Post Chocolate Affair

The 18th Annual Chocolate Affair was a huge success. Last night I saw so many friends, the only person I didn’t see was Willy Wonka. The list of city celebs were about, most of them judging the selections of sweet and savory offerings from the city’s leading restaurants, bakeries, confectioners and caterers. I snapped a picture of Patti Neumann of CityPeek.com, the ever effervescent Anne Boone-Simanski writer of Seen and Scene column for The Examiner and Allegra Bennett, Renovating Woman. I am always energized being around dynamic woman.

I finally got to chat with Top Chef contestant, Jill Snyder, honorary co-chair of the event. She recognized me from my Facebook photo which is exciting in itself since the photo had been photoshop’d to remove all signs of aging. I met Jill’s mom who is as beautiful as her daughter but they grow them tall from Latrobe, Pennsylvania, so much so, I felt like a munchkin from the Wizard of Oz and started humming the Lollipop Guild. (Here is your earworm for the day)



The list of the usual suspects

I saw Eddie Applefeld, Diane Macklin-Downtown Diane, Monyka Berracosa of http://www.mycity4her.com/, Brian Michael Lawrence, editor of Style Magazine or I like to call him BML, Randi Rom and Michael Birchenall of FoodService Monthly, Celeste Corsaro of Baltimore Eats, Lynn Williams of Gayot, Rob Kasper of The Baltimore Sun and Kerry Dunnington, food writer and caterer.

Well, what about the food?

I’m like Kathy Griffin, I’m on the “D” list, so I wasn’t asked to judge the food but I will give a shout out on a couple of items. Catherine Berenson’s, Cooking with Catherine habanero chocolate brownies had tongues wagging about the great taste and the heat. Bonefish Grill offered up a shrimp dish that was yummy and the line waiting to get some proved it. I went to more the savory dishes and only tasted a couple of the chocolate dishes. I enjoyed a chocolate truffle topped with sea salt from Chef’s Expressions. In all honesty, I didn’t eat much chocolate – I know that is blasphemy at the Chocolate Affair.

(Photo: Patti Neumann, Anne Boone-Simanski & Allegra Bennett)