Whether you’re a chocolate maker, a chocolatier, a cacao grower or just a chocolate lover, the Fine Chocolate Industry Association‘s upcoming Elevate Chocolate event is for anyone obsessed with the intricacies of producing fine chocolate. Happening at the Crowne Plaza Times Square in New York City on June 30th, the event’s attendees will find opportunities for in-depth workshops, networking and learning more about what makes truly great chocolate.
“I feel it is important for different people from our industry to get together, talk about their experiences, taste chocolate together, and talk about how to make our industry better,” said Jenny Samaniego, founder of Conexion Chocolate in Ecuador, on why Elevate Chocolate is an important event to her. “Being there is a great opportunity to meet with peers and discuss the past, present, and future of good chocolate. Elevate Chocolate allows us to connect our customers – chocolatiers, pastry chefs, chocolate lovers – to our mission to produce a high quality, sustainable chocolate at origin that takes care of everyone – farmer, producer, and consumer.”
Samaniego will also be one of the guest speakers at Elevate Chocolate’s “Farm to Fine Flavor Chocolate” workshop, where she’ll discuss the movement to bring small farm fine chocolate directly to chocolatiers and chefs. Other workshops range in subject from “The Influence of Fat and Astringency on Chocolate Mouthfeel” to “Venezuelan Cacao through a Broken Looking Glass” which will address how the country’s uncertain political climate is affecting growers and producers. The “How to Talk to the Media” workshop will even teach chocolate makers how they can better promote themselves and their brands. A panel entitled “What Pastry Chefs & Chocolatiers Want” will include Michael Laiskonis, Creative Director of the Institute of Culinary Education and former pastry chef of the Michelin 3-star Le Bernardin.
Interested in getting in on Elevate Chocolate? Luckily, tickets are still available at FCIA’s website!
Liya Cui is a CulEpi intern and a recent writing graduate from Eugene Lang College at The New School. She’s been a server for the past seven years, starting as a 14-year-old at her parents’ restaurant back home in Birmingham, Alabama. Liya has also written for Her Campus, The New School Free Press, and Eleven and a Half Literary Journal.
