Genesee Country Village & Museum welcomes visitors to a truly sweet weekend – the annual Celebrating Chocolate event on Saturday and Sunday, July 15 and 16. Guests will have the opportunity to sample both sweet and savory recipes as they explore the Historic Village, learn about early uses of chocolate, watch cooking demonstrations, take a pop-up baking class, learn from local chocolatiers, and more.
As visitors make their way around the 19th-century Historic Village, they will have the opportunity to taste all of the following historical delicacies: Chocolate Custard (Jones Farm Kitchen), Miss Leslie’s First Chocolate Cake (Livingston-Backus House Kitchen), Wisconsin Spice Cake (Hamilton House), Cocoa Shell Tea (Hosmer’s Inn), Vanilla Ice Cream with Chocolate Sauce (Meeting Center Lounge), Chocolate Intensity (Meeting Center Lounge), “Trail Mix” Cookies (Meeting Center Lounge), and Chocolate Balsamic Vinaigrette with Vegetables (Meeting Center Lounge).
Make the connection between the 19th century and today by exploring historic receipts (now called recipes), in the Village, then hearing from contemporary Rochester-area chocolatiers like Laughing Gull Chocolates. Learn about their methods, the history behind their products, sample sweets, and purchase treats to bring home.
Visit the Museums’ Confectionery in the Historic Village to shop historical sweets and treats made on-site at GCV&M, plus find a variety of American Heritage® Chocolate products. American Heritage® Chocolate is an authentic historic line of products by Mars Chocolate North America and has been developed from chocolate recipes of the 1750s.
In addition to Genesee Country Village & Museum’s costumed historic cooks whipping up chocolate-inspired recipes, all week long leading up to Celebrating Chocolate Weekend, visitors have the opportunity to learn from special guest interpreters and experts like Jamie Burton (@The.Slow.Oven) about all things chocolate.
On Wednesday, July 12, explore 1830s confectioner’s skills, and in historic kitchens, find chocolate almonds, chocolate sweetmeats, and chocolate pastils. On Thursday, July 13, peruse 1850s patisserie and in historic kitchens, find chocolate charlotte russe, chocolate macaroons, and chocolate profiteroles. On Friday, July 14, dive into 1820s hearth baking, and in historic kitchens find chocolate biscuits and chocolate tarts.
Visitors to GCV&M during Celebrating Chocolate Week will also have the opportunity to enjoy new pop-up cooking and baking experiences with artisan-in-residence and food historian Jamie Burton. Visit Jones Farm Kitchen between 1 and 2 p.m. on Wednesday, July 12, to try your hand at making chocolate almonds. Join Burton in the Jones Farm Kitchen from 5:30 to 7 p.m. on Thursday, July 13, to try baking and tasting early brownie recipes. Head over to historic Hetchler House between 1 and 2 p.m. on Friday, July 14, to make chocolate biscuits. Learn from Burton in the Jones Farm Kitchen from 5:30 to 7 p.m. on Saturday, July 15, to bake and taste two different chocolate cake recipes from the 19th century. Lastly, join Burton in the MacKay House from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Saturday, July 15, for a hands-on introduction to cooking over a hearth. Tickets for all pop-up classes and workshops can be found at https://www.gcv.org/event/celebrating-chocolate-weekend/.
Tickets for Celebrating Chocolate Weekend are available at https://www.gcv.org/event/celebrating-chocolate-weekend/. Celebrating Chocolate Weekend tickets are $18 for adults, $15 for seniors (62+), $15 for students (13 to 18), $12 for youth (12 and under), free for kids three and under, and free for GCV&M Members. Visitors are encouraged to buy tickets online and save – there will be a small additional fee for tickets purchased at the door.
Celebrating Chocolate Weekend is supported by a grant from Empire State Development and I LOVE NY/New York State’s Division of Tourism through the Regional Economic Development Council initiative.
Tickets and more information about upcoming events can be found online at https://www.gcv.org/events/.
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