Haz-Mat Fantasia

Oh...this is a semi-long story that I'm not sure I'm creative enough to re-tell right now. Why didn't I post this back in February when it was current? Can you tell who this is?:

Excerpt from an email I wrote my family the weekend of the event...which was around Valentine's Day:

Chocolate Fantasia was from noon-4pm, and Simon & I walked around to collect our 20 chocolates (choosing from the 30 possible sites).

Our first stop was to the Curious Kumquat to see "crazy daddy" who scared Simon a little at first. Rob had a whole "chocolate experience" planned and was very secretive about it - so we had to wait in line (in the 65 degree sunshine!) until one of two "danger guides" led us through the experience. As we waited in line we had to read a page of directions explaining that it was experiential, don't tell anyone about it, etc. etc. also a minimal disclosure about the ingredients for anyone w/ allergies. Anyone who chose the "normal" route went straight into the store and got their normal chocolate from the employee at the register. Anyone choosing danger had to wait for a guide.

Adam came out in his full haz-mat garb and led us inside. Once we were out of earshot, he talked in a normal voice to Simon & said "hi buddy," after which Simon was okay with "crazy daddy."

For those of you who have been to the Curious Kumquat, the "danger" route took us to the right, through the tea tasting room, and then through a bunch of plastic sheeting that sectioned off the "chamber." The air smelled thickly of chocolate (I learned later that after every other person Adam had a spray bottle to mist "chocolate air" into the chamber. It was actually an "edible perfume" with a flavor/scent of hot chocolate.)

So we get into this plastic-sheeting draped chocolate experience chamber (which is actually their storage/delivery room) where it's dimly lit and heavily chocolate-laden in the air. Adam hands a

chocolate to me and says "we recommend eating your chocolate here in the aroma chamber for the best chocolate experience" or something like that. It was too dark to really be able to see what it looked like, but it tasted pretty good. Then you step outside through more plastic sheeting (sort of like a carwash, actually) and there are several large signs to read as you walk out the back door & back to the parking lot. They basically said, "we hope you enjoyed your cilantro cheesecake with chocolate air" or something like that - because I guess that's what it was. :)

It was a fun experience. Later Adam said he was sweating really bad in all that gear, and Rob kept having to wipe the chocolate mist off his goggles when he'd come outside b/c he couldn't really see through them. Ew. He kinda smelled like chocolate for the rest of the afternoon. :)