From October 28 to November 1, Paris was established as the chocolate and cocoa capital with the celebration of a new edition of the Salon du Chocolat, under the theme “The great chocolate adventure” and with Colombia as guest country.

115,000 visitors (7% more than in 2016) and more than 500 participants from 60 countries did not want to miss this international event that featured more than 50 demonstrations and tastings, some led by young talents and many others by great pastry chefs and chocolatiers such as Susumu Koyama, Laurent Duchêne, Frédéric Bau, Eric Vergne, Philippe Conticini, and Angelo Musa (so good #4, so good #14).

In terms of competitions, in addition to the prestigious Awards du Chocolat organized by the Club des Croqueurs, the Salon hosted competitions of different themes. The International Cocoa Awards that recognized the 18 cocoas of excellence from four regions (Africa and Indian Ocean, Asia, Pacific and Australia, Central America and the Caribbean, and South America). The French Pastry Trophy in which amateurs and professionals had to defend their interpretation of the Opera cake, and which ended with the victory of Benjamin Bourgeais, pastry chef at l’Atelier Gaztelur with 1 Michelin star, in the professional category, and Charlotte Kabbi in the amateur section. And for the bakery sector, the Masters Du Pain au Chocolat, which proclaimed Ludovic Lherault of the Maison Lherault the winner.

Glamour, as usual, was experienced on a catwalk. Impressive models paraded chocolate dresses created by a chocolatier and a designer. Tandems as effective as Jean-Paul Hévin & Cameron Kham, Christophe Adam (so good # 5, so good # 13) from l’Éclair de Génie and Isadora Delarose, or Stéphane Bonnat and Angélique Godey.

The “Japan Experience” space with exceptional masterclasses by Japanese and French chefs, the “Chocosphère” with 30 lectures-tastings and the Salon du Chocolat Junior thought for the little ones to have playful, gustatory, and didactic experiences around chocolate were other events that should be highlighted from this successful edition.