A massive chocolate exhibition is coming to Toronto next month
Published January 10, 2025 at 11:27 am
Toronto is hosting a massive exhibition for all this chocolate next month and the cocoa-curious are encouraged to attend.
The Winter Chocolate Show (now entering its fifth year) is the creation of Paola Giavedoni, a local sweets purveyor who runs The Candy Bar in Little Italy, and Erik Hansen, master chocolatier with Debarres Chocolate.
Scheduled for Feb. 8, the event will take place in the revamped Toronto Reference Library and will feature numerous chocolatiers from coast to coast detailing the artisanship in crafting the perfect chocolate.
“It started with our own community of chocolate makers and it has grown so much, and so many more people in our community have been making fine artisanal chocolate since — from the cocoa bean to the chocolate bar itself — it has only got bigger since we have started,” Giavedoni told YourcitywithIN.com.
The event — styled like a floor show — features vendors from across Canada and highlights some of the best chocolate available nationwide, with seminars and workshops focusing on the aspects of chocolate production taking the spotlight.
Giavedoni noted that even professors from Guelph University will be in attendance, engaging in deep dives on the science and history behind the cocoa bean — the plant from which most chocolate derives.
While the 2025 Winter Chocolate Show features many educational features, it is by no stretch a semester at ‘Chocolate College,’ as an abundance of tastings will also be set up throughout the exhibition for guests to sample.
“Everywhere you go, you’ll be able to taste three different kinds of chocolate, from milk, dark and white chocolate, and more importantly, through that tasting, learn the differences between them,” says Giavedoni. “One can walk in knowing nothing and leave knowing enough to keep that curiosity peaked forever.”
Giavedoni also notes that despite its massive scope, the Winter Chocolate Show offers guests the opportunity for one-on-one conversations with each chocolatier.
“When you come to this show, with a partner, friends or alone, it immediately a space where you don’t feel overwhelmed or uncomfortable because everyone there is so open. Everyone has that same curiosity, so you can drop in and immediately find others like you,” says Giavedoni.
The 2025 Winter Chocolate Show will be kicking off in February with detailed programming information to be released over the coming weeks.
For ticket information, visit the event’s official website.