Article Contributed on: 2/13/2006 4:11:44 PM
Denver's Best Chocolate Competition - Everyone A Winner!
Denver, CO - Thursday night, February 9th, restaurants, caterers, chocolate shops and amateurs joined together for the first ever, "Say it With Chocolate" event, a benefit for Third Way Center - a residential treatment & education program for at-risk teens in Denver. Students of the Center's alternative high school were on hand to serve, answer questions, sell cookbooks and talk to donors. Space was generously donated for the event by Gallery 1261 in Denver.
Generous donations were made by all of the "Best of Denver" Chocolate competitors, including: Devils Food Bakery, Epicurean Catering, Gateaux Specialty Cakes & Pastries, Morton's Steakhouse, Ruth's Chris Steakhouse, Le Central, LaMars Donuts, The Sweet Soiree, Belvedere Belgian Chocolate Shop of North Cherry Creek, Enstrom Candies, Louis' Candies, Roberta's Chocolates, Dip-n-Delights Chocolate Fountain, Espresso Affair and Bonnie Brae Ice Cream. Highlights of the evening included a 3 foot high cream puff pyramid made by Le Central Chef Laurent Laubot and beautifully artistic cakes and petit fours presented on granite slabs by Epicurean Catering Chefs Deb Zanker and Larry Arguello. Louis' Candies and Belvedere Belgian Chocolate Shop of North Cherry Creek presented a generous array of truffles, chocolate covered strawberries, toffee and more.
Winners were chosen by a select team of local celebrity judges, Jim Benemann of Channel 4, Susie Wargin of Channel 9 and Ernie Bjorkman of Channel 2.
Winners included:
Best Tortes & Cakes: Morton's Steakhouse - Chocolate Velvet Cake
Best Petit Fours & Misc. Pastries - The Sweet Soiree - Petit Chocolate Sins
Best Candies & Chocolates - (tie) Belvedere Belgian Chocolate Shop of North Cherry Creek AND Roberta's Chocolates of Colorado
Amateur winners included: Jane Dempsey, Emily Adams and Students of the Joan Farley Academy
Patrons paid only $20 to sample all of these delights and more. All proceeds went to the youth of Third Way Center, which has been a successful treatment and education program in Denver for over 35 years. Patrons also voted on "People's Choice" favorites, which included: Gateaux Specialty Cakes & Pastries, Devils Food Bakery, Sweet Soiree Catering, Louis' Candies and amateur bakers: Mary Brennemann, Greg Downs, Emily Adams, Dip N Delights and the students of the Joan Farley Academy, Third Way Center's alternative high school.
To learn more about Third Way Center, visit www.thirdwaycenter.org