Chocolate Festival Winners Announced

Chocolate Festival  Winners Announced

Several contests were held at the recent Chocolate Festival fundraiser held just outside Robbins, North Carolina to benefit the nonprofit Robbins Area Christian Ministries (RACM.)

The Chocolate Challenge dessert contest had winners in both professional and amateur categories. The Best-Looking Chocolate Creations were judged on looks alone.  Other categories were judged primarily on taste.

Professional, Best-Looking Chocolate Creation:

            1^st place won by Desserts by Walter Tullio of Robbins for Chocolate Fantasy Cake

Professional, Cakes and Cupcakes: 

1^st place won by Desserts by Walter Tullio of Robbins for Chocolate Fantasy Cake

2^nd place won by Maxie B’s of Greensboro for All American Chocolate Cake

3^rd place won by Westmoore Family Restaurant of Seagrove for Iced Chocolate Pound Cake

Amateur, Best-Looking Chocolate Creation:

            1^st place won by Erik Farrell of Seagrove for Chocolate Raspberry Cake

            2^nd place won by David Farrell of Seagrove for Chocolate Cheesecake

            3^rd place won by Mary Cummings of Robbins for Chocolate Oreo Pudding

Amateur, Cakes and Cupcakes:

            1^st place won by Emily Owens of Robbins for Cocoa Almond Cake

            2^nd place won by Patsy Garner of Robbins for Chocolate Cream Cake

            3^rd place won by Betty Sue Garner of Robbins for Chocolate Cake with Chocolate Icing

Amateur, Other Chocolate Desserts:

            1^st place won by Randy Hussey of Robbins for Chocolate Chess Pie

            2^nd place won by Betty Sue Garner of Robbins for Peanut Butter Squares

            3^rd place won by Mary Cummings of Robbins for Chocolate Oreo Pudding

A panel of five judges from outside the Robbins area selected winners of the Chocolate Challenge.  Judges were Linda Carnes-McNaughton, archaeologist at Fort Bragg and President of the North Carolina Pottery Center; Jessica Ledbetter, Outreach Coordinator at the Food Bank of Central and Eastern North Carolina, Sandhills Location; Lee Calhoun, apple expert and noted author of Southern Heritage Apples and other books; Foy Allen Edelman, author of Sweet Carolina, a cookbook of desserts from across our state; and Foy’s willing husband Jerry Edelman, who simply loves chocolate!  Judges were impressed by the overall quality of the desserts entered. 

People who attended the Chocolate Festival bought tasting tickets which permitted them to sample the various desserts and then vote on their favorite.  Once all votes were tallied, Betty Sue Garner had won the People’s Choice Award for her Peanut Butter Squares.

Entrants to “Runway Chocolate: a Chocolate-Inspired Fashion Show” entered in either High Style or Silly categories.  Several who entered showed great creativity.

Janett Nelson of Robbins won 1^st place in High Style with a coordinated outfit all in brown tones.

Winners in the Silly Category were selected by age group:

            Emma Martindale won in the 12 and under division for her outfit as a Hershey’s Kiss.

            Tristan Mackey won in the teen division with a costume titled “Melted Chocolate.”

            Karen Swinney won in the adult female division, dressed as an M&M.

            Sam Swinney won in the adult male division as the Chocolate Sheriff.

People’s Choice Winner for the Fashion Show was Peyton Vest, dressed as a Kit Kat bar.  This People’s Choice Award was based on which entrant collected the most donations for Robbins Area Christian Ministries.

Teresa Thomas was MC for the fashion show and the judges for Runway Chocolate were Annette Jordan, Style Editor of the Courier-Tribune of Asheboro; Beth Gore, of Cady Clayworks; and Chris Dunn of the Arts Council of Moore County.

This was the first time Robbins Area Christian Ministries has held a Chocolate Festival as its yearly fundraiser.  Those who attended seemed to thoroughly enjoy themselves.  The profit for the day was just short of $3600, the most ever raised at a fundraiser to benefit RACM.  All profits will go to help with utility bills of struggling people in the northern Moore County community.

Everything is shaping up well for the RACM Chocolate Festival Fundraiser!!!

CHOCOLATE FESTIVAL SCHEDULE:

9 am                 Begin accepting entries for Chocolate Challenge dessert contests

10 am               CHOCOLATE FESTIVAL OPENS TO THE PUBLIC

10:30 am           Cutoff time for deliveries of Chocolate Challenge entries

10:45 am           Judging begins for Chocolate Challenge

11 am               Chocolate Demonstration by professional chef Walter Viegelmann

11 am               Chocolate Fountain opens

12 noon             Book signing by Foy Allen Edelman, author of Sweet Carolina

12:30 pm           Presentation of winners of the Chocolate Challenge dessert contests
2 pm                 “How to Walk the Fashion Runway”,  Miss Moore County Summer Hennings

2:30 pm             Book signing ends.

