One Sweet Weekend

Taste of Chocolate turns M.I.T. venue into Y.U.M.

EVERY YEAR ABOUT this time, young hearts begin to focus on one thing- Chocolate!
It is inescapable. Whether you like the taste of it or have read some of the myriad studies that tout the brown bar’s “medicinal” benefits, chocoholicism seems to be the biggest issue in America around Valentine’s Day.
If you (or someone you know) is so afflicted (or if you want someone to be), Boston’s own Taste Of Chocolate (www.tasteofchocolate. com) has something truly sweet for you. In collaboration with MIT’s already romantic Endicott House in Dedham, ToC is offering a weekend-long chocolate fest on the weekend of February 11-12 that will include everything from a belly-busting brunch and delicious dinners to cooking classes, a chocolate challenge and, of course, plenty of tastings.
“Being an MIT venue, will there be engineering and science involved,” explains ToC’s Chocolate Operations manager Stephanie Trukas, noting that guests will be invited to participate in a special seminar that will edify them as to exactly why chocolate is so romantic.
When asked how her team came up with the idea, Trukas explains that the idea came up during a brainstorming session with her fellow chocolate lovers at Endicott House. As ToC’s founder David Goldstein is also the man behind the popular Mysrery Café dinners, he had worked with the Endicott team before and was looking for a new way to collaborate. “We decided to do the weekend because we have a long-standing relationship with…Endicott House,” Trukas explains, “and because we are certain that the only thing better than chocolate is a whole weekend of chocolate!”
“David and I have known each other for years,” says Endicott Houses’ Jennifer McManus, noting how many mystery dinners and team-building events Goldstein has hosted at the historic home. “When David started the chocolate company, we just started talking again about how we could do a project together….We thought doing an event together with David’s expertise on chocolate and the ambiance of the mansion would be a winner.”
Though many attached pairs will attend, McManus and Trukas both extend a cocoa-covered invitations to lonely hearts as well. “We are expecting not only couples, but friends, families and anybody who has an interest in learning about chocolate,” Trukas says, noting that guests will examine the many facets of famous confection, from how it is made and where it comes from to the many ways to use it, what to pair it with and ways to taste it.
“Taste of Chocolate as a whole was started by David because of his love for real chocolate,” Trukas explains, suggesting that Goldstein started this sweet venture so he could show as many people as he could as much about the world of chocolate as possible. “From one chocolate lover to all the other chocolate lovers,” Trukas says, “it is something that he is passionate about and as we have come to find out he is certainly not alone!”