There are many philosophies on life, none quite so humble and effortless as the famous "Life is like a box of chocolates. You never know what you're going to get." spoken by Tom Hanks in the 1994 movie Forrest Gump, written by Winston Groom and Eric Roth. The belief that "life is like a box of chocolates" was more literally interpreted, also in 1994, with the introduction of Salon du Chocolat. Translated from French to mean "Salon of Chocolate," Salon du Chocolat is a five-day long, annual, international chocolate themed trade show. Previously held in Paris, New York, Tokyo, Moscow, and Beijing, this year's festival was hosted in Shanghai, China. There are many aspects of the show for tourists and visitors to enjoy. This year's edition featured more than 400 participants including: exhibitors, cocoa producers, international chocolatiers and master chiefs and of course, the chocolate dress parade.
The Experience
Wizard Of Oz Lunch Box
There's something kind of wonderful about chocolate that brings sugary treats and the creative arts together. The Salon du Chocolat has more sweets than you can even imagine under one roof. Long tables gridded with bit-sized gourmet chocolate creations draw a large crowd. Each chocolate individually decorated and eagerly waiting to be placed inside chocolate gift boxes. Innovation is the motive for every exhibit: a chocolate sculpture of a woman kneeling upon a pile of cocoa beans, chocolate bars in every flavor imaginable and a seemingly never-ending rainbow of macaroons. An array of chocolate-theme recipe books were available and fresh produce to accompany the diverse flavors of chocolate variety. No choco-holic was leaving without a bundle of unique, contemporary chocolate gift boxes. Nearing the end of October, the Salon du Chocolat is definitely the place to be.
Chocolate Fashion Show
Arguably the most breath-taking element to the event is the chocolate fashion show. Some edible items from the show included: a larger-than-life hoop skirt dress made out of chocolate, a model strutting down the cat walk inside a human-sized chocolate bird cage and in the New York show, a New Years themed outfit was shown off, chocolate top hat and all. Martin Howard, a chocolate themed fashion pro recalls, "Last year, for the 70th anniversary of 'The Wizard of Oz,' I made a big Wicked Witch hat out of chocolate and Dorothy's ruby slippers out of white chocolate. We also used white chocolate to make a yellow brick road background and to reconstruct Emerald City. Another year I made a Bat-girl dress and giant wings out of chocolate for a model. Then I made chocolate guns for other models posing as villains. That was a true performance piece."
Chocolate lover or not, anyone would enjoy this very unique, feel-good festival Allowing the world to find a common bond in chocolate is just delightful. And while the interpretation of "life is like a box of chocolates" takes a more literal stance at the Salon du Chocolat, it feels more like falling into a great, big chocolate gift box and never wanting to come out.