Seattle Loves Chocolate: Awards Presented for the Northwest's Finest

If you love chocolate, then you know how hard it is to keep track of all the great selections you have to chose from in any region of North America (Europe notwithstanding). The Seattle Luxury Chocolate Salon recently announced several awards for premium, artisan chocolate from the West and Northwest.

The panel consisted of a number of local food critics, culinary writers, and chocolate experts, including Carol Dearth of Sizzleworks Cooking School in Bellevue, Washington. Members of the Salon's Chocolate Tasting Awards Panel included Seattle food and city journalists Molly Wizenberg (Orangette, Bon Appetit), Eric Scigliano (Seattle Metropolitan magazine), Viv (Seattle Bon Vivant), Ritzy Ryciak (Conscious Choice Magazine) Jay Friedman (Seattlest), Loretto Hulse (Tri-City Herald), Julien Perry ("Go Eat!" - KOMO Radio), Luci Masredjian (Seattle Homes & Lifestyles), Michael Natkin (The Herbivoracious Blog), and Traca Savadogo (Seattle Examiner).

Chocolate tasting panelists have the luxurious responsibility of tasting all chocolates and confections and rating them for receipt of Luxury Chocolate Salon Awards.

You may not have heard of some of the winners, but the judges liked what they found (or one could say, "discovered"). First place award winners from the Chocolate Salon were:

Best Dark Chocolate: Amano Artisan Chocolate

Best Milk Chocolate: Theo Chocolate

Best Truffle :

• Posh Chocolat
• Cadeaux Chocolates

Top Artisan Chocolatier:

• Fiori Chocolatiers
• Cocoa Chai Chocolates
• Cosmic Chocolate
• Kekau Chocolatier

Most Delicious Ingredient Combinations: Fiori Chocolatiers

Most Artistic Designs: Cosmic Chocolate

Best Gift Set : Petits Noirs

Most Luxurious Chocolate Experience: Amano Artisan Chocolate

Best Traditional Chocolates: Amano Artisan Chocolate

Best Flavored Chocolate:

• Intrigue Chocolates Co.
• Amano Artisan Chocolate

Best Dark Chocolate Bar: Amano Artisan Chocolate

Best Milk Chocolate Bar:

• Theo Chocolate
• Fiori Chocolatiers

Best Chocolate for Wine: Decadent Tastes - L'Estasi Dolce

Best in Salon :

• Cosmic Chocolate
• Posh Chocolat
• Alma Chocolate
• Claudio Corallo Chocolate

Best Presentation & Packaging :

• Petits Noirs
• Cosmic Chocolate

Best Organic or Fair Trade Products: Theo Chocolate

Most Gifted Chocolatier / Chocolate Maker:

• Fiori Chocolatiers
• Cosmic Chocolate

Best Comfort Chocolate Product:

• Blissful Brownies
• GrendelSweets Handcrafted Chocolates
• Posh Chocolat

New Product Award:

• Kekau Chocolatier
• GrendelSweets Handcrafted Chocolates

Best Flavored Chocolate Bar: Theo Chocolate

Chocolate Pioneer Award: Dilettante Chocolates

Hopefully your mouth is now watering and you are planning a trip to Seattle!

Article Author: TasteTV

TasteTV is a leading multi-platform culinary, wine, fashion and lifestyle food network. Poplular TasteTV programs include Chocolate Television, wineFLIGHT, styleLIFE, and Tasteable. TasteTV events include Dark Dining (SFDark.com), the Luxury Chocolate …

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