The Belmont Shore Chocolate Festival is back this Saturday for its 17th year after a three-year hiatus due to the pandemic.

Organized by the Belmont Shore Business Association, the festival will offer a line-up of chocolate goodies from over 25 participating businesses including The Wine Beach, Nick’s on 2nd and Cinnaholic Bakery.

Debbie Jarrett, co-owner of The Wine Beach, said she will be offering guests an array of farm-to-table treats like chocolate-infused goat cheese and a variety of artesian chocolate pieces to choose from. It’s the business’s first chocolate festival after opening in 2021.

“We are looking forward to our first festival and meeting everyone,” Jarrett said.

Some of the offerings include: chocolate martinis at the Long Beach Tap House, chocolate chip banana bites from Cinnaholic, chocolate mousseline cake paired with a glass of Prosecco at Roe Seafood restaurant and Oreos stuffed with chocolate chip cookies as well as a variety of other treats at Snow Monster Cafe.

There is no entry fee to the festival, but visitors will need to purchase tasting tickets. Guests can purchase 12 of those tickets for $15 the day of the event starting at 11 a.m.

Tickets can be purchased at Chase Bank, Shore Business Center, The Beach on 2nd, Blue Windows and Salon Soma.

The festival will kick off at noon with a homemade dessert contest at Second Street and Covina Avenue. Community members will be able to enter a homemade chocolate dessert at the cost of $10 per entry with a panel of judges selecting the winner from three categories: chocolate cakes and pies, cookies and brownies and unique chocolate treats.

After the judges sample the entries, winners will be chosen and an award giveaway will be held at 1 p.m.

Following the contest, the Chocolate Festival tasting event will be held along Second Street from 1 to 3 p.m.

The final event of the festival will be the Hof’s Hut chocolate pie eating contest, where contestants (over the age of 6) will be able to see who can eat an individual size chocolate cream pie the fastest.

Sign ups and the event will be held in front of the Chase Bank from 3 to 4 p.m.

Belmont Shore Business Association Executive Director Heather Kern, who was hired in August, said that she looks forward to hosting her first Belmont Shore Chocolate Festival. She hopes that since it’s the first since the pandemic, the community will be encouraged to come outside and “get their chocolate on.”

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