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OREGON CHOCOLATE FESTIVAL Oregon Chocolate Festival kicks off at Ashland Hills Hotel Comment By John Darling For the Tidings DailyTidings.com By John Darling For the Tidings Posted Mar. 3, 2016 at 9:00 AM Updated Mar 5, 2016 at 12:25 PM By John Darling For the Tidings Posted Mar. 3, 2016 at 9:00 AM Updated Mar 5, 2016 at 12:25 PM » Social News “Three days in a chocoholic’s heaven.” That’s how Marga Laube, marketing manager for the Neuman Hotel Group, describes Ashland’s 12th annual Oregon Chocolate Festival, where 1,500 people partake in tastings, wine pairings, a spa party and a 5K run. The event is scheduled for Friday through Sunday at Ashland Hills Hotel and other spots around town. (This paragraph has been changed to correct Laube's title and the name of the hotel.) It’s a wildly popular event in a seemingly endless year-round string of fun events in Ashland — and is suspected of being the most fun of them all. More than 40 vendors from around the West will show off wine, soap, jewelry, baked goods — even face scrub — all with the theme of chocolate, Laube says. The event will kick off at 3 p.m. Friday when chef Darrell Folck of Oregon Coast Culinary Institute and chef-chocolatier Eric Johnson of Frishon Chocolates assemble two chocolate sculptures in the lobby of Ashland Hills Inn. There will be workshops on pairings of chocolate with both beer and wine, lessons on making chocolate flowers by hand and melding olives, eucalyptus and chocolate by chef Josh Dorcak of Public House in Ashland. A Sunday demo is the Signature Chocolate Hazelnut Tart by chef Denika Voget of Coquette Bakery in Central Point. Sabrina of Ambrosia Natural Bakery in Grants Pass will demo how to bake for food allergies, including gluten-free vegan chocolate cupcakes, a staple at her shop. A Saturday workshop by Charlie Douglass, candymaker at Harry & David, will take you on a world chocolate tour, tasting dark goodies from around the world. The Saturday evening spa party will let visitors indulge in chocolate cocktails and make a chocolate mohito sugar scrub for your face, Laube says, adding, “Chocolate has all sorts of wonderful health properties and is a great antioxidant, very healing for the skin.” Chocolatier Deena Branson, owner of Branson’s Chocolates in Ashland, agrees that “Chocolate is a health food, if you eat it in moderation. It’s a mandatory food group for me. After all, it grows on a tree.” Branson will have her gourmet line, with salted caramel, jasmine tea squares, turtles and a new surprise item to be unveiled. Prices, she says, are at a point where everyone can enjoy it regularly, yet still experience high-quality Belgian chocolate. In addition to teaching and marketing their yummies, Branson says, chocolatiers spend a lot of time talking over techniques and learning from each other. As for eating chocolate all weekend, Branson says you won’t overdo it if you drink plenty of water and eat "normal meals at normal times.” On Sunday at 8:30 a.m., Charlie’s Chocolate 5K run will start in the Ashland Hills Inn parking lot. The Chocolate Makers’ Dinner Saturday evening is sold out. See the full schedule at www.oregonchocolatefestival.com/schedule . The event gives 10 percent of ticket sales to ACCESS, Inc. All proceeds from the dessert silent auction also will benefit ACCESS. John Darling is an Ashland freelance writer. Reach him at [email protected]. By John Darling For the Tidings DailyTidings.com By John Darling For the Tidings Posted Mar. 3, 2016 at 9:00 AM Updated Mar 5, 2016 at 12:25 PM » Comment or view comments Reader Reaction » STAY INFORMED Email NewsLetter Sign Up Today Sign up for our newsletter and have the top headlines from your community delivered right to your inbox. Southern Oregon Directory Featured Businesses Loading... 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