Museum benefit showcases finest E.L. chocolatiers

---

Tweet

If you gave up chocolate for Lent or are trying to stick to a New Year weight loss resolution then hopefully you weren’t anywhere near Kellogg Center on Sunday afternoon.

More than 300 chocolate lovers united at the 21st annual Chocolate Benefit Party hosted by the MSU Museum.

Starting as a small event inside the home of the museum’s former director, the benefit has evolved throughout the years into a large event that has been held at Kellogg Center for more than 15 years.

“It was originally just kind of a gathering of friends and chocolate enthusiasts, but then we realized early on we were on to something and this was a good way to enlarge our circle of friends with an event like this, and it introduces what the museum has to offer to new faces,” MSU Museum Communications Director Lora Helou said.

The event features a chocolate sculpture contest surrounded by local bakers, pastry chefs and chocolatiers offering bite size delectable treats such as peanut butter cup chocolate cheesecake, white chocolate made to look like deviled eggs and gourmet layered chocolate cake.

Attendees had the option of purchasing premier chocolatier tickets for $75, which included a yearlong membership to the museum and early access to vendors for samples as well as an exclusive demonstration before the event. Tickets could be purchased in advance or at the door and prices included free samples all afternoon with cost dependent on whether you had a museum membership or not.

“I’m a virgin chocolatier and it’s my first time here — I’m loving it,” Lansing resident Melody Atwood said. “I think actually the presentation that was given in the premiere was my favorite. It was wonderful and so unique — he had chocolate-covered bacon, little cups filled with raspberry and chocolate chips and cayenne pepper and he showed us how to do everything out of your own home from your own cupboard.”

This year’s theme came from the movie, “Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian,” which inspired the elaborate and imaginative chocolate sculptures made by local chefs. The museum had professionally trained culinary judges base their decisions on use of chocolate, taste and overall presentation.

First time competitors from Soaring Eagle Casino & Resort, department chef Rodney Nichols and casino pastry lead Jess Leineke, created a chocolate octopus and said they never had participated in a chocolate competition before.

“Transporting it was terrifying and it was just difficult creating something so detailed within a short period of time and making sure it would stand out,” Leineke said.

Nichols said he was excited for the competition and impressed with the event, especially after all the long hours of molding the octopus’ tentacles out of chocolate.

“The theme really inspired us, but I had never done anything this extensively detailed before,” Nichols said. “The event really opened my eyes to the possibilities of chocolate inside the kitchen.”

Local bakeries and chocolatiers participate in the event for free, donating their time and free samples to help bring attention to the museum’s premiere fundraising event and showcase their skills and sweet indulgences to attendees.

Jeffrey Johnson, co-owner of local bakery Bake N’ Cakes, 3003 E. Kalamazoo St., in Lansing has participated in the event for 15 years and appreciates the event for bringing him face-to-face with the community and showing the public his company only creates the best of the best.

“It definitely brings the community to the museum so it’s nice to have the variety of museum pieces along with chocolatiers from the area,” Johnson said. “Then you look at the competition pieces and you see that skill level you wouldn’t ever see on a regular basis. It’s at an event like this you get the opportunity to showcase your best work to a lot of people.”

Fudge and candy shop, How Sweet It Is, at 4750 S. Hagadorn Road, has participated in the annual event for 17 years.

“I really believe in supporting MSU and the museum, so that’s one of the things I think makes it a worthwhile event as a business,” owner Lenny Cusenza said. “It’s just really fun for us.”

With the success of the annual benefit, the museum hopes to continue awareness in its efforts to preserve its collections and help bring new, interesting exhibits to the public. Many attendees purchased year-long museum memberships at Sunday’s event.

“We hope that with an event like this that not only people have a good time and get to experience different chocolate works of art, but also spread the word about the museum and why it’s important to support us and continuing a relationship so they are aware what the museum is doing,” MSU Museum Director Gary Morgan said.

---