What to Know
- International Festival of Chocolate at the Bowers Museum
- Sunday, Feb. 5 from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.
- Entry to the main festival, which includes music and dance, is free; special events like the tastings, are ticketed
Embarking on a dedicated chocolate tour, one that takes you to several points around South America and Mexico, sounds like a life-changing fantasy, a dream trip that would involve discovering new-to-you baking techniques, intriguing ways to serve the celebrated sweet, the history of chocolate, and how many cultures have connected with the incredible confection over the centuries.
While we hope this amazing, edifying, and appetizing opportunity will one day present itself, we can make our own connections right here, in Southern California, when the International Festival of Chocolate returns to the Bowers Museum for its festive fourth outing.
The Sunday, Feb. 5 festivity has been created especially for families, with art-making opportunities, chances to enjoy music and dance, and other chocolate-inspired events.
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But there are some grown-up dimensions, like "An Introduction to Fine Chocolate Tasting with Dr. Lee Scott Thiesen," which is free like the main festival, and a ticketed Chocolate and Whiskey Tasting, too.
Some of the performance highlights from the four-hour gathering include PARATI presents music from the South American chocolate lands, Marimba Tropical with Lucas Critchfield, and Dembrebrah West African Drum and Dance Ensemble.
Chef Martin will present recipes from Mexico and South America, yum, while chocolate samples will be provided by the festival's vendors, yum again.
The Scene
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And making a chocolate box is the day's adorable art project, sweet.
Whether you believe that we just departed the most chocolate-y stretch of the year — that would be the holiday season, of course — or we're entering it, with Valentine's Day just ahead, is an intriguing thought.
But thinking in terms of weeks or even months about the delectable treat, and its essential role in savory fare like mole, only limits our understanding of its vast arc.
For chocolate's complex and multi-faceted story has spanned the centuries in numerous places, a festive fact that deserves deeper study and understanding, not to mention one of the sweetest Santa Ana celebrations around.
