The Southwest Coffee and Chocolate Fest is more than a sampling of the buzz-inducing goodies in the region; it’s about supporting the local producers, so people can get their fix for years to come.
Festival founders Dean Strober and Lena Armstrong-Strober moved to Albuquerque from Brooklyn a year and a half ago. Strober said they attended a wine festival in Bernalillo and had the idea for the coffee and chocolate festival. He said they wanted the festival to be as diverse as parties in New York City, instead of an event where people just walk around and sample chocolate and coffee.
“The best kind of party is where there’s always something different going on, and you can really explore what’s in this room, what’s in that room, oh my god there’s flamenco dancers, oh look, aerialist trapeze performers, over here we’ve got a blues band,” he said.
Strober primarily organized the event on his own, and during the last month, he said he’s been working 16 hours a day on five hours of sleep. Armstrong-Strober said Strober’s ambition and their mutual love for entertaining is what motivates them to put on the fest.
This Friday, the fest kicks off with the Alien Tequila After Dark Chocolate Party for adults 21 years and older. The party features aerial trapeze artists, stilt walkers, body painters, live music and beer, wine and tequila lounges, Armstrong-Strober said.
“So we’ve definitely tried to create this kind of a rock-and-roll circus feel,” she said. “That’s sort of the feeling we’re going for. We’ve been to Burning Man; we’re all about creating art and in-the-moment spontaneity.”
The lounges are available all weekend, as well as live entertainment. After Friday, Strober said there are more cooking demos, a chocolate-eating contest, a bounce house for the kids and a baking contest.
Strober said eventgoers can sample myriad chocolate concoctions, including both sweet and savory dishes. For example, attendees can taste Chocolate Gelato Java Stout Beer Floats. There will also be gluten-free, all natural and organic options, such as raw vegan chocolate almond fudge.
Armstrong-Strober said this year’s venue is five times larger than last year’s, to accommodate more vendors and attendees. Out of the 73 vendors, 95 percent of them are from New Mexico, and she said the rest are from surrounding states. She said the event is highly beneficial to the vendors, many of whom have day jobs to pay the bills while working to get their businesses off the ground.
One vendor, Teri’s Sweet Garden, is a candy shop in Los Lunas that Teri Leahigh and her husband Mark started two years ago. For their first year at the festival, they’ll have treats such as chocolate-covered Twinkies, fudge and cups of dirt.
Leahigh said she always told her chocolate-fanatic father that she’d start a candy shop, so he could get his fix free.
“Unfortunately, my dad had passed away before I was able to get the funds and do all the stuff it takes, but we have his pictures up in the shop here, and we named one of our candies after him, so he’s still here, but the final motivation was just ‘jump out of the boat and do it, do it for dad,’” she said.
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When customers come in, they tell her it’s like Disneyland, Leahigh said. She tries to create a kid-friendly atmosphere; if chocolate is broken, they can always melt it down, she said.
“It’s all just fun, and that’s how I remember my dad,” she said. “We would go to the little chocolate shop and we would get chocolate and take it into (back in the day it was) Mervyn’s … so it was fun, chocolate was always fun.”
Southwest Coffee and Chocolate Fest
Albuquerque Convention Center
401 Second St. N.W.
Friday 5 to 11 p.m.
$20, 21
Saturday 10 a.m. to 7 p.m.
$10, all ages
Sunday 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.
$10, all ages
ChocolateandCoffeeFest.com
