Chocolate Fest to Sweeten Up the Winter

HOMEWOOD, IL — Start daydreaming about all things sweet, Homewood—Chocolate Fest will be here soon.

This year’s festival—to be held Feb. 18—features a baking demonstration by Mother Wilma’s Marshmallow Factory, children's activities, Pop Up SCIENCE chocolate demonstration and a variety of vendors with sweets, desserts and gourmet baked goods. Back by popular demand is the annual Chocolate Bake-Off Contest for professional and amateur bakers as they compete for title of “Home Sweet Homewood’s Master Pastry Chef."

“This is one of the sweetest festivals Homewood hosts” said mayor Rich Hofeld. “The ChocolateBake-Off Contest is a wonderful—and delicious—opportunity for the community to show off its culinary creativity. It’s a tough job to be one of the judges but someone has to do it and I’m pleased to be joined this year by former Homewood resident Aimee Shugarman, from her blog Shugary Sweets.”

The cooking demonstration for the 2017 Homewood Chocolate Fest is by Mother Wilma’s Marshmallow Factory. Owner Jayme Goffin will show audience members how to create a unique s’more bar at home using homemade chocolate ganache and thinking outside the graham cracker. Kids and families will learn about all things chocolate with The Homewood Science Center’s “Crazy for Cacao” PopUpSCIENCE hands-on activity. Participants will discover how the cacao bean is transformed from Central American jungles to the delicious dessert chocolate. In addition, The Homewood Community Relations is hosting a free apron decorating activity for kids.

The Chocolate Bake-Off Contest at Homewood Chocolate Festival is for both amateur and professional bakers. The Bake-Off, hosted by The Community Relations Commission, is a spirited contest for bakers and confectioners to compete for recognition as “Home Sweet Homewood's Master Pastry Chef”. A panel of judges selects three winners for both the amateur and professional baker category. After the winners are decided, the public samples each entry in exchange for a small donation to benefit an area service group. The public tasting begins at 12:45 p.m. and the winner is announced at 1:30 p.m. The deadline for Bake-Off applications is Tuesday, February 14. Proceeds raised from this year’s Bake-Off benefit Homewood’s Theatre & Arts Leadership Kouncil (T.A.L.K)

Vendors at the 2017 Homewood Chocolate Festival include Bakewell Bakery, Bob’s Belgian HotChocolate, The Cottage on Dixie, Covered in Chocolate, Fabulously Sweet Creations, Fannie May, Mother Wilma’s Marshmallow Factory, Short and Sweet Tasty Treats, Tiddleywink Toffee, and more. The Homewood Business Association is also selling their Chocolate Passports Around the World.

This free event is located in the H-F Park District Auditorium, 2010 Chestnut Road. For additional information visit www.HomeSWEETHomewood.com or call 708-798-3000.