Hundreds turn out for annual Chocolate Fantasia
By PAMELA GRANT
Cove Leader-Press
Friday’s Chocolate Fantasia was a chocolate lover’s dream with a wide variety of all-you-can-eat delicious treats.
The 3rd Annual Chocolate Fantasia was held Friday night from 5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. at the Copperas Cove Civic Center. Culinary students from the Copperas Cove High School and S.C.Lee Junior High School cooked up the delicious treats served throughout the event including chocolate fudge, chocolate chip cookie dough truffles, triple chocolate cookie truffles, red velvet truffles, brownies, chocolate croissants, chocolate cake pops, Oreo truffles, chocolate caramel fudge, and chocolate coffee mini cupcakes with coffee chocolate buttercream and candied bacon. About 2,400 chocolates were crafted for this year’s event.
“It’s nice, I like doing it,” said CCHS 11th grader, Drake Nielsen (16) who also participated in last year’s Chocolate Fantasia. For this year, his group submitted the chocolate coffee mini cupcakes with coffee chocolate buttercream and candied bacon. He said he didn’t think they’d win, but he enjoyed the event and loves cooking.
Throughout the night, participants were asked to vote for their favorite treat. The group who produced the winning dessert will receive a $100 HEB gift card (donated by HEB) for use in their culinary arts classroom.
The Chocolate Fantasia also featured 33 works of art created by a select few CCISD students receiving special education services.
“We normally only take 30 works of art, but the interest was so strong we went ahead and took 33,” said Wendy Sledd, Director of Communications for CCISD, who organized the event. “They love seeing their artwork. They just shine and beam when they see themselves featured as artists.”
The 33 works of art were raffled off throughout the night. Each artist included, alongside their art, a short story which talked about their hardships, accomplishments, and their life journey so far.
“Sharing their stories is a great educational opportunity,” said Sledd. “I learn from this event every year when I read their stories.”
All money raised at this year’s event will go towards CCISD students who participate in the special Olympics.
Moose Riders were the presenting sponsors for the event and were on hand throughout the evening to serve drinks and help out as needed. Bottled water and faux champagne were donated by HEB for the event. Starbucks donated coffee for the event. Rocks & Roots Realty Group were the corporate sponsor.
Romella Spitzer (12), a 6th grader at S.C.Lee Junior High School, started the event a few years ago as a member of the Five Hills Scholarship Program. Spitzer’s sister, Samantha Spitzer, is autistic and non-verbal.
“My sister loves art—she likes to paint and has a bunch of art in her room…my sister loves chocolate and chocolate is kinda Valentinesy,” said Spitzer. “So I thought we’d put it together and make an art gallery with chocolate.”
Spitzer said that she liked supporting children like her sister and bringing them together through their love of art. She’s also proud of the fact that the Chocolate Fantasia event has made it to three years and continues to raise money to support children in the special education program.
“I didn’t know it was going to get THIS big,” said Spitzer who was impressed to see how the Chocolate Fantasia has grown bigger each year.
CCHS 9th grader Devin Gloria (15) submitted an “Among Us” themed piece for the art gallery. He said that he really likes the game and wanted to produce a piece that “wasn’t too over the top”. Gloria said that he liked finding out that some of his fellow students were as into art as he was, and he liked getting to see people that he knew at the event as well.
“It feels like it’s a fancy place,” said Gloria about the Chocolate Fantasia.
“I like it,” said Devin’s mother, Dawn Zerbe. “He’s never been to a formal anything. I just like the fact that he gets to be a part of something. I really want to say thank you to the school.”