It was as if chocolate poured from the ceiling and oozed out the walls at the Salon du Chocolat fair last weekend. Glass cases displayed chocolate shoes, chocolate figurines, and what felt like an unending array of macaroons in yellow, magenta, orange and every other colour imaginable.
A chef piped liquid chocolate into cones for guests to taste, while a few booths away; two hyper-focused men in white coats carved a 5-foot-tall sculpture of a Magnum ice cream bar (out of chocolate, obviously). This was Brussels Chocolate Week.
While wandering among the vendors’ booths and sipping on champagne from a plastic flute, I couldn’t help but wish I could hide under a table somewhere in the back room so no one would ever make me leave (I didn’t, I promise… OK, maybe I tried). Just the smell of chocolate coming from every inch of the place was heavenly even to me, and I’m not that into chocolate — I’m the kind of person who would choose Haribo over Neuhaus every time.
If I weren’t already swooning from all the sugar (fine, and a tiny bit of booze), the chocolate fashion show just added to the perfect atmosphere. The show had a packed audience applauding wildly as model after model strutted down the catwalk wearing chocolate dresses, headpieces and even armour. Shooting stars made of chocolate framed one model’s costume, and another held a chocolate shield and donned a chocolate helmet while he strutted down the catwalk.
The show was short – only about 30 minutes long, with about 10 to 12 models – but combined with an endless supply of free samples from 60 different vendors, it was plenty to keep guests occupied all night.
The inaugural Salon du Chocolate ran from Friday, February 7 until Sunday, February 9. For more information on Brussels Chocolate Week, go to the Visit Brussels website.
