Thousands turn out for Vista's first Chocolate Festival

By: GARY WARTH - Staff Writer | Sunday, May 28, 2006 9:26 PM PDT ∞

VISTA ---- Wiping chocolate pudding and whipped cream from his face, Jeremy Patterson admitted that he was surprised to take first place in the 2 p.m. pie-eating contest Sunday at Vista's first Chocolate Festival.

"I thought you were going to win, Matthew," he said to his brother. "You usually eat like a pig!"

Jeremy, 13, came from Oceanside with his family to attend the festival, a two-day event that began on Saturday with a chocolate-cooking contest, chocolate-judging demonstrations and an evening party with wine-tasting and live jazz.

On Sunday, visitors swarmed through downtown Vista, where streets were closed to motorists and sidewalks were lined with booths that sold crafts, merchandise and food.

What made this different from any other street fair was underneath the big white tent called Chocolate Village.

Jeremy's mother, Kristy Patterson, said all of her sons loved the fair, but maybe none more than Dakota, 4.

"He was covered in chocolate," she said about his visit to the chocolate fountain in the tent. "It was hilarious."

As for Jeremy's secret to pie-eating success, he revealed: "I just sucked it up." Other pie-eating contests were held on the hour throughout the day.

The festival was a joint presentation by the Vista Village Business Association and the Vista Chamber of Commerce. The association's executive director, Karen Clay, said she had no attendance figures Sunday but that parking lots were full by the early afternoon.

Inside Chocolate Village, event participants could sample or buy fudge, chocolate-covered strawberries, chocolate bars, chocolate cake, chocolate biscotti and chocolate-covered cherries.

"I really didn't expect a big crowd like this," said Donna Ross, owner of Stella's Vanilla Gourmet Fudge.

By mid-afternoon, Ross already had run short of her peanut fudge, but she still had plenty of peppermint, strawberry, orange, almond, raspberry and walnut on hand.

The attention at her booth was encouraging to Ross, who said it had only been a year since she said her mother talked her into leaving her job in medical records to pursue her sweet dream of making fudge.

While a warm late-May day had people donning hats and applying sunscreen, the tent was kept cool with large black air conditioners that resembled vintage big-screen televisions.

Dominating one side of the tent, the Kiwanis Club attracted a crowd with its flowing chocolate fountains that were used to smother strawberries, pineapple slices, marshmallows and Rice Crispy squares, each sold for $1.

Yo Lilly Cheesecake Co. sold slices of chocolate-covered frozen cheesecake and Rancho Buena Vista High School students sold a variety of chocolate bars to raise funds for their school. The mother and daughter team at Fran & Patti's Past Times came from Sun City to sell their chocolate treats, which included chocolates shaped like the American flag and Statue of Liberty.

The duo said their specialty is hand-made chocolate-covered cherries, although the chocolate-covered strawberries were selling even faster Sunday.

At the hourly pie-eating contest for adults, winner Jeanne Butterworth of Vista said she had been looking forward to the contest all week.

"I'm in a program for recovery, and we're always looking for good, clean things to do," she said.

"It wasn't so clean, though," her son Daniel Martinez joked as his mother tried to get whipped cream out of her nose.

At a cooking contest Saturday, pastry chef David Ogonowski earned first place in the professional category and Nancy Estes took second place.

In the amateur category, Alan Shada took first and Phyllis McGreevey took said.

Jessica Pflibsen won the children's category, and the San Diego Culinary Institute won the contest for best chocolate sculpture.

Contact staff writer Gary Warth at gwarth@nctimes.com or (760) 740-5410. To comment, go to nctimes.com.

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