It's billed, rightfully so, as the tastiest event of the year.
World of Chocolate is the AIDS Foundation of Chicago's ( AFC ) annual holiday fundraising event held in commemoration of World AIDS Day. World of Chocolate is set for Thursday, Dec. 2, 6-10 p.m., at the Hilton Chicago, 720 S. Michigan.
About 1,600 are expected to attend the annual chocolate fest, eating gourmet sweets—and hoping to raise about $200,000 for the fight against AIDS.
"Who doesn't love chocolate?" said Mark Ishaug, AFC president. "What a great way to draw attention to AIDS, both locally and globally, and what a great way to kick off the holiday season. You are no longer stuffed from Thanksgiving, and you have not yet overloaded on other holiday sweets. The timing is ideal.
"World of Chocolate has the best chocolate makers in Chicago and beyond, all donating their time and talent, and AFC board member Tom Kehoe transforms the lovely Hilton Hotel ballroom into a magical and festive party for 1,600 people."
Attendees can sample scrumptious chocolate creations from more than 30 of Chicagoland's finest restaurants, caterers and chocolatiers. Chocolate vendors create the delicacies to compete for top honors in several categories, judged by local celebrities.
World of Chocolate also features entertainment, a raffle, an open bar and a light buffet.
Plus, this year's event features Fritz Knipschildt, a native of Denmark, who moved to the United States in 1996 and founded Knipschildt Chocolatier LLC in 1999 and café Chocopologie in 2005. Knipschildt will serve as the 2010 Honorary Chair and celebrity judge for World of Chocolate.
"This is the 9th annual [ World of Chocolate ] event to commemorate World AIDS Day," Ishaug said. "Our World AIDS Day commemoration event used to be called All the Trimmings, but Mike Dilbeck, our current Team to End AIDS ( T2EA ) director and former director of fundraising events came up with the World of Chocolate idea. World AIDS Day, World of Chocolate—get it? Clever that one, huh? I think we 'borrowed' the idea of such an event from another city. It was not a World AIDS Day event, but a Valentine's Day event, I believe.
"The one highlight [ from past World of Chocolate events ] that everyone still raves about was the Adonis-like man covered in nothing but chocolate. Everybody thought he was hot—very hot."
The 2009 World of Chocolate raised more than $180,000.
The 2010 event is co-chaired by Glen Pietradoni, Jim Perry and Ben Stringfellow, and has more host committee members than ever before, Ishaug said.
World of Chocolate has, in total, raised more than $1 million—money that goes to supporting AFC's advocacy, grant-making and community education programs.
But how do you not gain 20 pounds at the event?
"Everything in moderation. Pace yourself," Ishaug said. "I love it all at World of Chocolate. I sample a piece or two or three from every vendor. Thank goodness I train for marathons and triathlons. In fact, we'll be signing people up that night for Team to End AIDS."
For more information or to purchase tickets for World of Chocolate, go to www.aidschicago.org/home/index.php.
