By Sarah Elkins
Chef Gina Lang’s Demo. Photo by Connie Manchester.
Is it still a secret that Lewisburg is West Virginia’s festival mecca? If it is, it’s a terribly kept secret. No town throws a party quite like Lewisburg, and this year’s 8th annual Chocolate Festival was no exception. On Saturday, April 12, the streets were blocked, the merchants were up at dawn setting up booths, and by 11 a.m., approximately 8,000 people set forth in search the best chocolate anywhere.
According to Cindy Lavender-Bowe, executive director of the United Way of the Greenbrier Valley and organizer of the Lewisburg Chocolate Festival, “This was our most successful year yet with 40,000 tasting tickets sold. I couldn’t be happier with the turnout.” Proceeds from the festival will benefit the United Way, and in turn, many of the nonprofit organizations in the area.
Nearly 40 vendors served up decadent chocolate tastings from the region’s finest pastry chefs and chocolatiers. From dark chocolate ice cream by Homestead Creamery (Smith Mountain Lake, VA) to DeFluri’s Fine Chocolates (Martinsburg, WV), the chocolate was flowing, and it was serious. There were no common candies at this festival. The Irish Pub’s Samuel Smith Chocolate Stout was sold out by noon. The children who had visited the three chocolate fountains in the ReMax office were easily identified by their sweetly smeared faces.
The Greenbrier Sporting Club’s (White Sulphur Springs, WV) pastry chef Amy Mills designed and created an aquarium-themed display
Chocolate Aquarium by Amy Mills. Photo by Connie Manchester.
made entirely of chocolate. The edible work of art was a highlight of the fesitval, and so too the Club’s tastings of Dark Chocolate Pot de Creme with Yuzu Citrus Cream and Triple Chocolate Parfait of White Chocolate Dulce de Leche Panna Cotta, Bittersweet Chocolate Mousse and Milk Chocoloate Chantilly. Attendees filed through Harmony Ridge Gallery, where the chocolate aquarium and the Club’s tastings were stationed, in a constant stream all day long.
Clay Elkins, director or Food and Beverage at the Greenbrier Sporting Club said, “This is one of our favorite events of the year. Chef Mills is an incredible artist, and we love the opportunity to share her designs with the community.”
The chocolate tastings are only part of the story. In truth, festivities began on Friday with several chocolate-themed specials on the menus of Lewisburg’s several fine restaurants and diners, including, for example, Rainbow Farms Hazelnut Mole Hen served with tortillas and rich chocolate & ancho chile sauce at Stella’s Restaurant (Lafayette St.).
Saturday morning, before the indulgence ensued, the Hospice Care 10K Chocolate Chase routed runners along the historic streets of Lewisburg, providing an opportunity to burn a few hundred calories in advance. Adam Coon (Comfort, WV) took the overall and men’s wins with a time of 34.16 minutes, and Hallisey Estes (Lewisburg, WV) took the women’s win with 45.28.
Pastry demo by Sarah Helzer. Photo by Connie Manchester.
From 9 a.m. until 11 a.m., the Greenbrier County Library held a chocolate-themed brunch featuring waffles with honey pecan chocolate pralines, white chocolate mousse with fresh fruit and chocolate bacon.
The morning’s events flowed into the day-long tasting extravaganza, but tastings were far from the only thing to experience. El Gleno Grande, a world-renowned street performer who just happens to call Lewisburg home, entertained crowds of bystanders with his always-hilarious slapstick performance as a bumbling goof atop his trusty zebra. The Balloon Dude fashioned balloon art ranging from green aliens to wearable butterfly wings. Live music poured out of the Greenspace at the center of town where The Wild Rumpus (Fayetteville, WV) performed their unique blend of Appalachian Stompgrass. The Rumpus was followed by a theatrical reading by the Man in the Yellow Hat (local actor Devin Preston) of Curious George and the Chocolate Factory. Every child received a free copy of the book at the close of the reading, and then the Man in the Yellow Hat went off to wander the streets in search of George. The free reading and books were made possible by Love Child, Lewisburg’s new children’s boutique.
Throughout the day, Willy Wonka, donning a purple velvet suit and top hat, strolled the crowded streets overseeing the merriment. Every year, the role of Wonka is played by Lewisburg’s Mayor John Manchester who enjoys his part in the festival but laughs, admitting, “I had no idea what the costume entailed when I first agreed to this years ago.”
The Mayor has Larry Levine, part owner of the Lewis Theatre to blame for his casting of Wonka. The theatre offers a free showing of the
Mayor Manchester as Willy Wonka. Photo by Connie Manchester.
original Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory for children and adults alike.
In the afternoon, Greenbrier East High School’s 2nd Block Rock, led by Band Director Jim Allder, surprised the crowd again and again with covers and originals it was hard to believe were coming from the young students. The band 2nd Block Rock is comprised of Allder’s Contemporary Ensemble and Guitar II students with vested interest in performance and composition. The group has been performing together since 2012 and continues to build momentum as a local incubator for serious musicians.
Graphic artist Ian Bode gave a live painting performance throughout the afternoon as he composed vibrant and fanciful depiction of the day’s events. Children stopped to watch the composition in work, pointing and asking questions as he painted. For some time, a five-year-old boy scrutinized the work, making sure Bode didn’t forget to include the clown on stilts. The man on stilts, of course, was Chally Erb of Second Story Productions, who towers over each of Lewisburg’s festivals, entertaining and perplexing the crowds.
Chef demonstrations were held at the Convention and Visitor’s Bureau as well as City National Bank. Pastry chef and owner/operator of Greenbrier Valley Baking Company, Gina Lang, presented a culinary demonstration for the home kitchen; Sarah Helzer, assistant executive pastry chef at the Greenbrier, presented the techniques of her trade, a free opportunity to revel in the decadence usually reserved for guests of the historic resort down the road.
However, the action wasn’t reserved solely for the chefs and chocolatiers. A chocolate bake-off drew hefty competition by age group and category. Child and adult competitors entered home-prepared delights in the pie, cake and miscellaneous categories. Proceeds from the competition supported the Greenbrier Humane Society.
The chocolate mousse eating contest. Photo by Connie Manchester.
Possibly the most popular event of the Lewisburg Chocolate Festival is the Mousse Eating Contest. So many people are willing to the dive face first into a plate of chocolate mousse in the hopes of winning the crown that participation in each of the age divisions is determined by lottery. Squeals and laughter were heard for blocks once the races began, and contest organizer Anna Marie Visclosky said, “This is the spot where the most fun happens.”
The Lewisburg Chocolate Festival was once again a sweet success, proving the historic Greenbrier Valley town knows how to bring people together for a good time and a good cause. Lavender-Bowe said, “I have no idea how I’ll be able to top this next year.” As more and more people discover the event, it seems there will be no end to the sweetness. For more information about the Lewisburg Chocolate Festival visit www.lewisburgchocolatefestival.com.
About the Author
Sarah Elkins is a marketer, freelancer and poet living and working in White Sulphur Springs, WV. She blogs for EvriChart, a WV-headquartered health information management company, at www.evrichart.com/blog. Her branding and marketing services may be found at www.newriverdigital.com. To discover more about Sarah’s creative work and past projects visit her personal site at www.sarahelkins.com.
