LEWISTON — At the Green Ladle’s eighth annual Chocolat event Sunday, a $10 ticket got you 10 dessert choices and a ballot to cast for your favorite chocolatier.
Eight vendors competed this year, and they were all returning businesses.
Central Maine Community College brought baskets of chocolate macaroons, Pinky D’s brought a variety of chocolate-dipped cookies, Rails made a chocolate mousse with a hidden splash of cognac and Russell Park was on set with Napoleons and sticky buns, and Top It Frozen Yogurt had — you guessed it — frozen yogurt.
Lewiston Middle School Principal Jake Langlais said turnout had been good, with about 290 people showing up by 2 p.m.
“Chef Caron, he’s done a great job this year helping out,” Langlais said. “All the volunteers from the middle school who help put this on continue to do a great job.”
The event was organized by Green Ladle instructor Caron and Lewiston Middle School employees Charlotte Nile, Amy DiRenzo and Patrick Stanton.
A lunch buffet offered nachos, chicken, fries and sausage.
Raffle tickets could be purchased for a chance to win gift cards or the 50/50 drawing. All of the money raised directly benefits Lewiston Middle School and the Green Ladle program, including a $500 Green Ladle scholarship.
Vanessa DeWitt of Lewiston said her favorites of the day were the Mexican hot chocolate and s’mores from Bates College and the brownie-chocolate tower from Maine Gourmet Chocolates.
“It’s nice to see so many of the teachers here, too,” DeWitt said.
Her son, Damon, an eighth-grader at Lewiston Middle School, said his favorites were also the Bates offerings.
“My favorite was the sausage I just ate,” said her daughter, Jade.
She also enjoyed the crepe from Rolly’s Diner — a chocolate crepe filled with blackberry jam and caramel cream, topped with a chocolate-coffee sauce.
She wasn’t alone: Rolly’s took home a winning spot in all three categories Sunday.
Ken Blais, co-owner of Rolly’s Diner, said they decided to do the chocolate crepe because the regular crepe is “pretty much a staple item at the diner.”
“We use my grandma’s recipe,” he said.
Sadie Blais, Ken’s daughter and the pastry chef at the diner, took the recipe and tweaked it and made it a much more elegant dessert, Ken said.
This was Rolly’s Diner’s seventh year in the competition.
“Sadie was 17 the first year and she won first place in all three categories with these crepes,” he said. “Every year, people ask where the crepes are, so we brought them back.
“This is Sadie’s deal,” Ken said. “We’re just her assistants.”
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