THE VOICE OF CHICAGO'S GAY, LESBIAN, BI, TRANS AND QUEER COMMUNITY SINCE 1985

Eighteen businesses took part in the event, serving up both traditional candies and unorthodox, chocolate-tinged takes on other foods. Prasino in LaGrange offered a mixture of the sweet and the savory with dark chocolate chicken liver pate, for example, and suggested that it be followed by the raspberry dark rum sangria it had on hand. LondonHouse Chicago, in contrast, served malted milk chocolate nitrogen in chocolate coated waffle cones. Walgreens went retro and offered samples of its classic chocolate malted.

Sofitel Chicago's Harrison Hayes said, "To be able to showcase our [company's] contemporary representation of our storied French heritage to the Chicago community—and especially at such a renowned event like World of Chocolate—is an opportunity we are constantly striving to participate in."

Among Sofitel's offerings were orange pine nut tarts with white chocolate cream; milk chocolate bark infused with Vadouvan curry; and French pepper-infused dark chocolate tarts.

The event grossed about $200,000 before expenses were factored, according to Brian Solem, AFC's director of communications. The organization was presented that evening with a check for $30,000 from Mariano's and the Illinois Lottery.