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| A cake from the Norman, OK Chocolate Festival |
A longtime journalist,
Kay Harwell Fernandez is a freelance travel writer who has visited 56
countries--and counting. She has been published in international, national and
regional magazines, newspapers and webzines. She has written two travel-related
e-books and contributed to five National Geographic books. She's also working
on a cozy mystery and historical suspense. Learn more about Kay here.
I readily admit that I am a chocoholic. My love for
chocolate dates to early childhood. My mother made extraordinary chocolate
cream pie (I took off the meringue), Devil's Food cake with fudge frosting,
chocolate pudding, creamy hot cocoa, and scrumptious German Chocolate Cake. All
from scratch. Also, I looked for any excuse to drown whatever food item I could
in chocolate syrup.
Naturally, my favorite episode of I Love Lucy was the one with Lucy and Ethel stuffing their mouths
with chocolates during the candy factory production line. One Christmas I asked
Santa Claus for a gigantic Tootsie Roll (about 2 feet tall). A true chocoholic.
Over the years, my passion for chocolate has not diminished,
although moderation is now the key.
As a travel writer and a consumer, I often sought out
chocolate-related places during my travels. I have relished such experiences as
the sleek and comprehensive Chocolate Museum in Cologne, Germany, the fun
attraction Cadbury World near Birmingham, England, the delectable chocolate
festival in Norman, Oklahoma, the chocolate factory tour at Angell & Phelps
in Daytona Beach, Florida, the Swiss Chocolate Train out of Montreux,
Switzerland and the amazing Salon Du Chocolat in Paris. At Salon Du Chocolate,
I watched top pastry chefs from all over the world compete and was awestruck at
the dozens of gowns fashioned out of chocolate.
A chocolate treatment at The Spa at The Hotel Hershey found
me basking in bliss. Enjoying chocolate in its purest form is a delight from
bean-to-bar artisans such as Theo in Seattle and Soma in Toronto. Hmmm!
For almost a decade, I have been amassing stacks and stacks
of materials and research on chocolate. I have written numerous
chocolate-related feature articles and have been interviewed on radio, podcasts,
and for newspaper and web stories.
Writing a book seemed to be a given. In my e-book Have Chocolate, Will Travel--An Enticing
Journey to All Things Chocolate, my aim was to share some of my chocolate
travels and compilation of information with readers and armchair travelers. The
book covers attractions, bean-to-bar artisans, cafes and bars, cruises, factory
tours, festivals, hotels, museums, spas, special events, tours and trails. All
drenched in chocolate. Yummy photos of chocolate round out the pages.
Have Chocolate, Will Travel takes readers and armchair
travelers on an enticing world journey to chocolate festivals, museums, factory
tours, cafes, trails, tours, spas, attractions, bean-to-bar chocolatiers and
other chocolate-themed travel. Each spot exudes a whiff of chocolate. It’s not
only a travel experience, but a sensory one as well.
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