Every March here in Southern Oregon, just when the residents are growing truly weary of the cold, wet days of winter, along comes an event that brings a smile to everyone . . . or, at least, to everyone who loves all things chocolate. Last weekend, being lovers of chocolate, my husband and I visited the 21st edition of the Oregon Chocolate Festival in nearby Ashland, Oregon. We’ve attended several times over the 15 years we’ve lived in the area, and it’s been interesting to observe how it has grown and changed over that time.

Originally held in the core of downtown Ashland at the Ashland Springs Hotel, in more recent years it outgrew that venue and moved to its sister property, the Ashland Hills Hotel, on the outer edge of town. It has also expanded its offerings, which now include a chocolate makers’ multicourse wine dinner on Friday night, the festival open to the public on Saturday and Sunday, and a Chocolate Brunch on both Saturday and Sunday mornings. The hotels offer special weekend getaway packages and chocolate spa experiences, and there are demonstrations and talks about all things chocolate over the course of the weekend.

From past years’ experience, we know that we can usually visit most of the booths in just a few hours, and we’ve also learned to be rather selective about what we taste, as it is certainly possible to get to chocolate overload. We arrived shortly after noon on Saturday to see that the 50 vendors were all concentrated on the main level of the hotel’s meeting spaces rather than spread over two floors, as had been the case recently when there had been 70 or more sellers. And while there were plenty of chocolate patrons milling about, it seemed a bit less crowded, too. Part of that might have been attributable to the gorgeous sunny weather we had that day; with temperatures in the 60s, lots of folks opted to stay outside.

The Oregon Chocolate Festival is a judged competition and draws chocolatiers from not only Oregon but California, Washington and Nevada as well. Categories include the best in chocolate confections, bonbons, chocolate beverages, chocolate tablets, and inclusion and flavored chocolate bars. Other vendors participate as well, with a few booths offering nonedible products such as pottery, skincare products and body painting. Several serve up beverages (not all including a chocolate component) to complement chocolate consumption, with a few wineries, a meadery, and tea and coffee purveyors on site. Scattered among the sweeter offerings were other food products which had a more tangential relationship with chocolate (or indeed could be found used in some of the chocolate confections present) such as olive oils; specialty salts; hot sauces (!); assorted jams, sauces and preserves; and honey.

Over the years we’ve found it interesting to see the trends developing in chocolate and, more broadly, food production. The past few years have seen an increased focus on the health benefits of chocolate and other ingredients infused into the confections. This year a number of vendors touted vegan and gluten-free products, and this interest was reflected in some of the presentations offered this year: The Vegan Chocolate Revolution and Health Benefits & Mindful Eating with Chocolate. I try to keep those points in mind when I start to feel a little guilty about my chocolate addiction!

Our preferred M.O. for attacking such a broad range of temptations is to circumnavigate the space to see what’s available and then dive in to aggressively sample the most intriguing offerings. Some vendors (especially local chocolatiers such as Branson Chocolates and Scharffen Berger) have attended nearly every festival, and we’ve come to appreciate others such as Holm Made Toffee from Bend and Hygge Chocolates that perennially serve up wonderful confections. It’s easy to draw me in with pretty-looking chocolates, but I appreciate a beautifully designed package, as well. I think you can see why I was drawn to sample the tablets from Cocoa & Craft; I trust the culinary talents of someone who wraps their creations in such artistically pleasing packaging!  We return to our favorite booths at the end of our visit to purchase goodies to take home. This time that included cookies from Lady Bread Bakery, some chocolate-infused manuka honey (recalling our recent trip to New Zealand), spiced cocoa from Chai Kitchen and, of course, a few chocolate bars and an assortment of bon bons. Another Oregon Chocolate Festival is in the books, and I can’t wait ’til next year!

— Patty Vanikiotis, associate editor/copy editor