Hundreds on hand to sample some treats
Standing next to black-and-white photos of old-time Homewood businesses, such as soda fountains and confectionery shops, Allisa Opyd pointed out the village “has always had a sweet tooth.”
That fondness for a tasty sweet treat was on display Feb. 17 as large crowds came out for Homewood’s 16th annual Chocolate Fest.
Opyd, the village’s special events manager, said the three-hour event was expected to draw more than 900 chocolate lovers.
Vendors selling their treats don’t have to pack up leftovers at the end of the day because “they have no inventory left,” she said.
Held in the Homewood-Flossmoor Park District Auditorium, the event featured vendors such as Bakewell Bakery, Mother Wilma’s Marshmallow Factory and The Cottage on Dixie.
Glenna Elvery said she and her husband, Dudley, opened The Cottage on Dixie five years ago in January, and took part in their first Chocolate Fest that February.
They were selling treats made by the restaurant’s pastry chef, Casey Thompson, including butterscotch white almond bark and white chocolate cranberry pistachio bark. For those who didn’t get a chance to try them at the Chocolate Fest, the couple said the creations are on the dessert menu at their restaurant.
Thompson also provided baking demonstrations, showing how to make the white chocolate cranberry pistachio bark. She received second place in the bake-off competition at last year’s Chocolate Fest.
The bake-off is for both amateur and professional bakers and confectioners, with the public getting a chance to sample the winning entries in exchange for a small donation. Proceeds raised from this year’s bake-off helped to finance the Homewood-Flossmoor High School orchestra’s trip to Germany. The Homewood Historical Society’s brownies were the first-place winner this year.
It’s a big year for the Historical Society, as the community that bills itself as “Home Sweet Homewood celebrates its 125th anniversary. As a reminder, society members were handing out candy at the fest, and their display included large versions of historical photos of some of Homewood’s early sweet shops and soda fountains from the 1920s and ’30s. The photos also are included in a book about Homewood’s history that was one of the few inedible items for sale at the event.
Mayor Rich Hofeld said the idea for Chocolate Fest came several years ago after he attended a chocolate-themed fest in Chicago.
“It’s (Homewood’s event) grown ever since,” he said.
Opyd said the fest is also a welcome break from winter.
“People have cabin fever at this point, and they’re ready to get out and have some fun,” she said.
Next door, the Homewood Science Center offered activities tied into the Chocolate Fest that were geared toward children, such as apron decorating and face painting, and hands-on experiments involving candy.
Clothes hangers and cups were employed to create rudimentary scales hung from the ceiling in one room, with kids using different kinds of chocolate bars in one cup, then filling the other with M&Ms to balance the weight. The center is also planning activities connected with Homewood’s Rail Fest, to be held in May.
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