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Pearl Ganzon of COC 7 here. Greetings from the land of milk and honey! And I mean that literally. Or so at least it felt that way during the oh-so-sweet time I spent at Enderun Colleges' truffle-making and wine and chocolate pairing—an event entitled “Faites du Chocolat.” The many perks of being a part of the Candy Council of Cool include attending fun events such as this. Blessed with a sweet tooth to rival all those who claim to have sweet tooths, I was ready for some choco-lovin time. Upon arrival, my sister and I were greeted lavishly and enthusiastically by the lovely people of Enderun Colleges. I was even surprised to see a friend from high school back in CSA, Trishna! I got the chance to chat with her for a while, and it was obvious that she was enjoying her stay there.

While waiting for the demo and lecture, we were fed with scrumptious breads and pastries. My favorites include some kind of tuna-filled pastry pie and the toasted wheat one with ham, cheese and tomato. Yummmm!

But of course, the highlight of the event was still the chocolate. And when we finally got inside the lecture room (that also smelled like delicious gourmet chocolate!) for the demo/lecture and met Chef Etiene Irazoqui, we were all enthralled and excited to learn and discover the world of chocolat. The entire event paid tribute to a brand that chocolate lovers, gourmet creators, and professionals rejoice all over the world with—Valrhona chocolates. Chef Etienne, the Shanghai-based pastry chef consultant for Valrhona HQ in France, did a wonderful job as a lecturer that day. It was both informative and interesting, and I also found his French ways both endearing and amusing. He started off with the history of chocolate and moved on to the process and evolution of various forms of chocolate. As a history buff, I found all this very interesting.

Outside the lecture room was a glorious spread of chocolates. It was a chocolate buffet that I was so eager to dive into. We got to take a little bit of everything so we could compare and enjoy most of the spread. And let me just say how amazed I am by everything laid out there! The initial bite of any of the sample desserts was an immediate explosion of unique flavors. It was exciting and unpredictable, and I'm just enthralled by the chef's creativity. I learned that manipulating chocolate is an art in itself. Thanks for having me there, Enderun!

What's your favorite sinfully chocolatey dessert? Let me know!

Spreading the choco-love,
Pearl