Ranu's Reviews

I attended my second Chocolate World Expo recently and thought I would share with you my observations of the event and the many different vendors that showcased their products.

The Event

If you have never made it out to the Chocolate World Expo (http://www.chocolateworldexpo.com/), I strongly suggest you go at least once to experience it for yourself. There are a plethora of chocolate (and non-chocolate) vendors from the Tri-State area and beyond.

Be forewarned that there is an admission fee* to gain access into this Willa Wonka-like environment and at the December 2011 event at the Meadowlands Expo Center the cost was $15 per adult, $10 for children between 5-11 and kids under five were free. Not a terrible price to pay since you do get to sample a lot of different items, but do your best to get their earlier than later because some of the vendors will eventually run out of samples.

This time around Chocolate World utilized the entire Expo Center instead of just half, like it did earlier in the year. The extra space made the event much more enjoyable and less claustrophobic. There was also more than enough room for “Cake Boss” Buddy Valastro’s well-organized book signing.

The Vendors

The one big difference at this Chocolate World—the chocolate actually tasted a hell of a lot better than the last event. A lot of the stuff I sampled at the last event looked amazing, but tasted downright awful.

There were quite a few different vendors this time and a decent amount returned once again. Screme Gelato (http://screme.com/) and Gnosis Chocolate (http://www.gnosischocolate.com) led the pack of my favorite returning vendors. If you are in NYC, you simply must try Screme Gelato. They have such decadent and unique flavors of creamy gelato.

Gnosis is also based out of NYC and their organic, hippie-like chocolate is actually good for you and tastes pretty damn good too! Their stuff is a bit pricey, but it is definitely worth the extra money.

Breezie Maples Farm (www.BreezieMaples.com)  is a USDA Certified purveyor of organic maple products. I learned quite a bit about their farm after spending some time with them at the event. All you need is a sample-size taste of their products to know that this maple is straight from the tap! The maple rush is amazing and is something to be savored in small quantities. At the show they were selling Organic Maple Sugar Cotton Candy that was simply amazing. I loved their spin on a classic carnival treat!

Their most popular product besides their maple syrup is their maple cream. It is almost like maple butter, but super creamy and rich with maple goodness. This maple cream can impove the taste of just about anything it is added to. For the show, they even put some of it in oversized chocolate cups. The cups were way too big to manage without making a mess, but the mix of dark chocolate and maple cream was worth the cleanup afterwards.

The Hangover Pretzel Company (www.thehangoverpretzelcompany.com) had four different flavors of pretzel pieces (Lemon Pepper, Sweet Heet, Brown Sugar Cinnamon & Caysabi) on display at the show. I have to admit that I wasn’t really that excited about pretzels at a chocolate expo so I didn’t try these until a few days later. I’m sorry I didn’t try these sooner because they were absolutely fantastic. Before I get into the flavors, I have to give props to the actual pretzel. It was hard and crunchy like it should be, but it was not too hard like other pretzels of this nature. These pretzels would be just fine by themselves, however, the variety of excellently proportioned flavors take the pretzels to another level.

I usually find flavored pretzels to be grossly over or under-seasoned. The Hangover Pretzel Company would make Goldilocks proud because their pretzels are flavored just right. Each flavor delivers as advertised and I have to agree with them—it is nearly impossible to eat just one. Whether you are looking for sweet, hot or both—The Hangover Pretzel Company has a flavor for you. I can’t tell you if they really cure a hangover, but I can tell you that they are a damn good pretzel.

The Pie Lady & Son (www.pielady.com) yield from Upper Nyack, NY and gave me an apple crumb pie to review after I asked them for their best pie. This pie lasted about 10 minutes in my house. The apples were fresh and the filling had a nice, thick consistency—it was not watery or loose. I enjoyed the crumbs on top as they were not overbearing and went well with the pie. However, the rock star of this pie was the crust. Sweet, light and crisp—just the way I like it. If you are ever trying to impress someone—bring dessert from The Pie Lady & Son and I guarantee that you’ll get another invitation back!

Saratoga Peanut Butter Company (www.yopeanut.com/) makes some funky varieties of peanut butter and they were all on full display at the Chocolate World Expo. They gave me a jar of chocolate peanut butter to sample and I was pretty excited because I love both chocolate and peanut butter. However, I was not a fan of this combo. I really do not like chunky peanut butter and this jar was basically some bland-tasting chocolate with a whole bunch of peanuts. I appreciate their effort and probably would enjoy a creamy version of this, but this particular jar was not for me.

Bacon Bites (www.baconbites.com) combines the saltiness of bacon with the sweetness of chocolate. I tried a few different types of chocolate-covered pieces of bacon and was a little disappointed. That magic combo just wasn’t there for me. The bacon just gets lost in all that chocolate and if the chocolate tasted better, I probably wouldn’t have minded so much, but this product did not live up to my expectations. I think their combo of bacon and gummy eggs is brilliant, and I do like their logo, but the product itself just fell short. By far, their “Angry Bacon Bites” which is a spicy version of the original , was the worst thing I tasted that day at Chocolate World.

Best in Show

The Chocolate Swirl (www.thechocolateswirl.com) made the best brownie pops and truffles. I sure wish I would’ve spent more time at their booth! Everything about their creations were absolutely perfect from inside to out. The brownie pops were like heaven on a stick. Each pop was so moist on the inside that it tasted like brownie batter. Every time I have a brownie pop, it is usually dry, but not from the Chocolate Swirl. And the outside was just as good as the inside. Let me tell you—these people know chocolate! They have so many unique flavors that I wish I had the time to try them all! Save room for their truffles too because they were fabulous!

Fretzels by Jill (www.fretzels.com) is also deserving of the best in show award and I have to agree with their tagline, “You may not know what a Fretzel is, but one bite and you’ll never forget. “ I tried their “Fractured Fretzels,” which were pieces of pretzels covered in Premium Belgium Milk Chocolate and adorned with different “confetti” creations of goodness. From mini peanut butter chips to mini M&Ms, these pretzels were completely covered from front to back. Two words: FRIGGING AMAZING! Forget all those big company chocolate-covered pretzels—Fretzels by Jill could possibly be the best tasting chocolate-covered pretzels on the planet.

*In compliance with FCC regulations, I am obligated to inform anyone reading this article that the staff of Ranu’s Reviews did not pay to attend this event and all products reviewed in this article were submitted to Ranu’s Reviews free of charge for review purposes. Ranu’s Reviews was not paid to endorse any of the products mentioned and this review is completely the opinion of Ranu’s Reviews.