Docklands enriched by festival

By Bethany Williams

Docklands was treated to a sweet tooth’s dream when the Chocolate Rush Festival visited last month.

The event, now in its fifth year, was held at Shed 4, Victoria Harbour. Around 6500 people attended the festival.

Festival director, Simone Gordon, said the event aimed to promote appreciation for the Australian chocolate industry.

“The event raises awareness about the extraordinary talent we have in the industry, that is some of the best in the world,” Simone said.

This was the first time the festival has been staged at Docklands. Simone said that it was held in Docklands this year because of the central location.

More than 30 chocolate makers and businesses were involved in the event.

The festival included chocolate education workshops, displays by master chocolatiers, a chocolate market and a Chocolate Rush Dinner, featuring a four-course chocolate dinner matched with wines.

The Australian Chocolate Championship was also held at the festival, with Jonathan Lee from Patisserie 7/1 announced the winner.

The ChocFest short film competition was another feature of the event. This was the first time the competition has been held and involved filmmakers submitting films about chocolate. David Friedlein was awarded the judge’s choice award for his film 29 Days Later.