Chocolate tower of delightIt’s a great time this weekend for New York’s most stir crazy residents (and shivering winter tourists!) to make it out for something truly magical that happens only once a year — the The Chocolate Expo, New York’s largest chocolate event.

It’s taking place for the fourth consecutive year to Long Island’s Cradle of Aviation Museum in Garden City, NY, on Sunday, March 1, 2015, from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m.

At The Chocolate Expo, attendees get the opportunity to sample, taste, purchase, and otherwise indulge in delicious gourmet chocolates, baked goods, specialty foods, gelato, cheeses, and wine and other gourmet treats more from over 75 local and regional vendors, while touring one of the largest air and space museums in the world.
Mint Lemon Balm at Chocolate Expo

If you’re a fan of chocolate or confections, there’s something you’ll love at the Expo. Raw foodies and others with restricted diets and nutritional needs or simply eclectic taste won’t be disappointed, either.. In addition to many vendors now offering healthy dark chocolate options, Raw Chocolate Love and Seed Born Foods are two of several vendors whose focus is on healthy, decadent chocolate products. An Artistic Taste, another newcomer to The Chocolate Expo, will be featuring its hugely popular Brussels sprouts infused with chocolate.

Attendees with gluten-restricted diets should check out Dragon’s Nest Bake Baked Goods and Darcy’s Delights, whose focus on gluten-free baked goods and healthy baked specialty loaf breads nourish the body as well as the soul.

Things to watch for: Bacon Bites’ chocolate-covered bacon, chocolate salad dressings from JD Gourmet to chocolate-scented bath products from The RAD Soap Company.

Chocolate fountains will flow again this year courtesy of Aurora Gourmet, and Long Island’s own Crazy Crepe Cafe will be making yummy chocolate crepes, and Pika’s Farm Table will be serving authentic Belgian-style waffles dipped in a choice of white, dark or milk chocolate.

Chocolate demonstrations will be conducted in the Cradle of Aviation’s Giant Dome Theater by celebrity chefs Barret Beyer (Hell’S Kitchen Season 11 and Kitchen Casino), Larry Rosenberg (author of The Original Bacon Cookbook and a contributor to Martha Stewart’s “Wedding Book”) and Tony Albanese (Cake Boss Season 1 and Cupcake Wars) beginning at 11am and continuing throughout the day until the last session ends at 6:00pm.

The complete schedule of events can be found at http://www.TheChocolateExpo.com.

tourist sampling chocolateAdmission to The Chocolate Expo is only $15/adult and $10/child (ages 2-12). Children under 2 years of age are free. Tickets include admission to the Cradle of Aviation’s exhibits (regularly $14/adults and $12/children ages 2-12) and admission to the Nassau County Firefighters Museum (regularly $5/adults and $4/children).

Tickets are available online from the Cradle of Aviation Museum, as well as via the Museum’s Box Office during regular business hours. Tickets can also be purchased directly on the day of the expo itself.

Check back here at Food of History Tomorrow by subscribing to our RSS feed — Larry Rosenberg is sharing a decadent recipe with us as a preview of his demonstration at the Chocolate Expo.

 

(All images copyright copyright by photographer Chuck Fishman, provided courtesy of The Chocolate Expo)