Community Corner

Chocolate Lover's Festival: Treat Tastings, Food Challenges, Wonka Screening and More

There's even pancakes (including chocolate chip pancakes, of course).

by Jennifer van der Kleut

Mmmmm....chocolate. Who doesn't love chocolate?

The 2014 Chocolate Lover's Festival will be held on Feb. 1 and Feb. 2 in downtown Fairfax City.

There will be a wealth of activities, tastings, tours and more, all centered on that magically wonderful food called chocolate.

See a complete schedule and list of vendors for the Chocolate Lover's Festival

There's the Taste of Chocolate, in which vendors from around Northern Virginia offer delectable spreads of their chocolate creations for sampling, the Chocolate Challenge in which judges jury the most unique creations from amateur and professional bakers and chefs alike, chocolate-themed storytimes at the library, the famed Chocolate Caper Mock Trial, puppet shows, face-painting, music, the "So You Think You're Smarter Than a Lawyer?" game, and much more.

If the thought of all that indulgent chocolate makes you feel a bit guilty, here's one thought to help soften the blow—each year, the chocolate festival chooses one area nonprofit organization or charity to donate the proceeds to. This year, the beneficiary is Best Buddies Virginia, a program that provides opportunities for one-on-one, mutually enriching friendships for people with and without intellectual and developmental disabilities. Funding will support the George Mason University Best Buddies chapter, a collaborative community-based initiative operated in partnership with The Mason LIFE Program, a post-secondary program for young adults with IDD who desire a university experience.

This year's "celebrity" judges for the Chocolate Challenge include Fairfax City Mayor Scott Silverthorne, Sabrina Campbell of Occasionally Cake, and Dean Thomas Prohaska of George Mason University's College of Health and Human Services.

See a complete schedule and list of vendors for the Chocolate Lover's Festival


Get more local news delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts.

We’ve removed the ability to reply as we work to make improvements. Learn more here