Photo Essay | The community came for the chocolate but stayed for the dancing

The International Festival of Chocolate brings dancers, performers and lots of chocolate lovers

Members of the Dembrebrah West African Drum and Dance Ensemble perform at the International Festival of Chocolate in Santa Ana on Feb. 5. The dancers brought a lively energy to the whole event, encouraging the crowd to take part in the celebration. Photos by DANIEL PEARSON, staff photographer

The fourth annual International Festival of Chocolate took place at the Bowers Museum in Santa Ana, just ten minutes away from Chapman University, on Feb. 5. And while the festival abounded with specialty chocolate vendors, attendees of the event were able to try out much more than just sweet treats. This festival also hosted a vibrant collection of dancers, indigenous artists and musicians, all free to the public.

The Dembrebrah West African Drum and Dance Ensemble was the finale to the four-hour long festival, drawing together all of the community to dance and sing as one people.

Maria Gonzalez (left) watches as Cristina Ramirez pours honey over a Mexican treat on Feb. 5, at the International Festival of Chocolate in Santa Ana.

This is Cristina Ramirez’s second time at the festival, and she loves the opportunity to transport her culture from Mexico right here to Orange County.

“Today I bring bread, chocolate and mole from Oaxaca. We have a lot of foods made from Oaxaca, where we support our indigenous people,” Cristina Ramirez said. “This is not my business. It is for my people.”

Another chocolate vendor at the festival similarly brought chocolate up from Latin America to sell to the people of Orange County. Zise Chocolate is a sustainably sourced, organic chocolate business based out of Irvine but with roots all throughout South and Central America.

A young girl eyes a display of sustainably grown chocolate from South America being sold by Zise Chocolate on Feb. 5 at the International Festival of Chocolate in Santa Ana.

(From left) Sabrina and Diane Stein sell their homemade chocolate at the International Festival of Chocolate.

“This is a home business. I bought the nibs from a small chocolate dealer,” Diane Stein said. “We get them from small farms. This one for example was grown in the shade in the Colombian rainforest, and it helps the people maintain the rainforest. They can have a crop to pay the people, so that their forest is not cut down. That is why it has to go direct, fair trade. This one here is also a carbon negative crop.”

Drummers of the Dembrebrah West African Drum and Dance Ensemble perform at the festival.

The festival brings together so many different groups of people from around Southern California to support one another. From indigenous Latin communities to indigenous African communities, all corners of the world come together for this event.

Olga Chojolan poses for a photo with Lucas Critchfield at the International Festival of Chocolate.

Olga Chojolan has been a long time folclorico dancer in Los Angeles and enjoys spending her time traveling to see other folclorico performers in the region. And while the International Festival of Chocolate isn’t a designated folclorico event, Lucas’ music brings out a folclorico dancer in anyone.

Many people were excited to dance to music by Lucas Critchfied, who plays tunes from Central and South America on his marimba. Critchfield runs a traveling music business called Marimba Tropical and encouraged a large crowd to move their feet at the International Festival of Chocolate.

The Dembrebrah West African Drum and Dance Ensemble perform at the festival.

The Dembrebrah West African Drum and Dance Ensemble is a local African-american cultural association that specializes in the practice and preservation of certain African music, dances and folklore. They do this by living out their practices and sharing them with the community.

The drummers of the Dembrebrah West African Drum and Dance Ensemble bring out the dancers at the International Festival of Chocolate.

The Dembrebrah West African Drum and Dance Ensemble is based out of Long Beach and travels all around the region to spread education and cultural healing through their performances.

The Dembrebrah West African Drum and Dance Ensemble perform a dance to the drum beat.

Chocolate vendors at the festival range from small businesses based out of people’s homes to larger, more established chocolate specialists, such as Marsatta Chocolate.

(From left) Rick Ryba and Chef Jeffray Gardner offer cacao beans from Marsatta Chocolate to be taste tested by attendees of the festival. 

“Jeffray Gardner is by many accounts the first bean to bar chocolate maker in Southern California. He’s been doing it over 20 years,” said Rick Ryba, a brand ambassador with Marsatta Chocolate. “The packaging and some of the collaborations we are doing here are a hallmark of our recent growth. For example, we have a rose infused chocolate bar that we developed in conjunction with the tournament of roses in Pasadena.”

Handmade goods from the Mexican state of Chiapas are sold at the International Festival of Chocolate. Many indigenous crafts and supplies were brought up from different regions in Mexico and beyond to be sold at the festival.

Many artisans sold their pottery, footwear and clothing at the festival as well. Some artists such as Anai Diego bring their products all the way up from Central American countries.

Anai Diego stands proudly in front of her people’s goods at the International Festival of Chocolate.

“Today, here we are selling goods from Guatemala,” Diego said. “We have something from every department in Guatemala. We have dresses that are designed and made there. There are 22 departments in the country and we have a little something from everywhere. 

When attendees of the event were finished with all the outdoor vendors and performers, they could walk into the actual museum and immerse themselves into even more international culture.

Museum attendees admire the ancient artwork in the opening foyer of the Bowers Museum, which hosted the festival.

A free event that brings together all of the varying cultures of the Orange County communities, the International Festival of Chocolate will return next year at the Bowers Museum. 

The Dembrebrah West African Drum and Dance Ensemble perform.