Judging the Chocolate Lover's Festival in Eureka Springs might not be as much fun as one might think, Kat Robinson, noted Arkansas food writer, Tie Dye Travels blogger and author of books like "Classic Eateries of the Ozarks and Arkansas River Valley" and "Arkansas Pie," said.
"I've done it for five of the last six years," she said of the 11-year-old event, which was held Feb. 14 this year at the Inn of the Ozarks Convention Center. "The first year, we had seven entries, and it took us no time at all!
At a Glance
Chocolate Lovers Festival
Who: Greater Eureka Springs Chamber of Commerce
What: Chocolate sampling, wine tasting, chocolate contests
When: Feb. 14
Where: Inn of the Ozarks Convention Center in Eureka Springs
Next: St. Patrick’s Day Parade, 2 p.m. March 14
Information: (479) 253-8737 or eurekaspringschamber.com
"What we've seen since then is the number of entries continuing to grow, and the decoration has just become fantastic," she said. "And the judges get to try all the chocolates! It's usually pretty good for the first dozen or so. Then you really want to be done!"
But Robinson -- and fellow judges Ann Gray, publisher of 2NJoy magazine in Bentonville; Tim Tibbs, KTLO Radio in Mountain Home; and Ozarks KY3-TV news anchor Steve Grant -- still took on desserts shaped like a "chocolate lab" holding a chocolate rabbit; a waterfall of Whoppers; and her personal favorite, a youth entry that looked like a burrito with "chocolate on the inside, white cake mix to make the tortilla portion, jelly beans and white chocolate to create little chunks of chicken and cheese and refried beans and black beans," she described.
"The first moment of taking a bite of it, even though you knew this was chocolate, you just couldn't believe it," she said. "It tasted nothing like what it looked like. There was definitely a disconnect between what you saw and what you tasted. But then, in the past we've had everything from wine glasses to shoes made of chocolate. It can be a little disconcerting!"
In addition to watching the judging and marveling at the amazing chocolate sculptures, this year's guests were invited to enjoy a wine pairing and tasting with wines provided by Arkansas wineries including Eureka Springs' own Keels Creek Winery and Railway Winery, watch demonstrations by students from Pulaski Technical College Institute of Culinary Arts, visit a merchant area to finish out Valentine's Day with purchases of jewelry and accessories and, of course, tour the exhibit floor tasting chocolate creations around the area. Proceeds from the event were earmarked for the Eureka Springs High School Booster Club, Future Business Leaders of America and the Academy of Excellence, a private school.
Toni Rose, director of operations for the Greater Eureka Springs Chamber of Commerce, the event's sponsor, said around 2,000 people attended.
"The caveat to that is we don't know for sure," she said. "We had to cut them off because we had more people in a two-hour period than we had all day last year. We had the convention center at capacity."
Rose credited a "perfect trifecta" of the annual Mardi Gras parade, the Chocolate Lover's Festival and "fabulous weather" for the turnout. "We gave about $1,200 worth of refunds to folks," she said, and although she does not have a final total, she expected each of the recipients of the money raised will get at least $1,500.
As for Robinson, she'll be cleansing her palate and getting ready for whatever is next.
"I've judged so many different competitions," she said, "and the hardest thing to judge is fried catfish -- because you have different entries that taste exactly the same. I've also judged chili, steaks, cheese dip ...
"People think it's the greatest job in the world, but there's a lot riding on it," she adds. "People put their heart and soul into something, and I hate to send anyone home disappointed."
Features Editor Becca Martin-Brown can be reached by email at bmartin@nwadg.com or on Twitter at @nwabecca.
NAN Profiles on 03/08/2015