Grenada to host choc fest

The Caribbean island of Grenada is one of the few places in the world where cocoa is grown and turned into chocolate using traditional methods, and this festival is geared up to following the journey cocoa takes from ‘tree’ to ‘bar’.

440227_num1031287_600x600So, locals have organised a Chocolate Festival celebrate the islands historical links with the chocolate trade. Highlights of next May’s event will include visitors getting the chance to be a farmer for a day on an organic cocoa farm learning how to pick cocoa pods, harvest the beans and prepare them for processing. There is also a chance to design and create a chocolate bar under the guidance of the team at the local Diamond Estate Chocolate Factory. Another workshop will extolling the health benefits of eating, drinking and cooking with chocolate.

Throughout the event there will be opportunities to sample chocolate including locally brewed chocolate beer and rums, chocolate-inspired cocktails, local cocoa tea and chocolate themed meals.  One day local cooks, Esther and Omega will guide people through the process of preparing their own chocolate inspired lunch.

Chocolate Fest includes opportunities to explore Grenada. Activities including hiking through a cocoa plantation or taking a field trip with local school children to learn about the history of cocoa and chocolate and the importance of having a sustainable farming community are on offer

Families can take part in traditional activities such as ‘dancing the cocoa’, ‘walking the cocoa’ and ‘scooping the cocoa’ on a fun day at the Belmont Estate.

The Chocolate Fest is being hosted by True Blue Bay, a boutique resort tucked away on a hillside on the south coast of the island.

www.chocolate.truebluebay.com

Bruce McMichael

Food writing, discovering food stories, meeting producers, chefs and food enthusiasts are all part of desire to inspire, inform my readers and fellow food lovers. I am a freelance writer, journalist and published author focusing on the international world of food and drink, culture and travel. In 2019 I graduated from the University of Gastronomic Sciences in Pollenzo, Italy with a Masters in Food Culture, Communication and Marketing. I am now a visiting Professor at the university teaching Food & Drink Writing. Based in London I travel widely, particularly across western Europe. I have chaired many conferences and meetings, spoken at conferences and events and often appear on radio and TV talking most about food, the business of food and being an entrepreneur. In 2017 I won an episode of the ITV (the UK-based national television channel) cooking competition show, 'Gordon Ramsay's Culinary Genius'. I took my children on holiday to Sicily with the prize money. As an experienced farmers' market manager and operator of a small marmalade/ preserves company, I am very familiar with the issues surrounding local food, farming, enterprise and the environment.