The second annual Death by Chocolate event was held on Feb. 8, from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. at Cottonwood Heights City Hall (located at 2277 E. Bengal Blvd). The event was hosted by the Cottonwood Heights Business Association (CHBA).

Members of the Cottonwood Heights Youth City Council greeted attendees as they exchanged the $10 cover charge for a punch card listing all the available vendors. After attendees grabbed a plate, they made their way around the Community Room, visiting each of the 13 vendors. As vendors punched cards, they dished their best chocolate treats onto attendees’ plates. By the time attendees had visited each of the vendors, they were gingerly carrying plates filled with a mountain of various chocolate treats.

“Vendors were running out of food within the first hour,” Business Development Coordinator Peri Kinder said.

The vendors for the event were all local businesses part of the CHBA. Vendors included Angel Café, Carmine’s, Caputo’s, Hyatt Place, Alpha Coffee, Redstone Olive Oil, See’s Candies, Trader Joe’s, Waffle Love, Whole Foods Market, Fernwood Candy and Zaferan Café.

Angel Café, a small French restaurant located at 2577 Bengal Blvd., came prepared with four varieties of mini chocolate cakes, brownies, Rice Krispy treats, breads, chocolate turtles, as well as chocolate ganache.

“Excuse me, do you like chocolate?” the Caputo’s workers joked as they offered attendees samples of their unique craft chocolate bars, including rose chocolate.  

Alpha Coffee, located at 7260 Racquet Club Dr., handed out hot chocolate exclusively made from their Red Thunder Cocoa. “The cocoa comes from Ghana. They dry it between banana leaves, grind it up, add a little bit of African cane sugar and that’s it. No preservatives or additives. We steam it with milk and it’s delicious,” Manager Denái Churchill said.  

Zaferan Café, located at 7835 Highland Dr., was pleased with the event because they were able to network with many residents. “A lot of people didn’t know we were in the city.”

See’s Candy, located at 940 Fort Union Blvd., was a big hit during this event, as they ran out of chocolate treats within the first hour.

The CHBA booth was manned by Community and Economic Development Director Brian Berndt and City Planner Andy Hulka. They offered attendees Dunford Donut halves as they passed their booth. “I made these,” Berndt joked, referring to the doughnuts that were cut into C’s for Cottonwood Heights.

Waffle Love, located at 1142 Fort Union Blvd., prepared warm waffles for the event. “They put Belgian chocolate into the waffles!” exclaimed one attendee.

Trader Joe’s, located at 6989 S. 1300 E., provided a rich chocolate smell for the entire event, as they served warm chocolate lava cake. They also served chocolate almond tarts and macaroons. “Products have to be excellent to earn a spot on our shelves,” Trader Joe’s employee Miriam said.

Altogether, over 200 people attended the event. “We were counting by how many doughnuts were handed out at the CHBA booth,” Kinder joked.

“It’s something you remember the next day because you have chocolate all over your face,” Berndt said.

If you missed out on this event this year, don’t worry! The CHBA plans to host this event annually. Stay updated at http://chbusiness.org/.