The 20th annual Chocolate Affair is tonight at M&T Bank Stadium. The event, a benefit for Health Care for the Homeless, has become the unofficial "big first thing to dress up for of the year," kind of like Baltimore's version of the Golden Globes.
There are still tickets left, available both on the event's website and at the door.
More than 60 vendors are committed to tonight's event. Most of them are chocolatiers and bakeries showing off their chocolate creations, but a good dozen or area restaurants show up there, too, with savory offerings.
And it's competitive -- awards are given in these seven categories,
Tastiest Chocolate Treat
Tastiest Non-Chocolate Treat
Best Candy Creation
Best Booth Display
Best Visual Presentation of Food
Most Creative Use of Chocolate
Best Beverage
Plus these two:
Apprentice Award
Judging criteria include originality, creativity, taste and overall look.
Connoisseur Award (Vendor participating for at least 5 years)
Judging criteria include originality, creativity, taste and overall look.
Here's how a colleague describes the event to me, which she said is her favorite of the year -- "you stand in line and get lots of yummy treats, and then you get in your another line and get some more, and you keep doing it until you can't do it anymore because you're on a sugar high." See how happy these attendees at last year's event are?
Anyone going?
Baltimore Sun photo/Colby Ware