Beirut has proven once again that it is the Middle Eastern capital of taste, by playing host to two fantastic food events. Beirut Cooking Festival and Salon du Chocolat Beirut, held concurrently from November 8-10 at Seaside Arena, brought the tastiest flavors to the city, while celebrating the magic of ‘Carnival’

The events welcomed more than 15,000 visitors, 160 exhibitors and over 60 chefs and experts, who shared their know-how at over 100 workshops and demonstrations.

Salon du Chocolat Beirut kicked off with the famous chocolate Fashion Show, which showcased 13 dresses created by Lebanese designers and renowned pastry chefs. The Fashion Show’s special guest was designer Karoline Lang who collaborated with pastry chef and master consultant Charles Azar. Other highlights included workshops with the leading pastry chefs at the Choco Demo, a space for children to decorate and taste sweet items, a chocolate sculpture competition, featuring students from Alba university in Beirut, cake design and buche de Noël design competitions and a 250kg chocolate angel sculpture.

salonduchocolatbeirut.com

SWEET LIKE CHOCOLATE

HN caught up with Gérald Palacios, CEO of Salon du Chocolat, at the Salon du Chocolat Beirut to find out what changes are occurring throughout the industry

“The chocolate market is growing everywhere. It is a global trend. However, we noticed two interesting changes. The first is that the consumer is learning very fast and knows much more than at any point in the past. Having previously worked with Nespresso and LVMH, I realized how the individual palate for coffee, alcohol and chocolate is not only changing rapidly, but also much more quickly than expected and in ways we could not have previously anticipated. In other words, consumers are becoming more educated, much more quickly and people are continuously looking for novelty, especially when it comes to chocolate, as it is an affordable luxury and easily accessible. As previously mentioned, the global demand for chocolate is growing, especially for quality chocolate products. What we can also see is the development of new machines and technology, for instance, significantly small devices used by various F&B outlets that enable the extraction of chocolate immediately from the bean itself. This process, which is called ‘bean-to-bar’, is shaking-up the industry, because now, any individual who has access to this machine, will have the ability to produce their own chocolate. Furthermore, these outlets are using single origin beans and mixing them to produce a more sophisticated product. It therefore comes as no surprise that plenty of people, who are not experienced in this field, are starting their own business. As a salon, we are trying very hard to connect the manufacturer with the buyer, who previously had no real inter-personal contact. In the future, we hope to host some of these manufacturers and have them tell the story of the bean and in so doing, add value to the product itself as well as improve levels of consumer awareness.”

EMF CALLEBAUT LAUNCHES RB1

During Salon Du Chocolat Beirut, Ruby RB1, the fourth type of chocolate, was introduced to the Lebanese market at an exclusive launching event, presided over by Belgian Ambassador to Lebanon, Hubert Cooreman. The event was hosted by chefs Jerome Anfray, Laurent Allereau and Mickael Gantner, all of whom are based in Beirut, with the trio displaying their savory creations by combining the unique taste of Ruby with foi gras, salmon and even caviar.
Marjorie Bourdon, Barry Callebaut Marketing Manager Middle East & Africa said, “Thanks to its unique taste profile and its natural color, Ruby RB1 brings new excitement within the chocolate category, enabling new concepts and innovative ideas.”
“After more than 40 years of partnership in the service of our customers, EMF & BARRY CALLEBAUT are proud to announce the 4th type of chocolate, RUBY. Join us in these exciting times in looking to the future as we embark together on a one of a kind colorful culinary trip,” said Maurice E. Feghali, CEO of EMF Trading Ltd – Middle East Coordination for Barry Callebaut.