Arboretum uses February to celebrate chocolate
If there was a single unifying idea behind Sunday's chocolate expo at the Morton Arboretum, it was probably this: “All chocolate is not created equal.”
More than a dozen vendors specializing in all things chocolate offered samples of their goodies Sunday. The delicacies included gourmet chocolate sauces, truffles, bakery items and good old-fashioned chocolate bars.
Several demonstrations were held throughout the day, as well, including a session on how to make the perfect chocolate martini.
The event was part of the arboretum's monthlong “Celebrating Chocolate” series, which takes place each weekend in February.
“I'm getting some early Valentine's Day ideas,” said Wheaton resident Sharon LaMarque as she made her way through the expo. “I like the chocolate I've tasted so far because it's not so overpoweringly sweet.”
Terrence Mootoo, owner of Chicago's Baladoche cafe, gave a presentation on the health benefits of fine dark chocolate and the minimum number of ingredients needed to make it. He and other staffers from Baladoche offered samples of the cafe's chocolate and Belgian waffles to an appreciative crowd.
Mootoo said he got the idea of opening a dessert cafe after a trip to Belgium.
“I tasted the chocolate there, and I just went nuts,” Mootoo said. “It was so amazingly good, and I wondered why the chocolate here didn't taste anything like it.”
Mootoo said Belgian dark chocolate is relatively low in calories and offers a number of health benefits.
“It can help lower blood pressure, it has a high antioxidant count,” he said. “And it's low in calories — the truffles we sell are just 46 calories each.”
Mootoo said he hopes visitors to Sunday's expo leave with a new appreciation for fine dark chocolate.
“Some people think dark chocolate is bitter,” he said. “It's not true. It tastes amazing and it will make you feel a lot better.”
The Morton Arboretum is located at 4100 Rt. 53 in Lisle. For information on future chocolate activities, visit mortonarb.org.