BY JOSE PAOLO S. DELA CRUZ
Roses are red, violets are blue, dragon eggs — or duck eggs — can be sweet, too.
Well, they most certainly are at the Auro World Chocolate Fair at S Maison in Pasay City, where the award-winning Filipino chocolate company and its partner merchants treat chocolate aficionados to an extraordinary experience until July 7.
This year’s fair features brands such as Half Saints, Doughmain, Daniel Baker, Bubu Bars, Conrad Manila, Ciento Cookies, Mindful Indulgence, Kultura, and But First, Coffee. Before digging into their chocolate-y treats though, guests who attend the fair will be awed by the Wooden Dragon’s Lair, a picture perfect diorama featuring dragons, colorful dragon eggs, and of course Auro chocolates.
Sweet miracles
Sweet miracles also abound in the fair as seen in the small and medium enterprises, whose owners were inspired to take a leap of faith by their love for food and chocolate.
During our visit, PeopleAsia chatted with Ian Daniel co-owner of Daniel Baker who established the brand with his wife to craft affordable luxury chocolate products. “Even at their price point, these products are all well-packaged and make for fine gifts,” said Ian, who previously introduced crookies to their clients. Word to the wise: Daniel Baker’s chocolate covered potato chips, also a bestseller, are certainly not to be missed.
There’s also Half-Saints, whose mission of promoting local ingredients and cuisines align with that of Auro. Established by Christine Roque and Jo Arciaga, Half-Saints’ delectable truffles are but the tip of the iceberg for the restaurant, which has a branch in Quezon City, and two others in Tokyo. “There was an influx of foreign chocolate and food brands when we started our business in 2018. We wanted to come up with a concept that unique and elevates Filipino ingredients,” said Christine.
Meanwhile, Mindful Indulgence by Trix offers delicious desserts and confectionaries, such as guilt-free peanut buttercups. “In the pandemic, we wanted to eat but also understood that we had to stay healthy. That’s why I came up with these sugar-free and cholesterol free desserts,” said Trix, who used to be a marketing professional.
Also not to be missed are Ciento cookies, which offers 100-gram cookies of every mouthwatering flavor. Heat them up, break them in half and dig into these freshly baked bites of heaven to know what we are talking about. We assure that you will not be disappointed.
Sweet fifth
Five years ago S Maison and Auro teamed up to create a chocolate fair that not just celebrates World Chocolate Day, but also the works of their partners. “World Chocolate Day happens on July 7 every year. At the same time, it’s also our way of showing our appreciation to our partners and giving a platform for them to showcase their delicious creations,” said Mark Ocampo, co-founder and managing director of Auro Chocolates.
Auro, which according to Mark, produces roughly three tons of chocolate and supplies them to their customers daily, is also well known in the world of retail. Who hasn’t seen the beautifully packaged chocolates they sell in SM Kultura, among other places?
For the fair though, the brand’s creativity goes into more whimsical territory, with the introduction of not just its chocolate balut, but also its colorful dragon eggs that are served in wooden trunks. “People find it hilarious when they crack the dragon eggs open, they find ducks inside. It’s quite fun.” added Mark.
And if you haven’t decided on your outfit to the fair yet, Mark has a suggestion. “We are encouraging guests to come to the fair dressed up in their best dragon inspired outfits, take photos and post and you will get gifts from every single vendor. We will announce the winner on Saturday!”
Now, where are those dragon wings?
