Chocolate and Wine paired well at the Ghirardelli Chocolate Festival

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The 19th Annual Ghirardelli Chocolate Festival took place recently in Ghirardelli Square in San Francisco, and the event did not lack for that key ingredient: chocolate! But it also included other interesting contributions, such as a fantastic assortment of California wines (and even beer).

In addition to the tasting, there were also presentations and activities, Ghirardelli Chocolate Earthquake Ice Cream Eating ContestChocolate School- “From Cocoa Bean to Chocolate Bar”, and Chef Demonstrations.

As always, a portion of the event’s proceeds were contributed to the non-profit, Project Open Hand. Project Open Hand, a local organization that provides meals to the homebound critically ill, senior citizens, and those living with HIV/AIDS. Last year, festival proceeds raised more than $90,000 for this cause.

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Spicy Vines

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Marich Chocolates

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Sharona’s Chocolate Shop

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Rainforest Cafe

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A chocolate message in a bottle? No…in a Govino wine glass

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GudFud Stuffed Marshmallows

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“Cupcake Wars” winner, Frost Cupcake Factory

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Festival Styles at the Ghirardelli Chocolate Festival

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What is the perfect style for tasting wine and chocolate at an outdoors event on the West Coast?

Apparently a subtle nod to the summer music concert tours is the appropriate outfit, as we discovered at the Ghirardelli Chocolate Festival, where festival style was the mode of the day.

 

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Sleek and stylish shirts from Torani

Sleek and stylish shirts from Torani

Modelo beer paired with Rick Bayless salsa

Modelo beer paired with Rick Bayless salsa

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Photo Series – Land of the Chocolate Giants

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Creating compelling images using food is not new, but it is a growing trend in the world of the art.

Profile here are excerpts from TasteTV’s new photo-miniature series, entitled “Land of the Chocolate Giants.” The entire series will be unveiled in Fall 2014 by TCB Cafe Publishing.

The chocolate included in these photos below comes from Forte Chocolates, Gusto Chocolates, Luxx Chocolat,  French Broad Chocolates, and Kate Weiser Chocolate.

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100 Percent Chocolate Bars

Chocolate Television reviews Chocolate Bars made of 100 Percent Chocolate with Jack Epstein, owner of the Chocolate Covered shop.

Chef Barb’s B Sweet rolls out Bread Pudding product line

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Frozen bread pudding may not sound appealing to foodie purists, but to many people it sounds like manna from heaven. And frankly, it’s pretty darn good, especially Chef Barb’s B Sweet‘s new product line. That explains why it has just been picked up for retail in more than 250 Super Target stores nationwide.

Bread Pudding 4-Flavors-TopThe bread pudding comes in the same size containers as ice cream, and the flavors range from Fudge Brownie and Apple Pie to Cookies & Cream and Glazed Donut. In the TasteTV office, the Apple Pie was a big hit, and there was much discussion about how after we had heated it in the microwave, we should have gone ahead and added a big lump of ice cream on top.

The only drawback is that it really is best served hot, so if you don’t plan on consuming what you have on your plate right away, then save some for later (or give it to the drooling friend staring at your plate).

Bread Pudding Stack-CelebIf you don’t know who Chef Barb is, here is a quick summary:

Barb Batiste founded Chef Barb’s B Sweet© in 2010 as a way to bring back the homemade taste in food and desserts we all love. From her kitchen at home, to now her third commercial kitchen, she continues to remain true to her “handmade like grandma used to make” ways. Barb and her committed team strive to create new recipes with an old-fashioned twist every day.

Chef Barb’s B Sweet© was named Best Dessert of CitySearch Los Angeles, has been a featured chef at the prestigious L.A. Food and Wine event for the past three years and was a featured chef at the Los Angeles Times’ The Taste.

Beyond desserts, Chef Barb’s B Sweet© is a full-service catering company with clients that include Disney, Nike, Apple, E! Television, Sony, the cast and crew of Modern Family and NCIS and more. Chef Barb’s creations have been seen on TV shows like The Bachelorette, local and national news and prominent talk shows. Chef Barb’s B Sweet© also has a fleet of mobile food trucks that cater daily to the local Southern California community. B Sweet™ is growing quickly, and the proof, as they say, “is in the pudding”! 

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More good news:

Chef Barb not only has her fleet of food trucks out in force, but has also just opened up their first brick and mortar store this past weekend in Los Angeles.

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Chocolate Award Winner The Chocolate Fetish on ABC News

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Many chocolatiers and confectioners have gained new fame and fortune from the awards they have garnered in the International Chocolate Salon’s recently announced Artisan Chocolate Awards.

Award Winner The Chocolate Fetish was recently interviewed about their laurels by ABC television.