Get wired and fulfill all of your chocolate desires this weekend at Expo New Mexico (300 San Pedro Dr. NE) during the 15th Annual Southwest Chocolate and Coffee Fest. Over 200 vendors are flying in palatable products sure to hit your sweet spot and satisfy the thirsts of the city’s most sophisticated — and caffeinated — critics. Sweet treats ranging from s’more pretzels you can roast over a fire to 3D-printed futuristic chocolate concoctions are at your fingertips starting at 10 a.m. on Friday and Saturday, April 5 and 6.
“What matters most is that people come on in and support these very small craft culinary businesses,” Southwest Chocolate and Coffee Fest creator Dean Strober says. “Very few of these businesses have stores or shops. They really rely on meeting new customers at these events.”
Dean and Lena Strober are the husband-and-wife duo who created, produced and organized the decadent festival. Strober says they have tried to create a unique event that is affordable and accessible to everyone in town who wants to shop, sample and indulge in chocolate and coffee products from around the world.
“I’m really, really, really thrilled to see this in action and showcase very classical approaches to fine chocolate, coffee, tea and baked goods,” Strober says “We also bring in people that are trying to really push the envelope and expand what can be done with these gourmet foods.”
Besides showing off exclusive and unique products from every corner of the world, the gathering of gourmets will be educating attendees in the art of culinary masteries such as truffle making, dessert painting, home coffee brewing, farming, importing and processing — they even have a coffee-themed yoga class. For those who like to imbibe different types of fully-loaded beverages, several of the classes and presentations involve beer, wine and other fermented potables. So you can train to be a barista, take a coffee track master class and compete in a cold brew or baking contest, all in the same day.
Strober says one of their most anticipated guests is coffee farmer and roaster Juan Camilo Zuluaga, who traveled all the way from Colombia to talk coffee with folks in the Duke City. Strober says he thinks people who take advantage of Zuluga’s knowledge will learn more than they would just by getting acquainted with the different aromas and flavors circulating throughout the fairgrounds.
Another of this year’s special treats is an opportunity for festivalgoers to take a Level One Certification class with Dr. Maricel Presilla from the International Institute of Chocolate and Cacao Tasting.
“They’ve got classes all over the world, but the only in-person class in the United States just happens to be in Albuquerque next week. That is not a coincidence,” Strober says proudly.
In addition to the free demonstrations, tastings and classes that take place throughout the day, the Southwest Chocolate and Coffee Fest will have food and dessert trucks parked around their outdoor stage where attendees can pig out while they jam out. The live entertainment begins with a day of rock, country and blues featuring Benny Bassett, Alex Maryol and the Rudy Boy Experiment on Saturday. Sunday gets a little bit funky with performances from Monica and the Krew, Keeping Up With the Joneses and Los 33.
At 3:30 p.m. on Sunday, the Southwest Chocolate and Coffee Fest invites Burque’s best bakers to throw down Bobby Flay-style during the Guittard Chocolate Challenge. It’s open to bakers of all ages and backgrounds, and competitors can enter any type of chocolate dessert for their chance to win $250 – as long as their entry uses Guittard chocolate as an ingredient.
There’s enough going on at the festival to make you dizzy, but visiting their website at chocolateandcoffeefest.com will guide you through a list of vendors, music schedule, class registration, contest rules and everything else you need to know before you head out.
For tickets to the event, add-ons and to sign up for classes, go to chocolateandcoffeefest.holdmyticket.com/tickets/441161.
2025 Southwest Chocolate & Coffee Fest
April 5 and 6, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Expo NM
300 San Pedro Dr. NE
$15 adults, $5 kids ages 3 to 12
$25 Weekend Pass