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Chocolate in all its forms drew visitors to the McLean Chocolate Festival, where guests sampled dipped sweets, explored chocolate’s colonial-era origins and selected bars ranging from white to dark.
At the Chesterbrook Residences dipping fountain, marketing director Sarah Malaby served Rice Krispies treats, strawberries and marshmallows. She said the cereal treats were the most popular choice, particularly among children eager for extra sugar.
The festival also offered a Munch & Match table featuring grapefruit sparkling water for six tickets and a fluffy buddy for $5.
At an American Heritage demonstration, Luca smelled cacao beans while representatives of the Mars brand explained the chocolate-making process, from shelling the beans to melting the chocolate. They also described how chocolate became embedded in American culture, noting that colonial consumers drank it before Industrial Revolution techniques made bars possible.
Among the young shoppers were 10-year-old Christopher Larson and his 6-year-old sister, Nicole, who picked out white and dark chocolate bars from Scrummy Gorgeous.