4 hours Ago
Thirty bakers and chocolatiers are gearing up for the village’s Chocolate Fest, which runs from 5 to 9 p.m. on Friday.
“Everybody loves doing it,” said Britt Young, owner of The Sweetish Chef, a Front Street bakery specializing in grain-free and sugar-free breads, bagels and baked goods. It’s her third year participating in the festival, which is organized by the Ballston Spa Business & Professional Association (BSBPA) and takes place at participating venues throughout the village. Chocolatiers offer samples of their chocolate-themed dishes for $2 each and attendees can vote on their favorite in three categories: sweet, savory and beverage.
Young’s chocolate stout chili secured the savory category win last year and she’s bringing it back to Boho Chic Boutique on Front Street for this year’s festival. While Young is keeping the recipe off the record, she compares it to a mole. At The Sweetish Chef, she’s vying for the win in the sweet category with chocolate caramel truffles.
True to the bakery’s mission, the truffles will be sugar-free. Young, who has long followed a gluten-free diet, was inspired to open a sugar- and grain-free bakery by her mother’s health issues. “In 2018, she passed away from a very avoidable injury, I guess you could say, and had she been eating better or taking care of her health or her sugar levels, none of that would have happened,” Young said, noting that one in three Americans are diabetic or pre-diabetic.
The Sweetish Chef carries everything from coffee cakes to cupcakes and brownies, all aiming to satisfy customer’s cravings for sweets, while being sugar and grain-free. Young also offers bagels, pizza dough and bread. “This is the place to get your treats so that you don't feel like you're missing out,” Young said.
It’s the first year she’s made the chocolate caramel truffles and they’re up against Front Street Deli’s double chocolate brownie bites, Iron Roost’s chocolate raspberry goddess cookies, and Daisy Dry Goods’ chocolate ganache-filled dates, among others. Attendees can vote for their favorites online. Many participating shops have partnered with local bakeries for the event.
Miss Priss Boutique is serving as a landing spot for The Iron’s Edge citrus chocolate truffles, Amazing Finds Boutique is hosting Mi Casa Mexican Restaurant and serving its Chocolate Margarita Bliss. “It's a great event to showcase what you provide as a business,” said Nathan Ward, vice president of the BSBPA. “All these chocolatiers are business owners, either in the village of Ballston Spa or just right outside the area.
It's a great way to get out of the house and go around and get samples from all these bakeries, all these chefs.” The festival, in its 10th year, will also feature a scavenger hunt. The BSBPA partnered with Ballston Spa Middle School’s Launching Pad Productions, which is in the middle of its “Beetlejuice JR” production run.
“We're hiding a ‘Beetlejuice’ character at different locations around the village, and if you find one, you bring it back to the Chocolate Fest hub, which will be at DB Trends, and you get two free tickets to the show,” Ward said. As for what chocolate treats he’s most interested in trying this time around, Ward noted he’s excited to see last year’s winner Isla’s Divine Desserts back at the Ballston Spa National Bank. It’s run by young baker Isla Davis, who will be serving dark chocolate cherry tartlets.
Ward noted that attendees should plan to bring cash, particularly small bills, for the samples, and requested, with the increase in traffic during the festival, attendees use crosswalks rather than jaywalking. Sign Up: The Daily Gazette's 518 Plate food newsletter in your inbox weekly For the full list of participants and more information, visit ballston.org .
Sign Up: The Daily Gazette's Saratoga Springs weekly newsletter in your inbox.
