If you’re a chocoholic and are in the City of Light next month, you’re in for a real treat. The 24th annual Salon du Chocolate—the world’s largest event focusing specifically on chocolate and cocoa—is being held Nov. 9-11 at the Parc des Expositions de Paris-Porte de Versailles.
Started in 1994 by two entrepreneurs with a passion for chocolate, the Salon du Chocolat helps promote knowledge of and expertise in chocolate, from growing cocoa beans to producing chocolate drinks, candies and pastries and every step in between. The event became such a resounding success in the City of Light that it rapidly spread to several other nations (including Italy, Switzerland, Belgium, the U.K., USA, Japan, Russia, China, Egypt, Germany, Peru, South Korea and Brazil) and to date has drawn more than 6 million visitors worldwide.
The Parisian Salon du Chocolat will feature more than 500 participants, including 200 chefs and pastry chefs from all over the world (with a focus on French chocolatiers) and more than 200 international exhibitors.
Chocolate Fashion Show (photo courtesy of Salon du Chocolat website)
The event includes a 20,000-square-meter exhibition space on two floors of the expo center’s Pavilion no. 5. The ground floor will offer what organizers are calling a “Universal Heritage” celebration of chocolate, with culinary workshops, artistic performances and exhibits from chocolate-producing nations paying tribute to the global impact of chocolate production and consumption.The main floor will host exhibits and displays by major companies involved in producing chocolate, including the unveiling of new products. The main floor also will be the site of the salon’s major events—live demonstrations by world-renowned chocolatiers and chefs and the hugely popular Chocolate Fashion Show.
(photo courtesy of Salon du Chocolat website)
Among the world-renowned chocolatiers, patissiers and chefs participating in the salon’s events are Jean-Paul Hevin, Alexandre Dubosc, Dalloyau, Hugo & Victor, Pierre Herme, La Maison du Chocolat, Nicolas Cloiseau, Bruno Le Derf, Edouard Hirsinger, Franck Kestener, Jean-François Castagne, Fabrice Gillotte, Jean-Pierre Richard and Jean-Charles Rochoux, among many, many others.
Special competitions and awards presentations also will be held at the Salon du Chocolat:
The Salon du Chocolat will be held from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. daily from Friday, Nov. 9 through Sunday, Nov. 11 at the Parc des Expositions de Paris – Porte de Versailles, located at Place de la Porte de Versailles in the 15th Arrondissement (Metro: Porte de Versailles). The chocolate festival will be held in the expo park’s Pavilion 5, located on the northeastern edge of the complex along Boulevard Lefebvre.
To buy tickets online (which can be printed at home or picked up at the event hall), go online to http://salonduchocolat.fnacspectacles.com/
