Last Saturday, I attended the 2012 New England Dessert Showcase at the Sheraton Hotel in Boston, hosted by The Anthem Group. Each year, the event brings together dessert fans to sample sweets from local restaurants, bakeries, and vendors. I have been looking forward to this for a while, seeing as I have a huge sweet tooth. I was only there for a little over an hour but probably consumed enough desserts for the whole week! Each sample size was generous, too. Halfway through the event and starting to feel full, my friends and I started to split the samples, so we could try more of other desserts – there was just so many! The variety of sweets ranged from cupcakes and cookies to gelato and waffles. The most memorable dessert sampling was from The Chart House: molten chocolate lava cake with vanilla ice cream and chopped pecan topping. I loved the surprise melty chocolate center – and I wasn’t the only one who indulged; there was a whole line of people who wanted to try it too. Another favorite was Golden Cannoli‘s cannoli chip with ricotta cream – the pastry (in chip form) was dusted with sugar and not too flaky, while the cream was perfectly sweet.
A glimpse of the morning tasting session. Located in the Grand Ballroom at The Sheraton Hotel Boston
Delicious petit fours from Konditor Meister
Assorted cupcakes with Eiffel Tower decor from Konditor Meister
Confections from Community Work Services catering
Fudge cups from Finale
Motto of the day
The event was well-organized and located in a spacious room. Admission also included a swag bag of coupons, a $10 gift card to Finale, a KIND granola bar and a raffle ticket. I definitely appreciated that there were plenty of direction signs, high-top tables, water dispensers, napkins, and trash barrels available. The bakers and representatives were welcoming and efficient at feeding the hungry crowd, too. Overall, it was a good experience, and I would return again next year.
