Tag Archives: fundraiser

Portland’s 6th Annual ChocolateFest 2011

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What a thrill to be at the 6th Annual ChocolateFest in Portland, Oregon last week! Pretty hard not to get excited with 6,500 enthusiastic chocolate fans in attendance.  We spent January 21st through the 23rd there, and generated a lot of enthusiasm for out unusual truffle flavors.

Here’s a cool thing about this event. Some of the proceeds go toward supporting the World Forestry Center in Portland. A really great place, the Forestry Center is a non-profit reaching out to do education on trees and forests around the world. The have a huge focus on teaching the world about environmental sustainability, something we definitely need more of!

As the crowds moved through the Oregon Convention Center we enjoyed visiting with those that stopped to share a moment at Intrigue Chocolates’ table. Aaron, Intrigue Chocolatier, was his usual effervescent self in front of the camera! He was interviewed early Friday morning by a local TV station, and was definitely adorable, and full of chocolate expertise.

With a slightly different line-up of flavors each day, we were able to offer truffle bars and truffle samples in all of the six flavors that we brought along. The truffle bars were a huge hit with Basil, Lemon Zesty, Cardamom-Coffee, and Honey-Ginger bars selling out in pretty short order. We still had Tannenbaum and Tasmanian Pepperberry truffle bars on hand, but they proved to be popular, too.

There was music, wine, and lots of presentations, ranging from the academic to the just plain-old fun. The Forestry Center educated the gathered about the cacao tree, from whence all that goodness came. And did you know there was such a thing as a Chocolate Martini? Choco-tini!

Dogs in Disguise: Halloween at the Warehouse

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Hot Dogs!

After the big success of last month’s Third Thursday Wine Walk at Woodinville Warehouse Wineries, the doggy fun continues! October was the last wine walk of the 2010 season, and we capped it off with “Halloween at the Warehouse”. Once again proceeds going to support our local wineries and Homeward Pets. Caring for dogs and cats who need homes is a costly enterprise. And Homeward Pets Adoption Center is dedicated to really giving better lives to so many animals, they even refuse to euthanize animals, believing that there is no such thing as an unwanted animal, just some lag time between finding their true homes.

“Halloween at the Warehouse” invited pets and owners to arrive in costume, with prizes for best dressed in both categories! What’s cuter than dressed up poochies?

With over 15 wineries participating, the excitement was even greater with the many raffle prizes. Attendees were awarded raffle tickets every time they bought a bottle of wine, and were in the running for cool prizes like; a Covington Cellars Winemaker’s Dinner for 2, an Edmonds Winery Magnum, 8 wine tastings at Patterson Cellars, a Barrel Wine Tour for 2 and lots of Third Thursday Wine Walk gift certificates.

Best of all (of course) was putting wine together with chocolate at Davenport Cellars while Jeff and Sheila crushed grapes in the back room. We gave away many truffle samples and shared Intrigue Chocolates techniques for pairing wine and chocolate. (Samples for Human trick-or-treaters, only!) Lots of pats for the pets, though!

Farewell to Sips and Shoes!

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Chocolate, Wine and shoes?

Visitors to Seattle’s Grand Hyatt last Sunday (Oct. 3rd, 2010) afternoon shopped for shoes to their heart’s content! Attendees brought a pair of new or gently used shoes to donate, and everyone got a shot at them during the auction.

Entrance to the event bought not only a chance to bid on great kicks, but also wine tasting from 30 wineries and pairings with luscious eats like Intrigue Chocolates.  The proceeds went to support the Ryther Child Center, an amazing facility that lends support to children and families with behavior health needs.

We thought those of you who walked our way looked absolutely fabulous in your new duds! Our only regret is that this was the last of a really neat event, Sips and Shoes is being retired. However, we’re sure we’ll see you again out there in the world where chocolate and wine (and sometimes shoes) intersect!

Wine Walk Goes to the Dogs

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Dogs and Wine

We were part of another 3rd Thursday Wine Walk on September 16, 2010. Once again we were the pleased guests of Davenport Cellars, nestled in the Woodinville Warehouse Winery District amongst 20 other winery shops.

This month’s theme was “Bottles and Dogs”. A ticket bought entry for you and your best friend (a 2-for-1 with the caveat that your best friend has fuzzy ears and a tail!), as well as the satisfaction of having made a donation to animal rescue. We think that’s an excellent cause worth supporting. And it was really fun having so many doggy visits during the event. (But NO chocolate for dogs, it’s toxic for them!!)

There were lots of dogs and dog lovers. Those of you from the Seattle area already know that we are a dog-happy lot, and a dog-friendly public event is greatly appreciated by 2-footed and 4-footed attendees.

Aaron (our chocolatier) found a favorite in Bailey, part of the Davenport Cellar’s family. He’s of Great Dane dimensions and heritage, along with (“we think”) wire-hair something or other (he’s not a dog-breeder, he’s a chocolatier!). A curious two-tier aspect of his coat makes him especially attractive. He’s beautifully sleek, BUT with a fine mist of gray and white wirey hair sticking up all over from his sleekness! Love it!

Runner up: That oversized Saint Bernard puppy that gazed at us with his chocolate eyes. Gangly, adorable, puppy-love.

Sunset Supper at Pike’s Place Market 2010

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Sunset Supper at Pike Place

Friday, August 13th, 2010 found us at the Pike Place Market and the 15th Annual Sunset Supper event. It was an honor to be there among all those wonderful restaurants, wineries, breweries and spirit companies (we love that Intrigue Chocolates defies categorization!). All 80 entities , 1,000 paying customers enjoying the night out, and 150 volunteers, joined together by the Market Foundation’s mission to raise money for their community.

If you were there you know there was a definite buzz of excitement in the air, and if you stopped by our booth, you were having a blast! People really did seem to be having a good time, and we saw a lot of excited truffle-sampling going on!

The weather was awesome, wine was flowing, Seattle’s top chefs were cooking. Add live music to all of that and it was a good party! It was great to work with Seattle Uncorked once again, and we are so pleased to be part of the tradition of neighborhood that the Market Foundation works to preserve. Social services provided in the marketplace include; senior center, daycare, preschool and food bank. All valuable services for valuable Seattle residents!