Attention chocolate lovers: the 5th annual Santa Cruz Chocolate Festival is on January 22 and it benefits student scholarships. During the first four years of the festival, organizers raised more than $40,000 for this very worthy cause—all while supplying Santa Cruz with some very tasty treats!
The Santa Cruz Chocolate Festival brings approximately 30 vendors to the Cocoanut Grove. Vendors range from local confectioners and bakers like Ashby Confections, Snake and Butterfly Chocolate, Original Sin Desserts, Pacific Cookie Company, Starz Cupcakes, and Marini’s Candies to confectioners from other parts of the state and even other states (like Theo Chocolate from Washington). Local businesses that don’t fall into the typical “confectioner” category include Mission Hill Creamery, Nut Kreations (read my recent article about this fun store) and Trader Joe’s.
Each vendor will have treats – including gourmet truffles, cookies and cupcakes -- available in exchange for a tasting ticket. In addition to the tastes you can get in exchange for your tickets, selected vendors will be selling chocolate products including some suitable for Valentine’s Day like gift assortments.
Tickets -- available at the door for $15 or in advance for $12 -- entitle you to six tastings. Attendees are urged to buy tickets early; the number sold will not exceed the number of available tastes at this year’s festival. Buy tickets at several locations: Bookshop Santa Cruz, two UCSC locations (the Baytree Bookstore and Norrie’s Gift Shop at the Arboretum), and Whole Foods Market in Santa Cruz and Capitola.
There will be a silent auction with both chocolate-themed and non-chocolate-themed items donated by businesses and individuals from the local community. Bid on prizes like Giants tickets, yoga classes, and wine. You can visit the festival for free (you don’t need a tasting ticket) if you want to bid on silent auction items or buy gifts from vendors. A new addition to the festival this year: a cupcake decorating area.
The festival will include the announcement of 2012’s “Chocoholic of the Year.” There are five nominees including Don Lane who invented the Chocolate Madness at the Saturn Café. Read about nominees and vote here by Jan 20 at 5pm. Also note that jazz band Hold Tight is performing at the festival.
The festival benefits re-entry student scholarships at UC Santa Cruz (for students returning to higher education after an extended absence, often students who are also parents or military veterans). The chocolate festival is presented by the UCSC Women’s Club, a nonprofit organization open to women of both the campus and local communities. The club has meetings throughout the year (except for the summer) with engaging speakers, and also hosts interest groups including book clubs. In the last 30 years the club has awarded over 300 scholarships totaling $198,242 to deserving women and men for research activities, tuition and childcare.
If you attended last year and found it crowded, don't worry: organizers have made several changes including reserving 1/3 more floor space than last year.
The Details
- Santa Cruz Chocolate Festival
- Cocoanut Grove, 400 Beach Street, Santa Cruz 95060
- Sunday, January 22 from 1-4pm
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