Come September, two days of surfing through a sweet sea of sugary treats will once again define the annual smooth Festival of Chocolate which each year transforms The Rocks into a hotbed of dessert trends both new and old, pastry pop-ups, cooking demos, and more. Some of the country’s best will be turning out for this massive showcase of “treat yo’ self” eats and drinks, determined to let you in on every little nuance that goes into creating their respective treats.
Lindt will once again be a major presence at the festival with their Lindt Lounge standing on Tallawolodah Place (the lawn in front of the MCA). They’ll be hosting a pop up patisserie with three exclusive new eclair flavours – salted caramel, hazelnut, and chocolate – as well as a to-be-announced interactive experience for the public.
Adriano Zumbo will have a similarly large presence this year as his Zumbo’s Just Desserts show gains traction. He’ll be on the scene as one of the exhibitors while his top pastry chef and assistant Gigi Falanga will be taking to the Callebaut Test Kitchen to display her talents.
Over 112,000 attendees showed out last year, so practice those crowd-darting techniques as you make your way around to the likes of the activations from partners Callebaut and Knebel Kitchens, who will be bringing in some of the city’s best dessert chefs including Christopher The of the famous Black Star Pastry and award-winning French patissier Jean Michel Raynaud of Le Renaissance Patisserie.
Artisan chocolatiers will be offering up their finest products in the Cargo Hall at the Overseas Passenger Terminal while over 80 exhibitors will be spread across the festival, from Love Dem Apples and Textbook Patisserie to My Donut Box and Paper Street Ice Cream. This means that you can expect a whole range of quirky desserts like chocolate kebabs and North American-style caramel apples to Black Star Pastry’s famous Strawberry Watermelon Cake (with a white chocolate twist for the festival) and some “rainbow unicorn donuts”. Over 80 exhibitors have been brought on board so head to the official website (linked to below) for a full list.
The festival’s official accommodation partner, InterContinental, will be hosting an artwork-in-progress at the nearby InterContinental Sydney. Crafted by artist James Patrick, it will make use of chocolate and Lindt wrappers in the foyer, built during the week leading up to the festival. The final product will be displayed in the Cargo Hall.
A Bilpin Cider Bar will erected by the harbour, elsewhere baker Joanne Smith of Baked by Joanne will be slicing up her signature Nutella Cake, and a Halloween festival showpiece will be built by respected pastry chef Dean Gibson. With so much going on over the two days, it’s surely looking like you’ll need to carefully plan your palate before heading along to the free-entry festival, for your stomach’s sake.
To celebrate the return of this delicious festival we’re giving away two VIP tickets (you get access to a special area with canapes and drinks – and an escape from the crowds) and a huge hamper of chocolate. For more details and to enter click HERE.
smooth Festival of Chocolate
When: Sat 10th (10am-8pm) and Sun 11th (10am-6pm) September
Where: The Rocks, Sydney
Website: www.smooth.com.au
Images supplied and used with permission.
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