The Chocolate Expo, America’s largest and most unique chocolate festival, will be returning to Long Island’s Cradle of Aviation Museum on Sunday, March 3, from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m.
At the Chocolate Expo, attendees will get to taste, purchase, celebrate and otherwise indulge in delicious gourmet chocolates, baked goods, specialty foods, gelato, cheeses, wines, spirits, hard ciders, craft sodas and much more from local and regional vendors, while touring one of the largest air and space museums in the world.
In the museum’s atrium lobby, guests will be greeted by Aurora Gourmet’s chocolate fountains overflowing with milk chocolate, dark chocolate and white chocolate to cover a choice of fresh fruits, marshmallows, pretzels and crisp rice treats.
Participating chocolatiers in this year’s event include Chocolate Moonshine, Chocolates U, Emalyn Sweets, Raw Chocolate Love, Twizzle’s Tasty Treats, Teacher’s Recipe Fudge, the Cocoa Exchange and the Pretzel Princess, among others.
Unusual chocolate items at the Chocolate Expo include Bacon Bites’ chocolate-covered bacon, chocolate-flavored pumpkin seeds from Super Seedz, raw cookie dough treats from Whipped Up, chocolate vodka from Olde York Farm, chocolate wine from Pazdar Winery, chocolate soda from Drink More Good and chocolate-scented personal care products from ScrubIt NH.
Wine tastings and sales will be offered by Adirondack Winery, Fire Island Winery and Warwick Valley Winery. Ciders by Doc’s Hard Ciders and spirits from Lake George Distillery and Black Dirt Distillery will round-out the lineup of alcoholic beverages at this year’s Chocolate Expo.
In celebration of the 50th anniversary of the Apollo 11 mission, food artist Nancy Baker, who has been featured on the Food Network, will recreate a scene from a famous photo of the moon landing using a delicious combination of chocolates, cookies and colored sugars.
More than 25 authentically-costumed Star Wars characters from the 501st Empire City Garrison will descend on the Chocolate Expo and be available for selfies and other picture-taking opportunities from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.
Free face painting and balloon twisting activities for children will take place in the museum’s Junior Jet Club.
Admission to all air and space exhibits is included with admission to the Chocolate Expo. Additionally, free admission to shows in the JetBlue Airways Planetarium, regularly $9 per adult and $8 per child, will be included as well. “Space Junk” will be shown at 12, 3 and 5 p.m.
The Cradle of Aviation Museum is on Charles Lindbergh Blvd. in Garden City. For more information, contact the museum at 516-572-4111 or go to www.cradleofaviation.org.