3 pm                 “Runway Chocolate:  a Chocolate-Inspired Fashion Show”

5 pm                  Presentation of winners of Runway Chocolate

                        Silent Auction rolling closeout begins (one table each 15 minutes)

5:30 pm             Presentation of People’s Choice winners from all contests
6 pm                 CHOCOLATE FESTIVAL ENDS

The Chocolate Festival will be on Saturday, May 5th from 10 am to 6 pm at Smyrna United Methodist Church, 203 Smyrna Church Road, Robbins, NC.

RACM is a tax-exempt 501(c)3 nonprofit that helps with the needs of the greater Robbins community (basically all of Moore County that is north of Carthage) with a Food Bank, assistance with utility bills and occasional other assistance.  All money raised at the Chocolate Festival will go to help with utility bill assistance.

At the Chocolate Festival, RACM volunteers will be celebrating and serving chocolate in many forms: chocolate candies, chocolate baked goods, and chocolate drinks. 

One main event of the morning will be a Chocolate Challenge dessert contest with three categories for entry:  Cakes and Cupcakes, Other Chocolate Desserts, and Best-Looking Chocolate Creation.  Professional entries will be judged separately from amateur desserts.  Make your best chocolate dessert and bring it to the Chocolate Festival!  There is no entry fee, but desserts are a donation to RACM and will be sold after the judging.

All day at the Chocolate Festival, volunteers will be selling tasting cards (sample 10 items for $2) individual servings, and whole cakes.  A Chocolate Fountain will be up and going, with fruit and other goodies.  There will be a Small Gift Area as well, with inexpensive items for sale.

The Silent Auction will have a "Buy it Now" option just like eBay, so if you can’t stay the entire day, you can go on and make your purchases and take them home! Included in the Silent Auction are whole cakes by terrific home bakers, handmade crafts, and lots of themed gift baskets which will make terrific Mother’s Day presents!  RACM has gathered together a super assortment of “chocolate” items for this section of the festival.  Featured will be chocolate plants, chocolate apparel, chocolate home products, chocolate body care, and many other items fitting for a Chocolate Festival!

At 11 am, professional pastry chef Walter Viegelmann will offer a Chocolate Demonstration on finishing a chocolate cake, starting with how to slice layers evenly, then stacking and icing, and ending with decorating. 

Walter is a Culinary Institute of America graduate who worked with other professional chefs and restaurants before opening the bakery Tullio’s in Duck, NC.  Tullio’s was featured on The Food Network as a “Food Find.”  Now Walter runs Desserts by Walter Tullio and makes fine baked goods on order.  

At noon begins a Book Signing by Foy Allen Edelman, author of Sweet Carolina:  Favorite Desserts and Candies from the Old North State.  Foy will sign cookbooks, answer questions about North Carolina foods, and probably would love to collect some of your recipes as well! 

Foy Allen Edelman loves to both cook and to read recipes. The family stories behind those cherished recipes especially interest her.  For this cookbook she traveled all across our state, collecting favorite recipes and meeting many home cooks from across North Carolina.  The Sweet Carolina cookbooks will be available for purchase at the Book Signing.

A hotdog lunch and supper at Heavenly Chocolate Café will include the ever-popular Debra's Baked Beans.  Chocolate drinks will be offered as well and you can take your pick of numerous chocolate desserts.

At 2 pm the current Miss Moore County, Summer Hennings, will conduct a workshop on "How to Walk the Fashion Runway."

Beginning at 3 pm will be Runway Chocolate: a Chocolate-Inspired Fashion Show!  There are two categories:  High Style and Silly.  This will be a light and fun fashion show.  If you don't enter, try to come and watch!

Local actress Teresa Thomas will be MC for the fashion show and the judges for Runway Chocolate will be Annette Jordan, Style Editor of the Courier-Tribune of Asheboro; Beth Gore, of Cady Clayworks; and Chris Dunn of the Arts Council of Moore County.

A panel of six judges from outside the Robbins area will select the winners of the Chocolate Challenge.  They are Linda Carnes-McNaughton, archaeologist at Fort Bragg and President of the North Carolina Pottery Center; Kirk McNaughton, Research Analyst in the Department of Cell and Molecular Physiology and Director of the Histology Core Facility at UNC-CH, who on the side specializes in both cooking and eating; Jessica Ledbetter, Outreach Coordinator at the Food Bank of Central and Eastern North Carolina, Sandhills Location; Lee Calhoun, apple expert and noted author of Southern Heritage Apples and other books; Foy Allen Edelman, author of Sweet Carolina, a cookbook of desserts from across our state; and Foy’s willing husband Jerry Edelman, who simply loves chocolate!

