What’s gotten into Chocolate?

Here at Dion, chocolate is an essential part of what gets us through the workday. Have you noticed how popular chocolate has become this year? Several years ago, cranberry was all the rage from cranberry juice to cocktails and last year pomegranate was all the rage. Well ladies, this year fruit is out and chocolate is in!

On a chocolate tour last weekend in Boston, Stacy tasted some sweets from exotic chocolatier Vosges. She decided to live life on the edge and picked up a Bacon Chocolate Bar which according to Stacy was surprisingly incredible! The company’s chocolate chef studied in France and worked in Spain, Italy and Asia often drawing from those cultures in recipes. If you are daring enough to try some of their more unusual creations, we recommend you try the Bacon Chocolate Chip Pancake Mix or the spicy Red Fire Chocolate Tortilla Chips (and let us know what you think).

Brooklyn, NY design studio Freshthrills, decided to address the national recession we have been in with an innovative product called Recession Bites Chocolate. The logic behind the chocolate truffles was that even though the recession has brought our spirits down, we still deserve a chocolate pick me up! Recession Bites are a dark chocolate truffle with hints of Oreo and mint flavoring and are packaged in a creative tube shaped container. Now what about a chocotini? The sweet cocktail has skyrocketed in popularity over the past year beating out similar sweet beverage, the mudslide. Thorton’s, a popular gourmet chocolatier, recently came out with a chocolate liqueur with some fantastic packaging. The deep cocoa colored bottle has an intricately designed matching label for a rich luxurious appearance. Even global confectioner Jelly Belly has come out with a chocolate covered jelly bean called Dips; I cannot wait to try these!

Would you ever think to find chocolate in your jewlery or at a fashion show? The company, Promise Me Chocolate, makes fashionable chocolate rings designed to look like extra large gemstones. You can customize your stone (ruby, sapphire, emerald, ECT), setting (gold/silver) and if you prefer dark or milk chocolate. Fittingly, each chocolate ring is packaging in a delicate jewelry box and finished with a bow perfect for a romantic gift or even a marriage proposal. Finally, what could be better than an entire fashion show dedicated to chocolate! Yearly, the Metropolitan Pavilion plays host to the New York Chocolate Show where everything is chocolate from the food, décor, and of course the clothes! Models strut their stuff on the runway clad in chocolate attire, and after the show the garments are displayed on mannequins for public viewing.

Where else have you seen chocolate show up? Have you found some outstanding chocolate packaging? Leave us a comment!