I meant to write about 8 Tens @ 8 at the Actor's Theatre, but before I had time to sit down, sharpen the pencil, and give you my take on it, Thursday's thespian experience was overshadowed by this afternoon's
Chocolate Festival at the Cocoanut Grove. It was my first time attending this yearly fundraiser for UCSC re-entry student scholarships. Santa Cruz most famous chocolate maker,
Richard Donelly, was missing, but dozens of other
vendors were happy to tempt you with their creations. Since it was all for a good cause there was no reason to feel guilty about indulging, either. Perfect! I will be back next year! My favorite turned out to be dark chocolate from SwoonBeams: local, Fair Trade, and certified organic. My friend Joan loved the fudge; I was instantly hooked on their barks, in particular the Orange Ginger Bark. The products are available in local stores (Shoppers, New Leaf), and online. Fudge on the
SwoonBeams website, fudge and barks on
chocolate.com. In case you were wondering, no, they're not paying me! (Maybe they should, come to think. In chocolate!) They were just really nice at the fair, and I plain loved their stuff!
I meant to write about 8 Tens @ 8 at the Actor's Theatre, but before I had time to sit down, sharpen the pencil, and give you my take on it, Thursday's thespian experience was overshadowed by this afternoon's Chocolate Festival at the Cocoanut Grove. It was my first time attending this yearly fundraiser for UCSC re-entry student scholarships. Santa Cruz most famous chocolate maker, Richard Donelly, was missing, but dozens of other vendors were happy to tempt you with their creations. Since it was all for a good cause there was no reason to feel guilty about indulging, either. Perfect! I will be back next year! My favorite turned out to be dark chocolate from SwoonBeams: local, Fair Trade, and certified organic. My friend Joan loved the fudge; I was instantly hooked on their barks, in particular the Orange Ginger Bark. The products are available in local stores (Shoppers, New Leaf), and online. Fudge on the SwoonBeams website, fudge and barks on chocolate.com. In case you were wondering, no, they're not paying me! (Maybe they should, come to think. In chocolate!) They were just really nice at the fair, and I plain loved their stuff!
Yes, I agree, it was a great chocolate festival -- and I just got my Valentine's invitation from Fog City News (the Mecca of Chocolate in San Francisco as at fogcitynews.com)
ReplyDeleteThey announce:
Richard Donnelly - This Friday, Jan 29, 12:30-2pm
Out of his tiny shop in Santa Cruz, Richard Donnelly crafts award-winning, eye-rolling, amazing truffles which are positively moan-inducing! (Trust me, come by and ye shall hear moans.) If you give them to someone special on Valentines Day you will immediately achieve sainthood! Richard Donnelly's truffles are extra-special because they are made with full cream and no preservatives (hello? the way truffles are supposed to be made!) so they're highly perishable and we only sell them on a pre-order basis (see below). Richard wrote me last night to say, “I am planning on bringing samples on Friday of all the flavors that will go into the Valentines Day sets. You should provide the police barricades and tape to keep the throngs at bay!” (Here are some fun shots of Richard working his magic: http://www.donnellychocolates.com/ikorb.php?page=process.shtml but don't blame me if it induces cravings!)
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