Salon du Chocolat #2

 

On Monday Bear 🐻 went to the Salon du Chocolat.

He was bear 🐻 hunting

Hunting bears 🐻 has become pretty easy to do these days

I’m not talking about bears 🐻 turning up in your CA back yard 😱 

If you should encounter a bear, the National Park Service advises you to stay calm & talk so that the bear knows you are human and not a prey animal. Do not scream or run 🏃‍♂️ 😱



Back to marshmallow bears by artisan chocolatier Vincent Guerlais of Nantes at the Salon.

Marshmallow chocolate-covered bear cubs are a classic, iconic childhood candy every French kid grew up munching, since the 1960s.

Made by Cémoi and still costing around 2€

Cémoi has a history that goes back to 1814. Cémoi is the biggest French chocolate manufacturer and the 26th largest in the world.

The range of fancy pants Ourson Guimauve/marshmallow-filled bears 🐻 is a rampant trend in France since 2015, if no where else. 

They were in depth at the Salon, even the plain ole petit oursons 🐻 

Some of you might not know who Bear is. Early days, 2010, he was a gift from Sonia Rykiel. 

He’s been under the weather a bit (thanks to French moths who ❤️ cashmere) so he doesn’t travel so much. 

But he certainly enjoyed 

Visiting the Chocolate Salon again.

We both did. Especially sampling Pariés Basques gâteaux 

And we got downstairs this time, 

To visit the more exotic purveyors like Peru 

And chocolats 🍫 Afriques 

And Hawaii Manoa chocolates.

I always love looking at the original product, the cocoa beans 🫘 or cabosses. 

It’s hard to believe the rich chocolate bars/tablettes 🍫we love so much comes from this. Beauty and the beast 🦁 

And I got a second chance to get a handful of 6 vanilla beans 

I spotted opening night 🤸‍♂️

Of course there were the usual baking contests/competitions 

Always at the Salon with the usual whoops of excitement.

Bear & I left the fair, happily clutching our vanilla beans. We showed them off to Bouquiniste  Brigitte we met on the bus home.

Bear is featured on a personalized Holiday 🎄 letter if you’re so inclined. Or stop in at my Etsy Shop for more Holiday letters 

                                                   🐻

             Or you could buy Bear a cup of KO-FI ☕️ 🐻

           🐻   ☕️  🐻    ☕️  🐻  ☕️   🐻   ☕️  🐻  ☕️  🐻   ☕️ 🐻