Walking into the Lab at Belmar was more of an unusual experience than anticipated. A tub of pickles greeted us at the top of the stairs before moving into the gallery, which was filled with eclectic art and a wall of ‘junk’. The junk may have been one of the best parts of the gallery, including strange souvenirs from the 1960’s that filled cubbies from floor to ceiling.

The event started out with Bridget Coughlin, a curator at the Museum of Nature and Science in Denver giving a hip, humorous history of chocolate and the chemical properties that make up the addictive treat. She proceeded to talk about the effects chocolate has on the human and canine bodies and how chocolate reacts with the brain (lots of talk of receptor sites, caffeine and aphrodisiacs). Bridget was followed by Chef William Poole of Wen Chocolates. Chef Will went through a short sensory tasting of a Madagascar Criollo chocolate and a Venezuelan chocolate. Chef Will shared beautiful hand casted chocolate barks that were one-of-a-kind and stunning. Then, our shining star of the night – Chef Rebecca Peizer of Culinary School of the Rockies – concluded the tasting discussing savory applications for chocolate in her dazzling recipes and dishes.
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We are excited to announce that Chocolate Tasting at Belmar Labs has sold out. No need to cry if you didn’t get a ticket you can get on the waitlist or you can follow the happenings of Chef Rebecca and the tasting through our blog. Chef Rebecca will be cooking up three savory dishes using chocolate. Stay tuned to find out the what she will be cooking and to get the recipes!