The Harvard Square Business Association went all out in chocolate and free samples, setting the stage for a charming pre-Valentine’s Day celebration.
For three days, Harvard Square restaurants took part in the 8th Annual Chocolate Festival, dedicating the weekend to chocolate, featuring chocolate appetizers, entrees, desserts, cocktails, cordials and nightcaps. The main event of the celebration, however, was the free chocolate tasting. Despite the long lines, more than 1,000 people came out to enjoy the surprisingly warm January afternoon, the energetic drum set entertainment and, of course, free gourmet sweets.
“Free food! I’ll be there any day,” said Steven Alberts, 30, a Somerville resident.
Several others shared this mentality, especially the college students who happily took whatever handouts they could get.
“We’d do anything for free chocolate,” said Laura McKenna, 24, a student at the MGH Institute of Health Professions.
The companies that participated in the festival included Ben and Jerry’s, Cabot Candy, Crema Cafe, El Jefe’s Tacqueria, Follow the Honey, J.P. Licks, Shake Shack, Toscano, Uno Pizzeria and Grill and wagamama. The handful of diverse vendors set up tables in a cafeteria-style lineup, allowing the public to pick and choose from whichever assortment they pleased.
People wandered around booths and filled their plates with cookies, cakes and cannoli before settling down to watch the performances. Percussionists and dancers flocked to the middle of the square, inviting anyone to join in on a few dances.
The celebration’s casual nature appealed to many of the first-timers.
“It forces us to get out and try something new without having to commit to an afternoon” said John Parro, 29, a financial analyst at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. “And we figured if the line was that long anyway, it was probably worth it. People are in line for a reason.”
But while Ben and Jerry’s world-famous ice cream and Shake Shack’s well-known salted caramel hot chocolate drew crowds in, the local vendors pleasantly surprised many festivalgoers as well.
Crema Cafe, a neighborhood coffeehouse located in Cambridge, was one of the popular choices, arriving with platters of rich chocolate cupcakes.
“[Crema Cafe] was my favorite,” said Tim Krumreig, 26, a Somerville resident. “The cupcakes were amazing.”
Follow the Honey, another local shop, also had a successful day, as they launched a brand-new raw chocolate bar. In addition to the bee-sweetened chocolate, Follow the Honey handed out samples of Tupelo honey and an organic honey from Oaxaca, Mexico.
“Follow the Honey is definitely a representation of all small little shops that are honeybee-inspired,” said Mary Canning, owner of the business.
Cabot’s Candy also showed up with the intention of promoting local businesses, as well as their top three fudge flavors — dark chocolate, chocolate peanut butter and caramel pecan.
“We pride ourselves on selling local delicacies,” said Calla Hintz, a Cabot Candy’s associate.
“By being here, we support other local chocolatiers and artisans.”
Though this was one of the first big festivals Cabot’s Candy had been a part of, the company has been working on participating in more events around the area, according to Hintz.
All three Cabot’s Candy fudges proved to be a huge hit, especially the caramel pecan, a fudge sample created with real sea salt caramel. The chocolate celebration officially ended at 2 p.m., but Cabot’s Candy kept its table up and running until around 3:30, attempting to satisfy as many people as possible.
Cabot’s Candy workers cut approximately 1,500 pieces in preparation for the festival and still were essentially all out by the end.
“We had two little tiny pieces of the peanut butter fudge left,” Hintz said. “We just kept going. We were actually the last table there.”
