Midwest Craft Chocolate Festival Preview | #PodSaveChocolate Ep83

When and Where to Watch

Episode 83 Overview

Many (if not most) of you will know the name Dustin Cornett from my involvement with the Craft Chocolate Challenge. When Dustin pulled up stakes, moving from rural Kentucky to Rushville, he approached the town with the idea of staging a craft chocolate festival.

Months later, here we are – just two full days away from the first day of this inaugural festival.

I was involved in the first three editions of The Big Chocolate Festival in NYC, so I know something of the undertaking that is starting a chocolate festival from scratch. There’s a hunt for locations, exhibitors, presenters, sponsors, volunteers ... and above all, participants.

The timing of the festival for the weekend before Thanksgiving coincides with Rushville’s annual Christmas Market. Rushville is located near the center of a rough triangle whose corners are Indianapolis, Cincinnati, and Dayton.

I will be connecting to Rushville through Chicago, where I will be meeting up with Kjell from Fjorden at O’Hare International Arrivals, then driving down to Rushville, a more than four-hour journey. While I have tasted his chocolate and spent some time on video calls with him, this is the first time Kjell and I will have met in person if memory serves me. (It will also be the first time Dustin and I will meet in person!)

The Program

I have been asked to give the opening remarks and am hosting an AMA session on Saturday. If you look through the program, you’ll see an impressive roster of sessions and presenters for a first-time festival. What you don’t see on the program is the international exhibitors, including Fjorden from Norway and Yojoa from Honduras, as well as a strong collection of regional craft chocolate makers and confectioners (linked to in the card below the schedule).

Accommodations

The organizing committee went out of its way to find accommodations for presenters and exhibitors coming in from out of town. This is a huge win because there are very few options for accommodation in Rushville proper. I will be staying at the historic Willkie House, the home of the former Presidential candidate (1940) Wendell Lewis Willkie. From what I understand, the home underwent a renovation that was just recently completed, and I, as well as two others, will be staying there – among the first-ever guests! The house is within reasonable walking distance of all of the festival events.

I am a huge fan of staying at B&B-type lodgings, especially those in homes with a history. I will be taking photos of the interiors and sharing them, along with other thoughts about the property in the December 2 episode, which will be a Midwest Craft Chocolate Festival Wrap-up.

Questions?

If you have questions or want to comment, you can do so during the episode or, if you are a ChocolateLife member, you can add them in the Comments below at any time. As I am not going to be in the episode live, I will not be responding to comments live.

Episode Hashtags and Related Accounts to Follow

#MCCF
#cocoa #cacao #cacau
#chocolate #chocolat #craftchocolate
#PodSaveChoc #PSC
#LaVidaCocoa #TheChocolateLife
Instagram: Midwest Craft Chocolate Festival Cocoa Supply
FB: Midwest Craft Chocolate Festival
Website: Visit Rush County

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