Choco-Yum

The Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk hosted the fourth annual Chocolate Festival this last Saturday. I met up with my friend Skyla and her friend Sara to indulge in some chocolate tasting. There were 29 vendors handing out samples ranging from pieces of chocolate bars to chocolate pork buns (think soy sauce and chocolate, not the best combo out there). There were tons of people so we spent most of our time squishing through crowds or waiting in line. Still worth it.

Waiting in line for a sample from The Buttery:


Nothing like hanging out with banana slugs:


Skyla had attended the festival before so she suggested bringing tupperware to hold all of our loot. I was worried about not having any chocolate to share with my family (who nicely took my kids to the beach while I was at the festival) because I kept eating the chocolate samples. By the twelfth sample, I hit a chocolate wall and could taste no further. So here are the goodies I couldn't stomach:


What a fun time. I hope they find a better way to accommodate the crowds and realize that soy sauce and lavender are not the best things to mix into chocolate.