out different flavors in both chocolate and a handcrafted praline brownie. Taste a red and a white wine, each thoughtfully paired with a different chocolate treat, guided by Brook Johnson of Yahara Chocolate.
Bourbon and Chocolate: A Perfect Pairing
Take a sip, take a bite, then taste them together. Discover how the flavors of bourbon and chocolate interact—and what makes the right combination work.
Find Your Chocolate Match: A Guide to Choosing Chocolate
Not sure which chocolates to choose? Taste your way through different styles and discover what you like, and what to look for when buying chocolate. Our chocolate expert will taste along with you, answer your questions, and help you figure out which styles and flavors are right for you.
Regional Bar Challenge Tastings - Taste bars from around the world & vote for your favorite.
Chocolate makers from around the world started with the same cacao beans, then created a bar inspired by their own region. Taste how each maker put a local spin on the same cacao, and then you vote for your favorite at the show!
Learn How To Make Chocolate At Home
Ever wondered if you can make chocolate at home? See the process in action and learn the basic steps and equipment you need to turn cacao beans into your own chocolate. Works for nut butters, too!
From Bean to Spoon: Taste Liquid Chocolate in the Making
Sample warm, freshly made chocolate straight from the machines as makers compete in the Live Bean-to-Bar Battle, then vote for your favorite spoonful at the show!
Optional add-on: 8 pm Concert Ticket for Pianist Cristiana Pegoraro at the Rushville Princess Theatre
Friday VIP Tickets Include all-day Saturday access!