The “Premier Salon International des Chocolatiers et du Chocolat” is taking place in Geneva City, Switzerland, on October 15 and 16, 2011. Some 30 artisan chocolate-makers will be exhibiting – mostly Genevois (including well-known names like Stettler, Rohr, Ducret, Favarger, Desplanches, Pascoët, Mérigonde) along with a few French chocolatiers and the rest from other parts of Switzerland.
Geneva has a long history of fine chocolate-making, so it’s fitting that the salon should be in one of Geneva City’s proudest buildings – the handsomely renovated old power station, the Bâtiment des Forces Motrices, down on the River Rhône.
If the Geneva salon goes on to become an annual event, it will be Geneva’s second chocolate show; a popular, free, chocolate festival in Versoix, canton Geneva, has been taking place for eight years now in March or early April.
The new salon can, however, be expected to be an all together more stately event, as suggested by entry tickets at 18 ($17) to 22 ($21) francs (children under 10 are admitted free) although virtually all the Genevois artisans exhibiting at the salon this week-end – and more – exhibit at the Versoix festival.
Other Chocolate Salons in Paris, Divonne, and Lyon, France
In nearby Divonne-les-Bains, France (some 12.5 miles from Geneva), the 5th Salon Franco-Suisse du Chocolat takes place on November 5 and 6, 2011. Reached by phone, salon director Corinne J-Caudillo stressed the regional importance of the event, where there is a concentration of chocolatiers from French-speaking Switzerland and their French counterparts to the other side of the border. Entry is 4.50 Euros ($6.50); free entry for children under 12.
And now for the jumbo-sized events, which bill themselves as "The World’s Largest Events Dedicated to Chocolate." These are grand-scale annual shows that also take place from Cairo to Shanghai, New York to Bologna, to name but a few venues, at various times during the year.
For Paris, mark October 20-24 on your calendar – and make sure not to miss the fashion show with chocolate clothes created by chocolatiers working in tandem with clothes designers. Among a large number of other options, there is also a bookshop of publications on chocolate; you can even have a chocolate massage. Most exhibitors at this huge event are from all over France, but some come from other European countries like Belgium, Switzerland, Italy and Sweden – and a few even come from as far afield as Japan. Tickets are 12.50 Euros ($17), and 6 Euros ($8) for kids 3-12.
The Lyon (France) salon – the inaugural edition in this French city – is from December 9-11, 2011. It is taking place during the Festival of Lights which drew 2 million visitors last year. Here, tickets are 10 Euros ($14), kids 3-12: 5 Euros ($7).
Present Trends in Chocolate
Some present trends in chocolate? Organic and fair trade are buzz words. Additives are a no-no, then again artisanal chocolates don’t usually have them and their shelf-life is accordingly short. There’s a focus on different formats (luxury bars, and large tablets you just break a jagged piece off of, are big) as well as unusual flavor combinations that include spices, herbs, flowers, teas and more.
Sugar-free chocolate is gaining fashion, as is the topic of chocolate being beneficial to health. The good news is: it is. “Packed with natural antioxidants, dark chocolate and cocoa sit in the same good-for-you category as green tea and blueberries. That's because chocolate comes from cacao beans (or cocoa beans), which grow on the cacao tree and are full of natural plant nutrients,” says the extremely helpful website Allchocolate.com.
Finally of course there’s the whole “cru” scene, which basically means that – as with fine wines – you are looking at factors like exactly where the beans are from, whether or not they come from a single estate, etc.
You can tell if you’re dealing with cru chocolate if the type of cacao tree/bean followed by the country is on the label: for example, Trinitario Madagascar, black, 64%, or Criollo Maracaibo Classificado Venezuela, milk chocolate 38% – to take two examples off the website of fine Basel (Switzerland) chocolate-maker Beschle that will also be showing at the Geneva salon. Again, Allchocolate.com, in its section on “ Bulk Beans vs. Flavor Beans: The Workhorses and The Thoroughbreds,” gives a very good, easy-to-understand rundown.
Chocolate Marmites During Geneva's "Escalade" Celebrations
If you’re in Geneva during November and early December, you will notice another chocolate phenomenon: chocolate cauldrons known as marmites. Adorned with ribbons in red and yellow (Geneva’s colors), and the city/state’s coat of arms, the pots come in all sizes and are filled with colorful marzipan vegetables. They are to be seen absolutely everywhere, from the windows of fine chocolatiers to supermarket shelves.
They are part of “Escalade” celebrated in Geneva around December 12 every year; in 1602 a feisty woman named Mother Royaume supposedly threw a cauldron of vegetable soup down on some Savoyard soldiers who were silently trying to scale Geneva's walls in the depths of night. Her act raised the alarm and the Genevois were able to fight off the invading army.
Gail Mangold-Vine - Based in Geneva, Switzerland, Gail Mangold-Vine is the author of two books. Her work as a journalist is published worldwide.
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