“We decided this year to do something different for the Robbins Area Christian Ministries fundraiser,” says 2012 Fundraiser Chairperson Mary Farrell.  “A Chocolate Festival has wide appeal, and we’ve tried to plan a day that will be a lot of fun and raise much-needed funding at the same time!”

Details of the Chocolate Festival fundraiser and information about Robbins Area Christian Ministries can be found at www.robbinsareachristianministries.blogspot.com. 

Needs are still increasing in the northern end of Moore County.  Robbins Area Christian Ministries assists close to 100 people each month with its Food Bank and has more community members needing assistance with utility bills than it has funding for.  A record fundraiser is much needed this year!  Put the Chocolate Festival on your calendar so you can come and have fun while raising money for a worthy cause!

To get to Smyrna Church from the south, take Highway 705 North out of Robbins, turn right on N. Howard Mill Rd, take the second road to the left (Smyrna Church Road), then go about 1 1/2miles.  Smyrna United Methodist Church will be on your right.

To get to Smyrna Church from the north, take Highway 705 South out of Seagrove, go about 7 ½ miles, then turn left on Busbee Road, go straight at the first stop sign (Busbee Road will become Cedar Hill Road), then go about 1 1/2miles further and turn right on Smyrna Church Road.  Smyrna United Methodist Church will be on your left, within half a mile of that corner.

There is no entry fee for admission into the Chocolate Festival, though to do anything but look will cost money.  It is a fundraiser after all!

MANY THANKS TO OUR SPONSORS !!!

PREMIUM SPONSORS:

QUALITY SPONSORS:

Smyrna United Methodist Church Women, Robbins, NC

Northern Moore Family Resource Center, Robbins, NC

Tabernacle United Methodist Church, Robbins, NC

Patricia G. Palmer, Raleigh, NC

BASIC SPONSORS:

Dr. Daniel A. Livingstone, Raleigh, NC

Westmoore Pottery, Seagrove, NC

Kinza's Creations, Robbins, NC

Robbins Small Engine Feeds and Accessories, Robbins, NC

Brown's Chapel Christian Church, Robbins, NC

Whole Foods Market, Raleigh, NC

First Bank, Seagrove, NC

Seagrove Creations, Seagrove, NC

North Carolina Pottery Center, Seagrove, NC

Mickey Brown, Robbins, NC

Thigpen and Jenkins, Robbins, NC

Smyrna UMC Joy Group, Robbins, NC

First Wesleyan Church, Robbins, NC

Jerry Darnell, Mill Creek Forge, Robbins, NC

Elise Presbyterian Church, Robbins, NC

First Bank, Robbins, NC

Mary Farrell, Seagrove, NC

Festival Poster

A Chocolate Festival: 2012 Fundraiser

Chocolate Festival

A FUNDRAISER FOR
ROBBINS AREA CHRISTIAN MINISTRIES
 to be held on
Saturday, May 5th, 2012
from 10 am to 6 pm
 at Smyrna United Methodist Church
203 Smyrna Church Road 
of Robbins, North Carolina.

SAVE THE DATE!!

Including:
"Tastes":  Sample everything!
Sales of Whole Desserts
By-the-slice Sales
 Silent Auction
 Gift Area
 Heavenly Chocolate Cafe
 Chocolate Challenge dessert contests
 Runway Chocolate:  a Chocolate-Inspired Fashion Show
. . . and more

Check the "Chocolate Festival Details" page for more information. 
We will add details to that page as they are finalized!

THANKS TO OUR SPONSORS BELOW!  WE COULDN'T DO IT WITHOUT YOU!

*****
SPONSORS

PREMIUM SPONSORS:

QUALITY SPONSORS:
Smyrna United Methodist Church Women, Robbins, NC
Northern Moore Family Resource Center, Robbins, NC
Tabernacle United Methodist Church, Robbins, NC
Patricia G. Palmer, Raleigh, NC

BASIC SPONSORS:
Dr. Daniel A. Livingstone, Raleigh, NC
Westmoore Pottery, Seagrove, NC
Kinza's Creations, Robbins, NC
Robbins Small Engine Feeds and Accessories, Robbins, NC
Brown's Chapel Christian Church, Robbins, NC
Whole Foods Market, Raleigh, NC
First Bank, Seagrove, NC
Seagrove Creations, Seagrove, NC
North Carolina Pottery Center, Seagrove, NC
Mickey Brown, Robbins, NC
Thigpen and Jenkins, Robbins, NC
Smyrna UMC Joy Group, Robbins, NC
First Wesleyan Church, Robbins, NC
Jerry Darnell, Mill Creek Forge, Robbins, NC
Elise Presbyterian Church, Robbins, NC
First Bank, Robbins, NC
Mary Farrell, Seagrove, NC