Yael Rose loves chocolate so much that she has become director of The Chocolate Festival, an ongoing event that takes place in Brighton, London and Oxford around Christmas and Easter. From Dec. 9 to 11, the festival will descend on London’s Southbank Center Square (Belvedere Road), a celebration of all things chocolate.
The festival, which is mostly free, will feature more than 30 stalls selling and sampling chocolate in various forms, from hot chocolate and artisan truffles to chocolate chili. Plenty of recipes and prizes will be on hand. Visitors can also chat with British chocolatiers like William Curley, Bill McCarrick, Damian Allsop and Paul Wayne Gregory about how to become a more discerning taster, and learn about chocolate’s health benefits and other uses.
A series of free tutored tastings, talks and demonstrations will be available over all three days in the Chocolate Cookery Theater, coordinated by the chef and culinary expert Valentina Harris.
Luminaries of the chocolate world, including Chantal Coady, the founder of Rococo Chocolates; the food writer and author Rachel de Thample; the chef Steve Walpole; and the “Scandilicious” author Signe Johansen. Demonstrated recipes will include chocolate jelly and desserts devoid of gluten, wheat, dairy and sugar.
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Renee Blodgett is the founder of We Blog the World. The site combines the magic of an online culture and travel magazine with a global blog network and has contributors from every continent in the world. Having lived in 10 countries and explored nearly 80, she is an avid traveler, and a lover, observer and participant in cultural diversity.
She is also the CEO and founder of Magic Sauce Media, a new media services consultancy focused on viral marketing, social media, branding, events and PR. For over 20 years, she has helped companies from 12 countries get traction in the market. Known for her global and organic approach to product and corporate launches, Renee practices what she pitches and as an active user of social media, she helps clients navigate digital waters from around the world. Renee has been blogging for over 16 years and regularly writes on her personal blog Down the Avenue, Huffington Post, BlogHer, We Blog the World and other sites. She was ranked #12 Social Media Influencer by Forbes Magazine and is listed as a new media influencer and game changer on various sites and books on the new media revolution. In 2013, she was listed as the 6th most influential woman in social media by Forbes Magazine on a Top 20 List.
Her passion for art, storytelling and photography led to the launch of Magic Sauce Photography, which is a visual extension of her writing, the result of which has led to producing six photo books: Galapagos Islands, London, South Africa, Rome, Urbanization and Ecuador.
Renee is also the co-founder of Traveling Geeks, an initiative that brings entrepreneurs, thought leaders, bloggers, creators, curators and influencers to other countries to share and learn from peers, governments, corporations, and the general public in order to educate, share, evaluate, and promote innovative technologies.
