“Cacao” is the word on the tip of everyone’s tongue at the 9th Annual International Chocolate Festival at Fairchild Tropical Botanic Garden. Enjoy three days of delicious activities complete with sampling, cooking demos, educational talks, and kids’ events from Friday, January 23 – Sunday, January 25, 9:30 a.m. – 4:30 p.m. Learn where chocolate comes from with an interactive cacao display. Visitors can meet Fairchild’s curators of tropical fruit, who have traveled the world researching how Theobroma cacao is harvested and prepared across cultures. Watch the process that takes cacao pods and turns them into the chocolate we find in our favorite desserts. Ever wondered how it grows? Step into the Tropical Fruit Pavilion and one of the U.S.’s only outdoor Rainforests to see real cacao pods growing on trees from tropical rainforests of the Americas. Be sure to take in the lovely aroma of the chocolate-scented ‘Sharry Baby’ orchids planted throughout the Garden. The Chocolate Festival wouldn’t be complete without delectable treats. Artisan chocolatiers will dish out samples of their best chocolates available for purchase. Get inspired by chocolate poetry recited by students from W.R. Thomas Middle School before the cooking demos from celebrated chefs showing recipes for the most delicious chocolate dishes right on time for Valentine’s Day. For guests over 21, the Beer Sampling Garden is the place to discover the unique brews that pair well with chocolate.
