Chocolate Festival returning in person for first time in three years

After two years of being held online, the annual Cache Valley Chocolate Festival is taking place in person once again. The festival, which benefits Planned Parenthood, will take place at the Riverwoods Conference Center on Saturday, Feb. 11 at 6:30 p.m. 

Nancy Sassano, a proposal development specialist at Utah State University, is currently serving as chair of the Chocolate Festival committee. She has been on the committee for 20 years.  

This is the 36th year of the festival, and Sassano said it has been growing every year.  

“The initial concept of it when it first started was to have a chocolate dessert competition,” Sassano said. “And that has risen to fantastic levels over the years, having local people who are really good bakers, or who are very creative, entering.” 

Sassano said the chocolate desserts are reviewed in the afternoon by a panel of judges. In the evening, the festival opens and the public can pay their $10 donation for a tasting ticket to sample 10 of the desserts.  

Along with awards from the judges, contestants can also win people’s choice awards.  

Erin Hofmann, an associate professor in the sociology department at USU, has been entering desserts in the festival since 2013.  

“I heard about the Chocolate Festival that first Valentine’s Day that I was here, and we had just moved; we didn’t know a lot of people here yet,” Hofmann said. “It seemed like a fun thing to do. I like to bake and I’m competitive, so that appealed to me. I was surprised when I went to this for that first time and I won second place for truffles, and ever since then I’ve been hooked.” 

There are different contests with the festival that desserts can be entered into. The open contest is for anyone who wants to join and share their chocolate treats with others while also participating in a competition. The youth/families is for contestants under the age of 16 who create their treat alone or with friends or family.  

“As my kids have gotten older — I have a fifth grader and a kindergartener — the fifth grader in particular really likes chocolate and really likes baking,” Hofmann said. “We’ve started doing entries together, and those tend to be more kid-friendly things like plain chocolate cakes.” 

Within the open and youth/family contests, contestants can enter brownies, chocolates, cakes, cookies or potpourri categories.  

The Premier Showcase desserts, new to the festival in 2020, are entered by a business or organization.  

“It’s basically a showcase with professional bakers, professional pastry chefs, businesses that have a culinary connection that want to show support,” Sassano said. “And this year, we’re featuring several community organizations that have missions that are tied in with Planned Parenthood, and they create a showstopper entry.” 

These entries can still be sampled by the public but are judged separately from other entries.  

The chocolate Festival serves as a fundraiser for Planned Parenthood in Utah.  

“All the fundraising supports the Utah affiliate of Planned Parenthood, which then supports all of the Planned Parenthood clinics around the state,” Sassano said. “We have eight health centers in Utah.” 

Sassano has served on the state board of Planned Parenthood for the past 12 years.  

“The funds that are raised support all the activities and the clinical services of Planned Parenthood throughout the state,” Sassano said. “Without that kind of support, we would have a lot less of that.”  

Sassano said the Chocolate Festival is a volunteer-run event. There are often USU students who participate.  

“It’s a really fun way to be a part of the event without having to bake something. We’d love to have more student volunteers and there is a link on our website to sign up to volunteer,” Sassano said.   

The festival also includes a live auction and a silent auction. All pieces in the premier showcase are entered in the live auction. All other desserts are offered in the silent auction.  

This year, tickets can be bought in advance online. Tickets will also be sold at the door. 

“It’s been a really good way for me to be more involved in the community,” Hofmann said. “I said I liked the baking, but I’ve also gotten to meet a lot of people that way, I’ve really liked the community aspect of it.” 

More information on the festival, entering a dessert or volunteering can be found at thechocolatefest.com.