Hot Chocolate

What a great place Naperville is! We even have our own Chocolate Festival! Now in it's seventh year, the NCO Chocolate Festival raises money for families and children and need.

For future reference it takes place at Nequa Valley High School, not Waubonsie where I first tried, although they did have an exciting basket ball game going on there. This is actually more embarrassing than it sounds, because I actually wrote a piece advertising the event, then turned up at the wrong place. Anyhow, back to the chocolate...

Naperville firefighters put on a great cookery demonstration, making a delicious chocolate mousse. Have to say it wasn't a patch on mine, but their excuse was they can only make super quick recipes in case they get called out to a fire. When I make mine, it's usually a reason to call out the firefighters.

Since the firefighters work 24 hour shifts, they take it in turn to prepare meals. No frozen ready meals for them, real food is very important.

"Keep going. It's the only way we're going to get on the Food Network."

All that pumping action comes in useful for filling tiny cups with chocolate mousse too.

Neatly does it....

"I told you. All the spoons have to face the same way."

Don't forget the decoration.

Elsewhere, some chocolaty words of wisdom.

And more than a few treats to buy or sample..or both. These are from Le Chocolate du Bouchard, the Naperville chocolate cafe I take all my visitors to. It's owner, Cathy Buchard, told me she was off to New York on a taste finding mission immediately after the show, so she could restock for Valentine's Day. It's a tough job, but someone has to do it.

Here's an usunusal sight. An ice cream van in the snow. Come to think of it, you don't see too many in the summer months either.