4-foot chocolate George Washington taking shape for Pa. Chocolate & Coffee Festival – PhillyVoice

4-foot chocolate George Washington taking shape for Pa. Chocolate & Coffee Festival  PhillyVoice

The Pennsylvania Chocolate & Coffee Festival returns to Oaks Oct. 24-25 with 150+ vendors, coffee demos and a four-foot chocolate George Washington sculpture. Paul Joachim works on a four-foot chocolate sculpture of George Washington on horseback that is still being completed for the Pennsylvania Chocolate & Coffee Festival in Oaks on Oct. 24-25. George Washington will make an unusual appearance at the Pennsylvania Chocolate & Coffee Festival this month, in the form of a four-foot sculpture made entirely from chocolate. The festival returns to the Greater Philadelphia Expo Center in Oaks on Saturday, Oct. 24, and Sunday, Oct. 25, with more than 150 chocolatiers, coffee roasters, bakers, specialty food makers and other vendors. Chocolate sculptor Paul Joachim created the Washington display for the country’s 250th anniversary.

The sculpture depicts Washington on horseback and will be paired with programming about the role of drinking chocolate in early American life. Coffee fans can watch and taste their way through the Mad Catter Coffee Lab, which will host cuppings, brewing sessions and latte art demonstrations throughout the weekend. The Chocolate Education Classroom will also offer sessions on cacao farming, bean-to-bar chocolate making and chocolate history. Saturday’s lineup includes a virtual trip through five cacao farms in Ecuador, while Sunday features programming about fine chocolate produced in Nicaragua and chocolate traditions tied to America’s