Fairview Hosts Art Of Chocolate Fundraiser

From Fairview: Fairview's 5th Art of Chocolate fundraiser, presented by Groton Utilities was another success! On Sunday, January 27th, the Mystic Marriott Hotel & Spa was filled with over 500 chocolate lovers. With 13 local vendors in attendance, guests were able to satisfy their sweet tooth and try all things chocolate! Music was provided by the Marcy & Ian Kelly Acoustic Duo, and the Red Door spa provided mini services for guests to enjoy.

This year’s chocolate tasting extravaganza featured Cake by Franck, Captain Daniel Packer Inne, Carlo’s Bake Shop at Mohegan Sun, Chapter One, Grille 92 at Fairview, Harbour House Restaurant & Bar, Hot Rod Cafe, Karma Kitchen, Mitzi’s Coffee & Crepes, Octagon at Mystic Marriott, Pop On the Block—Gourmet Popcorn and You Take the Cake & Chocolate Rose Bakeshop. They served items such as;Filled Chocolates, Spicy Chocolate Chicken Bites, Cheesecake Filled Strawberries Dipped in Chocolate, Chipotle Chocolate Dipped Bacon, Superfood Chocolate Bites, Cashew Cranberry Chocolate Bark , Mini Chocolate Hazelnut Linzer Tarts, Cioccolata Calda (Italian Hot Chocolate), Cinco de Chili Chocolate Cupcakes, Raspberry White Chocolate Mousse Tarts, Chocolate Bon Bons, Flourless Chocolate Cookies, Various Chocolate Drizzled Popcorns, Okinawa Sweet White Chocolate Mashed Potatoes, Blood Orange Hot Chocolate, Chocolate Death Stars, Assorted Chocolate Muffins, Iced Strawberry Mocha, Iced White Chocolate Mocha, Chocolate Raspberry Cake Truffles, Chocolate Salted Caramels, Classic Crunch Chocolate Chip Cookies and White Chocolate Cranberry Cookies.

Guest judges this year included Chef Maurice Beebe, Owner of Catering by Maurice, Lee White, Food Columnist for The Day’s weekly papers, and Rick Koster, Art and Culture Columnist and Food Reviewer for The Day.

These three judges teamed up to select their favorite chocolate items and gave out five awards. First place Judges’ Choice was awarded to Cake by Franck, second place was awarded to Octagon at Mystic Marriott and third place was awarded to Hot Rod Cafe. Most Creative Use of Chocolate went to The Octagon at Mystic Marriott, while Most Savory Use of Chocolate was awarded to Hot Rod Cafe.Best Display, chosen by the Art of Chocolate committee, was awarded to Pop on the Block Gourmet Popcorn. In addition to the awards given out by the guest judges and the committee, 1st in People’s Choice, went to Octagon at Mystic Marriott, and Grille 92 andHot Rod Cafe tied for Peoples’ Choice Runner Up.

Thank you to our sponsors; Groton Utilities, Mystic Marriott, Full Power Radio – 106.5, 107.7, 99.5, 94.9, Thames Valley Communications, PSAV, The Day, K-Hits, C.E. Floyd Company, Red Door Spa, MysticView TV, Sheree Sirpenski Photography, LLC, Loureiro Engineering Associates, Procare LTC, Bouvier Insurance, BlumShapiro, Wiggin & Dana, Rebekah Assembly of Connecticut, Chelsea Groton Bank, Seniors Helping Seniors, The Schuster Group, Marcy & Ian Kelly Acoustic Duo, WCRI, ABC PhotoLab, Carlin Construction and Linda J. Kidder Associates.

The proceeds from this successful fundraiser will help support Fairview’s unrestricted annual fund, which allows the organization to continue to offer the high quality of care and services that enhance the lives of its residents.

Image via Shuttershock