Thousands at Chocolate Expo make the most of celestial experience

Fondue fountains, chocolate-covered bacon and candy dipped in edible glitter were among the draws at the eighth annual Chocolate Expo held once again at the Cradle of Aviation Museum in Garden City on Sunday. Thousands attended the event on the museum grounds, which formerly housed an Air Force base home to many historic flights.

Chris Potenti, 42, of Floral Park, said he came to appreciate the finer properties of high-quality cacao — even if the dark chocolate fondue dribbling down his mouth suggested otherwise.

“It’s not meant to be shoved in your face, like we just did,” he said, wiping off the chocolate applied to his chin by his 6-year-old daughter Hannah. “It’s made to be savored, much like a good book.”

Attendees at the farmers market-style event enjoyed more than just chocolate with booths featuring wine, cheese, hot sauce and chocolate-free dog treats, among its 80 merchants.

“It’s the chocolate, it’s the wine, it’s the food,” said Juanita Jennings, 45, of Jamaica, Queens, as her sister Taiki Jennings, 37, sipped a lavender-infused lemonade. The women also picked up pies, including pecan, chocolate and sour cherry.

Still, the cocoa bean-derived treats were the stars of the show.

“When you think about chocolate you think about good times with family, you think about holidays, you think about having fun,” said Marvin Baum, owner of Baum Image Group, which sponsors the event. “Everyone loves chocolate, that’s what it comes down to.”

The event is held throughout the year around the tristate area and has been in Garden City since 2012. Proceeds help fund some of the museum’s programs and its mission, which involves celebrating the accomplishments and contributions of Long Island to the history of aviation, Baum said.

Visitors stopped for selfies with Star Wars characters and to admire a sculpture of Neil Armstrong crafted by food artist Nancy Baker, who used dozens of boxes of Nilla Wafers, Oreos, Pirouettes and more to recreate the 1969 moon landing.

The line was a dozen people  long throughout the day for the Fairview, New Jersey-based Bacon Bites, which features smoked meat dipped in chocolate. Chef Lawrence Rosenberg said his dessert-meets-breakfast product is so popular because it marries the savory with the sweet. He likened it to the more common chocolate-covered pretzel.

The expo also allows smaller vendors, such as The Cake Jar Shoppe of Bellport Village, to introduce themselves to new customers. Co-owners Latasha Trent and Donna Leonardi were kept busy by patrons eager to try their signature cakes sold in single-serving Mason jars.

“We get to meet a whole bunch of people,” Trent said. “There are loyal followers of the Chocolate Expo.”

By Vera Chinese

vera.chinese@newsday.com@VeraChinese

Vera Chinese joined Newsday in 2017 after working as an editor for the East End lifestyle publication northforker and a general assignment reporter for the New York Daily News.