What exactly happened to February is a bit of a mystery.  It somehow passed by in the blink of an eye, lost in a flurry of deadlines, diapers and a whole lot of chocolate.  (Not complaining at all.)  And now here we are in March, which in Zürich is a confusing ping pong game of long gray wintery days and rejuvenating sunny spring ones.  Whatever the weather, March is a time to indulge.  In chocolate, that is.  It’s time for Zürich’s second annual Salon du Chocolat, March 22-24 at the Messe in Oerlikon.  Who’s ready ?!

Read the rest of this story >>

I’m still smiling from all the excitement of Switzerland’s first Salon du Chocolat (could also be the sugar).  Well over 15,000 people visited this chocolate extravaganza in Zürich during the last weekend in March.  They gazed with open mouths and cameras in hand at dresses made of real chocolate; they tasted exotic flavored ganaches and strawberries dipped in a chocolate fountain; they watched pastry chefs plate sophisticated desserts before their eyes – that ended up in their stomachs thereafter; they listened to experts explain the subtleties of pairing chocolate with wine, whisky or even just water; and they discovered chocolate companies from around the country that they may not have heard of before.  For three days, it was a treat for all the senses.

Read the rest of this story >>

I announced the exciting sweet news back in November of last year, when I began working with the Salon du Chocolat team in Paris to bring the world’s largest event dedicated to chocolate to Switzerland for the first time.  And now, the big moment is nearly upon us !  Chocolatiers, pastry chefs and industry professionals are all fine tuning the details of their chocolate assortments, boxes, bunnies, recipes, conferences and more.  And as promised, a little preview of who and what you’ll see at the show this coming weekend, from March 30th to April 1st.

Read the rest of this story >>

It’s all just too exciting, so I’ll simply come out and say it: the Salon du Chocolat, the world’s largest event dedicated to chocolate, will be taking place in Switzerland for the first time !  Better yet, it will be here in Zürich (at Messe Zürich) from March 30 to April 1, 2012.  Mark your calendars for a sweet event not to be missed !

And guess what else… I’m helping organize it !!  I’m thrilled to be working again with Salon du Chocolat founders Sylvie Douce and François Jeantet and their team in Paris.  (I worked with them on the New York Chocolate Show when living there several years ago.)  Read the rest of this story >>