Taste + Learn About Filipino Chocolate at This One-Night Only Event

(SPOT.ph) It's about time you went down the rabbithole of Filipino chocolate, if you haven't. As prized as imported chocolate bars tend to be in these parts, the Philippines is in fact home to superb cacao—which more and more local players are making use of to craft up great-tasting chocolate (some of which have even been recognized worldwide!). Cacao also grows in different parts of the Philippines, the different terroirs of which can affect the taste of the resulting chocolate.  Here's one way you can explore this vast (and understandably intimidating) world: save the date for All About Cacao + Chocolate, a one-night only chocolate-tasting affair happening this coming Thursday, July 27th.

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Here's the deal on the upcoming All About Cacao + Chocolate event:

All About Cacao + Chocolate—a special tasting menu and chocolate tasting session—will be taking place at Hatch and Hoolman in Taguig, at 6 p.m. on July 27. You'll be able to learn about (and taste!) your way through the ways of Filipino cacao and chocolate, as it'll be led by certified chocolate taster Treena Tecson of homegrown brand True Chocolate, and celebrated pastry chef Ely Salar of local dessert shop Patisserie Le Choux-Colat. 

Tecson is a chocolate maker, Certified Chocolate Taster and Cacao Evaluator (with Levels 1 and 2 certifications from the International Institute of Chocolate & Cacao Tasting), and all-around chocolate enthusiast with her own organic cacao farm in Negros Occidental. Tecson's also had noteworthy stints that include being the National Cacao Judge for the Philippine Cacao Quality Awards 2023, among other accomplishments. Leave that intimidation at the door; Tecson herself will be guiding you as you look, sniff, and taste your way through a number of Filipino bean-to-bar chocolates exclusive to the event, employing cacao beans from different parts of Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao.

Salar, on the other hand, is a renowned pastry chef who's worked at a number of establishments across Asia and North America (among them working as the Pastry Chef at the Delta Lodge Kananaskis); he also owns and grows cacao in his own farm in El Fortunella in Leyte. The Patisserie Le Choux-Colat owner will be serving swoon-worthy desserts that showcase his mastery of French pastry techniques—and employ the cacao of our motherland. (Two cacao-infused savory dishes will also be served during the event.)

Tickets go for P3,500 per person and seats are limited to just 20—run, don't walk to make those reservations! You can book your slots through their online reservation form and send your payment via GCash or bank transfer.

Hatch & Hoolman is at S.Ola corner Villamor Street, Phase 4 APOVAI, Taguig. For reservations, fill out the All About Cacao + Chocolate reservation form. For more information, check out the Instagram pages of True Chocolate and Patisserie Le Choux-Colat.

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