$10,000 Presented To Big Island Chocolate Festival Beneficiaries

  On Friday June 19th, the Kona Cacao Association presented two $5000 checks to the beneficiaries of the 2015 Big Island Chocolate Festival. Accepting the check on behalf of the Kona Pacific Public Charter School was Shaheer Faltas, the new Head of School. The funds will go towards equipping the new commercial kitchen/cafeteria being built on the Kealekekua school campus …

2015 Big Island Chocolate Festival in Photos

The Big Island Chocolate Festival is over for another year, but the sweet memories can be found here to savor! Thanks to all the resorts, restaurants, chefs, culinarians, students, sponsors and volunteers who made the Festival a tremendous success!

Big Island Chocolate Festival Names 2015 Winners

Culinary entries from across the state were tapped winners at last night’s Big Island Chocolate Festival. Chefs, chocolatiers and students were critiqued on taste, texture, appearance and creativity by a team of celebrity judges during the three-day festival. Event host The Fairmont Orchid, Hawai’i was cited in three categories for best plated dessert, bean to bar and the People’s Choice …

2015 Celebrity Judges Make Chocolate Festival Appearance

Competing chefs in the 2015 Big Island Chocolate Festival have some big names to impress with their sweet and savory offerings this year.  Headlining the Chocolate Festival this year is Chef Stanton Ho, Chef Derek Poirer, Valrhona and chef Donald Wressell of Guittard, These well respected chefs will be offering their talents in a variety of ways beyond choosing the …

What’s Cooking/Chilling At The 2015 Chocolate Festival

When you come to the Big Island Chocolate Festival you know you are going to be treated to amazing and creative chocolate creations, fun entertainment (chocolate body painting, anyone?) and a chance to get dressed up and dance with your friends! (or shop with them at the silent auction where we have over $25,000 in auction gifts!) However, the star …

Big Island Chocolate Festival Student Culinary Competition’s Leading Lady

You have heard of the “Iron Chef” competition and cooking competitions like “Chopped”, right? Well, the Big Island Chocolate Festival has it’s own version with the Student Culinary Competition where two culinary teams from the Big Island, West Hawaii Culinary Academy and the Hawaii Community College-Hilo and the Maui Community College culinary students compete for first, second and third place awards. …

Buy Tickets Before April 30th And Receive a FREE Gift!

We have created a partnership with Cococlectic to sweeten the deal on early ticket purchases! Purchase your tickets before April 30th and we will give you a $10 e-gift card to spend on any Cococlectic Membership subscription (Sweet Devotee, Bon (Bon) Vivant or Coco’nnoisseur). If you buy “hard copy” tickets here in Kona, make sure we get your email address so we can …

New Cacao Award Announced for 2015

In keeping with the mission to assist the “growth of the cacao industry in Hawai’i” the Kona Cacao Association, the non-profit behind the Big Island Chocolate Festival, announces a new award, “Best Hawai’i Cacao” for  the winner of the Hawai’i cacao growing and fermentation contest.  Any Hawai’i cacao grower who would like to enter the competition can do so with a pound …

It’s All Coming Together For the Big Island Chocolate Festival!

Craving chocolate? Who doesn’t? The fourth annual Big Island Chocolate Festival delivers with an array of fun, elegant and taste-tempting activities, seminars and culinary adventures May 7-9. Most of the chocolatey goodness will be offered at The Fairmont Orchid, Hawai‘i, but three new events take place at Kona farms. Thursday, May 7: The festival lineup starts 9 a.m.-noon with a hands-on, …