Chocolate Confessions and The Brooklyn Chocolate Experiment

I have a confession to make.

“My name is Shelly, and I am NOT a Choco-holic.”

Don’t get me wrong; I enjoy my molten chocolate cakes and my hazelnut Ferrero Rochers from time to time. But unlike 99% of the female population, my face does not transform into a look of sheer bliss at its very smell; my lips do not part with the anticipation of that first taste with my tongue, and I do not make sounds of orgasmic pleasure as I savor its decadence in my mouth.

Yes, I am that 1% anomaly. Call me peculiar, call me crazy, but I rather snack on a bag of 90 calorie Popchips than devour a chocolate brownie square. My friends love sharing desserts with me, because I’ll take 2 mini bites before the chocolatey richness overpowered my taste buds, and then turn it over for them to ravage in ecstacy.

So I was the last person who would bet that I’d one day compete in a cookoff featuring chocolate, but indeed on November 15th, I will be a proud contestant at:

The Brooklyn Food Experiment is brainchild of Theo Peck and Nick Suarez, 2 brilliant cookoff competitors themselves, and the chocolate experiment is the 3rd in the series.  Amateur chefs will compete in 3 categories (sweet, savory, & drinks). Judging will be at the mercy of the audience as well as an impressive panel of judges including Amanda Hesser and Merrill Stubbs of Food52, Andrew Knowlton of Bon Appetit, and Nick Fauchald of TastingTable. It’s an event not to be missed. So if you live in the NYC area, please come out to join the ranks of competing chefs, or just to sample the succulent chocolate dishes and…support me!

With my lack of patience and the meticulous skills required for the art of pastry-making, I’m sure you’ve already guessed that I will be entering with a savory creation of my own. I’m still tinkering around to perfect the recipe, so I’ll wait until after the event for the unveiling here on this blog, but here’s a clue: It’s a comfort dish that’s spicy, rich, hearty, & warm, with just the right hint of chocolatey smokiness. So come out and taste for yourself!

More details can be found on the website http://thefoodexperiments.com/. See you there!